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Is political correctness going too far?

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http://www.adversity.net/special/niggardly.htm

Washington, DC's black Mayor, Anthony Williams, gladly accepted the resignation of his white staff member, David Howard, because Mr. Howard uttered the word 'niggardly' in a private staff meeting.

Webster's Tenth Edition defines the word 'niggardly' to "grudgingly mean about spending or granting". The Barnhard Dictionary of Etymology traces the origins of 'niggardly' to the 1300's, and to the words 'nig' and 'ignon', meaning "miser" in Middle English. No where in any of these references is any mention of racial connotations associated with the word 'niggardly'.

In other words, it's a perfectly good and useful word. But there is the unfortunate coincidence that it starts with the same four letters as the word "ni**er". The news media are so loathe to use the "N" word, that they've been substituting the phrase "racial slur", as in "...they mistook the word 'niggardly' for a racial slur..."

Washington, DC's population is 60% black, and it's citizens have been very critical of Mayor Williams for "not being black enough" -- especially because he hired several well-qualified whites to help him run this troubled city.

Racial intolerance, ignorance, and misplaced political correctness have cost a white mayoral aide his job in Washington, DC. And, as many of the other stories on Adversity.Net clearly illustrate, the "niggardly" controversy is only the tip of the "intolerance iceberg".
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Should this even be a point of discussion? P/C overboard.....


BLACK sheep are on the endangered species list as some children in north Queensland learn to sing Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep.

The English nursery rhyme may have survived for 200-plus years but political correctness could finally put it out to pasture.

Some schools in Britain have banned the song for being racist, but Pelicans Innisfail Child Care allows children to sing about black sheep or rainbow sheep.

Director Pam McLaughlin said some teachers sang the changed lyrics, and some children already knew the changes.

"We just go with whatever the children want," Ms McLaughlin said.

"The kids are just singing and having fun. Some sing black sheep, some sing rainbow sheep. It's just a song.

"We don't have anything that says, 'You have to sing it this way'."

The BBC reported in 2000 that Birmingham City Council had banned the song for being racist. It was later overturned after a backlash from parents.
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http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/racist-baa-baa-black-sheep-put-out-to-pasture/story-e6freoof-1226012503056
 
If you are expected to walk out whenever a comedian makes an bad joke, then yes, too far..isnt that what comedians do?

Talking of jokes, both sides of politics are causing International embarrasment imo, with their planned strategies.

extreme hypocrisy on both sides

In my experience, if you have a mixed gender workplace, strong & intelligent personalities, all you need to do is throw in a little alcohol, and you get the most savage character assesments imaginable.

Someone attempted to dress me down once for calling someone a lady..when I asked them what the hell they were talking about..they explained that was a term for a prostitute.:rolleyes:

The most amusing were the instances where female collegues would pronounce judgement upon their rivals.
I was informed a lady I admired suffered split ends and wore cheap perfume!

A loser in a promotional battle attributed her adversary's appointment in her ability to provide sexual favors.

Dont know exactly what Slipper is supposed to have said, but how can comparing womans private parts to a mussel be construed as extremely sexist and offensive?...isnt it pretty standard ?

did have a laugh at Julie Bishop grimly fending off whether she had suffered any sexism..I seem to remember even the mainstream media called her a "political whoar" (sp), due to the fact she has been Deputy to 3 different male leaders.

For particularly obnoxious females, I resort to addressing them as ma'am.
This is the correct form of address for a female of unknown status, and used in the Military.
After first freaking, they do settle to, especially if you say "Yes ma'am" :)
 
awg said:
Someone attempted to dress me down once for calling someone a lady..when I asked them what the hell they were talking about..they explained that was a term for a prostitute.:rolleyes:
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You should have known better, after that old chestnut;

Who was that lady I saw you with last night?

That was no lady...that was my wife.
 
awg said:
Dont know exactly what Slipper is supposed to have said, but how can comparing womans private parts to a mussel be construed as extremely sexist and offensive?...isnt it pretty standard ?
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Perhaps in the circles in which you circulate. One would hope not more generally.
 
Calliope said:
You should have known better, after that old chestnut;

Who was that lady I saw you with last night?

That was no lady...that was my wife.
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And another one.."A lady is a lady until she goes to bed, then she does her whorish best". Please remember this is an old adage, not my personal perspective. :)
 
Julia said:
Perhaps in the circles in which you circulate. One would hope not more generally.
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I admit to not mixing with any nuns or such recently

however euphamisms for female genitalia, including various molluscs, is rather obvious, and quite commonplace to whatever locality, age and social strata that I have noticed.

Likewise euphamisms for the male genitalia, also abound, to such an extent imo, that the word penis is more shocking than for instance, the term "sausage"

Impolite & smutty out of context, I would agree, but mock outrage from our politicians is laughable.

