Is political correctness in our modern society, being taken too far or have we got the balance right? What are your views?
Watch this postIs political correctness in our modern society, being taken too far or have we got the balance right? What are your views?
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Before I retired, I worked as a social worker and had to tolerate all of the many changes that were filtering in concerning PC. A student social worker told me that when he was training at a certain university, he was given the third degree because he asked for a white coffee in the refectory. He was informed that it was, 'coffee with milk'. This was just the start of the whole,thing.
My own experience showed me that that it was like walking on egg shells most days, where one had to be careful just what was said, or written.
I must say, I was glad to get out of it all. I have been retired now for 4'years and I'm afraid it has all become much worse.
Like you I am fairly laid back about things but can not and will not accept any form of discrimination or prejudice. I also agree that people have the right to choose how they live their lives without being judged for their choice - unless it is against the law.
The people who worry about it are actually the least likely to be that way anyway...the ones who don't worry...never will. So here we are back at square one again.
The PC crowd would be horrified.
Keith
Actually a serious additional point comes to mind here. Men and women are different animals to some extent. Some jobs will indicate a preference for one sex or the other (or perhaps even a Martian!)
Keith
Further to this, do you read science fiction? In the fifth book of Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy (!) it is suggested that the future of the *human* race might be as hermaphrodites!
Keith
PC is about ensuring that minorities and marginalised groups are treated fairly, and equally, nothing wrong with that, at least in theory. However, it now actively discriminates against the indigenous population in quite overt ways, for instance, when only people from minority communities are invited to apply for certain jobs. Employers these days seem more concerned that their workforce has the requisite percentage of people from 'diverse' communities than recruiting the 'best man for the job.'
Censorship is something we all do on an almost unconscious level, when we meet a very fat person, we try to ignore the fact, rather than say, 'hiya fatty' because we know that would cause offence.
The media censors the content that it pumps out, sometimes because the truth would alarm the public, and at other times because it suits their political agenda.
Then there is the censorship of opinions and writing that someone in 'authority' bans, or edits in order that someone else is not offended. In essence, someone takes offence on someone else's behalf.
Political correctness only works for people who live in the UK but who are not English, in essence it's a one-way street, so how fair is that?