True colours

[expat]

My wife was a child-minder for a while. Her last Ofsted meeting took the biscuit in terms of political correctness. Advice included, the teaching of the rhyme "Baa Baa Baa Sheep". She was also asked why she didnt have any dolls that were disabled or of an ethnic minority.

They practically accused her of being a racist. They backed down when she told her she was married to someone of a mixed race i.e. me.

Political correctness in this country causes more division than anything else.

Black sheep exist. They are in a minority. They have always been valued by farmers because their contribution is special: naturally coloured wool.

The nursery rhyme commemorates this and insists on the full value of the black sheep's contribution. Children should learn that not everyone is the same, those who are different from the majority are worth at least as much as anyone else, and may have especially valuable contributions to make. Who decries that sails between stupidity and evil.

I might well change "the little boy who lives down the lane" to "the little child who lives down the lane". Otherwise the sentiment is admirable.

[gingerjedi]

Stewart Lee on "political correctness gone mad"

It really worries me that 84% of this audience agrees with that statement, because the kind of people that say "political correctness gone mad" are usually using that phrase as a kind of cover action to attack minorities or people that they disagree with. I'm of an age that I can see what a difference political correctness has made. When I was four years old, my grandfather drove me around Birmingham, where the Tories had just fought an election campaign saying, "if you want a ****** for a neighbour, vote Labour," and he drove me around saying, "this is where all the ******* and the coons and the jungle bunnies live." And I remember being at school in the early 80s and my teacher, when he read the register, instead of saying the name of the one asian boy in the class, he would say, "is the black spot in," right? And all these things have gradually been eroded by political correctness, which seems to me to be about an institutionalised politeness at its worst. And if there is some fallout from this, which means that someone in an office might get in trouble one day for saying something that someone was a bit unsure about because they couldn't decide whether it was sexist or homophobic or racist, it's a small price to pay for the massive benefits and improvements in the quality of life for millions of people that political correctness has made. It's a complete lie that allows the right, which basically controls media now, and international politics, to make people on the left who are concerned about the way people are represented look like killjoys. And I'm sick, I'm really sick-- 84% of you in this room that have agreed with this phrase, you're like those people who turn around and go, "you know who the most oppressed minorities in Britain are? White, middle-class men." You're a bunch of idiots.

[NotAllThere]

That just "political correctness gone mad" gone mad.

I'm not convinced that the only alternative to bigoted racism is political correctness.

[the_duderama]

I blame the Daily Mail and the Jonathan Ross/Russel Brand witch hunt, now the BBC feels it has to overreact to everything.

Ohhhh, the irony!

[expat]

That just "political correctness gone mad" gone mad.

I'm not convinced that the only alternative to bigoted racism is political correctness.

You are all there, mate! Excessive PC is not the worst that can happen: worse has happened, and has been fixed by PC. But that doesn't make excessive PC right.

More seriously, I have been opposed to the very idea of Political Correctness since I first heard the phrase, and before the idea that it could go too far. I believe that any is too far.

It is not the idea of correctness that we need, but the idea of wrongness. Racism is wrong. Sexism is wrong. Uproot the wrong, and the world will be a less bad place. We can recognise wrong when it is done; but do not try to go farther and define correctness: to know that for certain is not given to many, or to any, of us.

[dang65]

That just "political correctness gone mad" gone mad.

mentally challenged

[original PM]

Just to add a little light relief

I was in a sweety shop in France last years and I spied some penny (or Euro cent) sweets called

Tete De Negra

No prizes for guessing what they were

can you imaging what would happen in this county if Nestle marketed ******* Heads!!!

[expat]

Just to add a little light relief

I was in a sweety shop in France last years and I spied some penny (or Euro cent) sweets called

Tete De Negra

No prizes for guessing what they were

can you imaging what would happen in this county if Nestle marketed ******* Heads!!!

Têtes de Nègres. In this case I think we're right: it should be given up. I don't think it should be banned. I just think it should be abandoned.

[lightng]

Stewart Lee on "political correctness gone mad"

Why are there only two options: either having political correctness or not? Where is the option to make it better?

My car has a squeaky wheel. He would say we have two options, get rid or keep it, and as I need a car, I should keep it. Therefore in his eyes, I should keep my car and make do with the squeaky wheel. FFs - you just take the thing to the garage and get it fixed.

Its not a question of have it or don't have it but a question of getting the right balance and right now the balance is not right at all.

This by the way does not come from someone who is white and middle-class.

[gingerjedi]

Why are there only two options: either having political correctness or not? Where is the option to make it better?

My car has a squeaky wheel. He would say we have two options, get rid or keep it, and as I need a car, I should keep it. Therefore in his eyes, I should keep my car and make do with the squeaky wheel. FFs - you just take the thing to the garage and get it fixed.

Its not a question of have it or don't have it but a question of getting the right balance and right now the balance is not right at all.

This by the way does not come from someone who is white and middle-class.

I totally agree with you, there are some who have picked it up and ran too far because they are ridden with social anxiety (hence the disabled dolls farce) but on the whole it's more about the language we use, it's not that hard to refer to people without being offensive is it?