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Is America too politically correct?


michaelskis

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I don't really think it is TV that is making or not making us conform to some type of political correctness as much as names and titles. Why is it so bad to call a woman working on an airplane a stewardess and a guy doing the same job a steward? It is a job title -- who cares? Flight attendant. Did those words really erase something demeaning? Did it change the profession? My partner is a hair stylist (that is what you are supposed to call them now by the way) but when someone says "oh you are a hair dresser" he doesn't correct them because technically that is what he is. Doesn't like the title, but also doesn't care.

Other than little instances like that I don't think I see political correctness as much as seeing certain groups completely offended by things that aren't worth giving time and effort to thinking about.

As far as TV goes there are so many choices change channels if you don't like what a show stand for or talks about. Will and Grace and a handful of movies show gay people in the most stereotypical manner possible, but being gay myself I don't care and think it is most often pretty funny. There are plenty of shows about blacks that do the same and I think their audiences are likely high in percentage of black viewers. Isn't there some sitcom now about an Hispanic family? If anything I think TV, most especially cable, has opened up all kinds of doors for minorities.

Side note about the Janet nipple issue -- I don't care if they show baby-feeding organs on TV whenever they please -- like everyone else has said, why is it so bad for a child to see that? But doing so on purpose (we all know they did) without giving someone the option of choosing to watch or have their kids watch is the problem. Like I said above, there are plenty of channels to choose from now if you don't like what you are seeing, but taking one of the most highly watched events of the year, where tons of families will be sitting around watching, and sneak that in didn't give those folks the option of not watching. But seriously, who cares??

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I think the PC situation here is way overboard. We shouldn't be offensive, but I think a lot of what is "found" to be offensive is only by a minority of those who don't even fall into the category of being directly offended anyway!! I think a lot of white folks (sorry, caucasions....) especially buy into the PC thing to feel better about themselves and ease some sense of guilt they might have for whatever reason.

Certain words are off the chart like the "N" word of course, but waitress/waiter = server, gimme a bloody break. Ask one of them the next time you are at a restaurant if they actually give a rat's behind.

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I think the PC situation here is way overboard. We shouldn't be offensive, but I think a lot of what is "found" to be offensive is only by a minority of those who don't even fall into the category of being directly offended anyway!! I think a lot of white folks (sorry, caucasions....) especially buy into the PC thing to feel better about themselves and ease some sense of guilt they might have for whatever reason.

Certain words are off the chart like the "N" word of course, but waitress/waiter = server, gimme a bloody break. Ask one of them the next time you are at a restaurant if they actually give a rat's behind.

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Both, we are worried about offending people that dont get offended by something, and we get offended too easily.

If someone says white, i dont get offended. Sometimes people use "caucasian", but i think that term is stupid. Ive never been to "caucasia", nor do i think it actually exists.I much prefer the term white, but i dont really care, i guess.

EDIT: ok, it exists, but actually "caucasia" is in Turkey. Im not Turkish, im french, italian, and french canadian.

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Here's one I always found interesting:

In the 1950s and early 60s black people were politely called "colored people". By the late 60s "colored people" became unacceptable by the black community, and by many people it was considered a slur.

Over the years different terms came and went: Afro-American, African-American etc....

But now we have "people of color". Seems mighty similar to "colored people" to me!

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In the French popular movies produced in the 50's there was dialogues like : "Welcome miss. First, learn that the boss is got wandering hands, but just the necessary. - Ok."

This kind of dialogue could exist today without scandal. It seems that the politically correct remain limited to the politicians, journalists, a few on television and among the so-called intellos.

The national French televison can create good films or series without taboo but at my opinion the most of the series are dull because made only after a questionnaire submitted to the TV viewers. <_< As for the other channels, they offer those hamster-men adventures (reality TV). It's not from France you can have a "improper" serie like Ab Fab.

The political correctness is both concentrated in the discourses and very criticized because it seems limit the freedom of speech.

The answer to the PC is the "parler vrai", the "true-talk". And now we see intellos going in opposite overzealousness.

When about a bad movie a PC-talker say : "Nobody will be able to understand this movie because is art"

A true talker will say : "The director has forgot he's born and we are sure, after his intersideral cow dung which he considers a movie, that he has almost been".

About a novel, in PC language : "This novel is an exquisite crime against inhumanity

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Quick add about HD radio stations. I think a good chunk of radio stations now broadcast in HD---you just have to have that special radio to get them. Since it's possible to broadcast two separate stations on one frequency using HD a lot of stations have a special station on the same frequency dedicated to playing more eclectic music--and they are better from what I hear in their selection of music. But they still broadcast over the airwaves and are thus under the same decency rules as other stations.

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I was born in Singapore. I guess that makes me a Singaporean-American or an American-Singaporean :blink: since both my parents were born in the US so American citizenship came automatically. I am one of the more PC people I know. I even belong to the ACLU but I have not drank all the Kool-Aid, and generally believe that people need to lighten up.

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