Friday, August 19, 2005

Political correctness - a rant

I'm going to have a rant, something I've not done on here for quite a while.

Its in response to an email I received from a list I'm on, suggesting that multiculturalism has caused the dilution of our society. While I agree that being British isn't the same as it might have been in the 30s, 40s and 50s (and I'm not massively displeased with that), the email then mention that the sender's sone had a been banned from wearing an England T-shirt for games because it 'might cause offence', an argument I've heard for all manner of petty displays of patriotism. This started my blood boiling and elicited this response:

Mainly, its doesn't appear to be ethnic minorities who complain about our so-called racism (er, patriotism). Its do-gooding white people who, since they've set themselves the onerous task of solving the world's problems, ought to concentrate on real racism (you know, the stuff that causes real bloodshed and guts distress and reduced opportunities), and not this kind of thing which will only cause an ethnic minority distress if they set out to be distressed in the first place. Ostensibly it looks as if PC should benefit people like me,but the only thing its done is drive real racism, discrimination against disabled people and other poor attitudes towards minority groups underground, or covered up the issues in non-English English if you get what I mean.

Most Political Correctness in my humble opinion is geared to appeal to the lowest common denominator and directed by people who really ought to take themselves less seriously. Lynn came across someone on a chatlist who described himself as sight-free. Now I might tread one few toes by pointing out what seems to me to be obvious, but what's wrong with 'blind' or 'partially sighted' as a description? Both phrases do the job required of them. Unless you actively search for alternative ulterior meanings (blind = unknowing, as it "too blind to see I was being taken for a ride by my manipulative partner") then its a word understood by 99.9 percent of English speakers to mean someone with no or seriously reduced eyesight.

Adam, somewhat sight reduced

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