If a female politician refered to a blokes "slug"..would that make her forever unfit for office?.. what about "Johnson"?..I think not.
 
awg said:
I admit to not mixing with any nuns or such recently
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Given the gross indecency surrounding the sexual abuse by members of the catholic church, that hardly seems relevant.

however euphamisms (sic) for female genitalia, including various molluscs, is rather obvious, and quite commonplace to whatever locality, age and social strata that I have noticed.
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Again, I can only be relieved that I don't share your social circle.

drsmith said:
In relation to the title of the thread,

It is and it's a shame.
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Agree entirely about general political correctness, e.g. 'rainbow sheep' rather than 'black sheep'.
Crude, schoolboy sexual innuendo, however, is another matter. That is an example of sexism, immaturity, rather than any flouting of political correctness.
 
Julia said:
Crude, schoolboy sexual innuendo, however, is another matter. That is an example of sexism, immaturity, rather than any flouting of political correctness.
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Bang their heads together and six strokes of the cane each from Christine Milne.

That should sort-em out.
 
drsmith said:
Bang their heads together and six strokes of the cane each from Christine Milne.

That should sort-em out.
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I'm sure a few of the labor guys would want a piece of that. Going by the way they roll over and wet themselves with Julia. They would be twitterpated with anticipation if Christine was going to hand out some strict discipline over her knee.:D
 
One question I would love to see asked of Julia Gillard and some of the others on her front bench that say attending Liberals should have walked out of the conference at which Alan Jones spoke and are smugly saying how by comparison most of their side had walked out or condemned the comedian at the CFMEU meeting is whether this is the first such event attended by Labor ministers that such a thing has happened.

Are they saying that the CFMEU meeting was the first meeting or conference or get-together that someone said something sexist and distasteful? If not, and I doubt very much that it is not, then why have we not heard of them walking out at previous events at which such things happened?
 
Julia said:
Given the gross indecency surrounding the sexual abuse by members of the catholic church, that hardly seems relevant.


Again, I can only be relieved that I don't share your social circle.


Agree entirely about general political correctness, e.g. 'rainbow sheep' rather than 'black sheep'.
Crude, schoolboy sexual innuendo, however, is another matter. That is an example of sexism, immaturity, rather than any flouting of political correctness.
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Awg's attitude to Slipper's crudities is an indication of the immaturity of them both. The language they both approve of are things that schoolboys usually leave behind them as they mature, along with the practice of writing crudities on the toilet door.
 
Calliope said:
Awg's attitude to Slipper's crudities is an indication of the immaturity of them both. The language they both approve of are things that schoolboys usually leave behind them as they mature, along with the practice of writing crudities on the toilet door.
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I neither approve or disapprove, merely stating the realism that there is a lot of smut around, and my view that there would be plenty about in Canberra, the mock outrage is far more disgusting afaic.

Never wrote anything on a toilet door.

So everyone knows that many people in high political office uses the F word a LOT..are they bad then?
 
bellenuit said:
One question I would love to see asked of Julia Gillard and some of the others on her front bench that say attending Liberals should have walked out of the conference at which Alan Jones spoke and are smugly saying how by comparison most of their side had walked out or condemned the comedian at the CFMEU meeting is whether this is the first such event attended by Labor ministers that such a thing has happened.

Are they saying that the CFMEU meeting was the first meeting or conference or get-together that someone said something sexist and distasteful? If not, and I doubt very much that it is not, then why have we not heard of them walking out at previous events at which such things happened?
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Spot on - its pure unadulterated hypocrisy.
 
awg said:
the mock outrage is far more disgusting afaic.
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Maybe. I suppose it is asking too much to expect the Speaker of the House to set an example and attempt to show some refinement. Gutter talk, which is common in the football dressing room and school toilets is hardly appropriate usage for someone who said he was trying to raise the standards of behavior in the House.
 
Tink said:
THE decision to put Baa, Baa, Black Sheep out to pasture at some kindergartens because of racial concerns has been slammed by hundreds of Victorians.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...ictorian-kinders/story-fni0fit3-1227093091674

PC gone mad.
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Hmmm. They don't seems to have a lot of substance.

Staff at childcare centres in the south-eastern suburbs told the Herald Sun the lyric was being changed because of concerns over the racial connotations of “black”, and to reflect a multicultural community.
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One what probably happened is that some (almost certainly new) administrator declares a new policy, which hasn't been implemented yet, which will certainly be overturned because it's stupid.

Kindergarten teachers have told the Herald Sun a centre in Melbourne’s east had also considered changing the line “one for the little boy who lives down the lane” in case it could be deemed sexist.
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I'll bet that by "considered", they mean one person in a meeting once said: "hey, should we change baa baa black sheep?" ...and everyone said, no, that's stupid.

In other words, "political correctness gone mad" could just as easily be re-written: "some people are idiots".

Not exactly news.

The baa baa thing goes back to 1986. That's how long "ZOMG they're banning the black sheep!@!@!!" stories have been around. But you I'll bet 95% of kids still sing "black sheep".
 
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