Assman
26-01-2006, 01:09 AM
Political Correctness
In today’s society, everyone must be politically correct. No one can say someone is “black, oriental, or ______” as a description anymore. Even Christmas vacation has been awarded a damper to “Winter Vacation.” I assure you, no one realizes that “Winter Vacation” happens to fall on the same days as Christmas vacation used to. I assure you, no one realizes that the _______ kid is, in fact, ________.
Yes, in today’s society, people sometimes fear saying the wrong thing. “Chrismahanukwanzika” is something which may turn out to be more than a little commercial joke.
Eventually, could we become so politically aware that we cannot communicate with one another? It is a distinct possibility.
Just the other day, I was watching the news and a woman who saw a murder could not describe the man. “He was tall, thin, about 160lbs. He had corn rows.” When the police officer (Not, mind you, policeman! That would be horrible!) asked if he was black, the woman (white) was appalled. “What kind of racist question is that? Couldn’t you ask if he was African American at the least?”
At this point, the cop should have slapped her. Here is a secret people don’t want you to know: Not all black people originate from Africa. “African American” is harder to say than black and could be a lie.
The one that always gets me is “Oriental.” Oriental is possibly the second best word to say. Yet now, those we label as Asian Americans think it is synonymous with “Chinaman.” I never would have guessed.
But, the one most fresh in most people’s minds is Christmas break. The epitome of all of this was at the Nutcracker last year. The Nutcracker, a traditional Christmas ballet, was “Cherry Hill-iffied.” That’s right. In all of the windows, a menorah was readily apparent.
Is it really so bad to have a Christmas break? Is it really so offensive to some people that we get off for that holiday? Perhaps we should call the days we get off for Yom Kippur “Random Holiday.” That’s politically correct.
Another newfound correctness lies in Gays and Lesbians. I present: what happened to the word friend? It used to be that I could have male friends. Or, two guys could live in the same house, be room mates and friends.
Now, I tend to wonder if the world has become so politically correct that people are pushed into being gay or bi. Now that some states allow civil unions, there are those who take advantage of it. I am not writing about those people.
I am writing about the people who, friends and possibly living together, saw the “push towards homosexuality” in the government, on television, and coupled with everyone saying its ok. Friendship, thus, has suffered.
But, it doesn’t stop there. Black Friday, a day when companies joyously get out of the “red,” is now called green Friday. This, of course, is because people were offended that a happy day shares a word with a race.
Yes, the people who invented it surely thought “HA black people! Take this! We’re going to name a day after your people!” Seriously, I can’t even think of a remote reason for this.
But no, people are hurt, irked, disgruntled, and thrown into a state of higgledy-piggledy over things like this. “People” believe so strongly in getting rid of any barriers between anything that they are just erecting more.
Now, rather than it being ok to “slip up” and call your friend black, you’re not allowed to see him by a color. You’re only allowed to see him as where “his people” originated from.
Now, rather than it being ok to get off because there is a major religious holiday, we can’t. There’s a separation of church and state, remember?
Yes, political correctness has gone too far. People are too worried about saying the wrong thing that they don’t talk. In the words of Scott Adams, “Morality is based on accepted norms, and accepted norms are based on morality.” Though paradoxically true, in the case of Political Correctness, the possibilities are endless. It is truly an infinite length of proper until there is nothing to be said.
People need to call Winter Break what it really is and they need to stop worrying so much about meaningless crap.
In today’s society, everyone must be politically correct. No one can say someone is “black, oriental, or ______” as a description anymore. Even Christmas vacation has been awarded a damper to “Winter Vacation.” I assure you, no one realizes that “Winter Vacation” happens to fall on the same days as Christmas vacation used to. I assure you, no one realizes that the _______ kid is, in fact, ________.
Yes, in today’s society, people sometimes fear saying the wrong thing. “Chrismahanukwanzika” is something which may turn out to be more than a little commercial joke.
Eventually, could we become so politically aware that we cannot communicate with one another? It is a distinct possibility.
Just the other day, I was watching the news and a woman who saw a murder could not describe the man. “He was tall, thin, about 160lbs. He had corn rows.” When the police officer (Not, mind you, policeman! That would be horrible!) asked if he was black, the woman (white) was appalled. “What kind of racist question is that? Couldn’t you ask if he was African American at the least?”
At this point, the cop should have slapped her. Here is a secret people don’t want you to know: Not all black people originate from Africa. “African American” is harder to say than black and could be a lie.
The one that always gets me is “Oriental.” Oriental is possibly the second best word to say. Yet now, those we label as Asian Americans think it is synonymous with “Chinaman.” I never would have guessed.
But, the one most fresh in most people’s minds is Christmas break. The epitome of all of this was at the Nutcracker last year. The Nutcracker, a traditional Christmas ballet, was “Cherry Hill-iffied.” That’s right. In all of the windows, a menorah was readily apparent.
Is it really so bad to have a Christmas break? Is it really so offensive to some people that we get off for that holiday? Perhaps we should call the days we get off for Yom Kippur “Random Holiday.” That’s politically correct.
Another newfound correctness lies in Gays and Lesbians. I present: what happened to the word friend? It used to be that I could have male friends. Or, two guys could live in the same house, be room mates and friends.
Now, I tend to wonder if the world has become so politically correct that people are pushed into being gay or bi. Now that some states allow civil unions, there are those who take advantage of it. I am not writing about those people.
I am writing about the people who, friends and possibly living together, saw the “push towards homosexuality” in the government, on television, and coupled with everyone saying its ok. Friendship, thus, has suffered.
But, it doesn’t stop there. Black Friday, a day when companies joyously get out of the “red,” is now called green Friday. This, of course, is because people were offended that a happy day shares a word with a race.
Yes, the people who invented it surely thought “HA black people! Take this! We’re going to name a day after your people!” Seriously, I can’t even think of a remote reason for this.
But no, people are hurt, irked, disgruntled, and thrown into a state of higgledy-piggledy over things like this. “People” believe so strongly in getting rid of any barriers between anything that they are just erecting more.
Now, rather than it being ok to “slip up” and call your friend black, you’re not allowed to see him by a color. You’re only allowed to see him as where “his people” originated from.
Now, rather than it being ok to get off because there is a major religious holiday, we can’t. There’s a separation of church and state, remember?
Yes, political correctness has gone too far. People are too worried about saying the wrong thing that they don’t talk. In the words of Scott Adams, “Morality is based on accepted norms, and accepted norms are based on morality.” Though paradoxically true, in the case of Political Correctness, the possibilities are endless. It is truly an infinite length of proper until there is nothing to be said.
People need to call Winter Break what it really is and they need to stop worrying so much about meaningless crap.