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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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 Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 2:29 am Post subject: What is "Political Correctness?" |
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Political Correctness
by Philip Atkinson
What Is Political Correctness?
Political Correctness (PC) is the communal tyranny that erupted in the 1980s. It was a spontaneous declaration that particular ideas, expressions and behaviour, which were then legal, should be forbidden by law, and people who transgressed should be punished. (see Newspeak) It started with a few voices but grew in popularity until it became unwritten and written law within the community. With those who were publicly declared as being not politically correct becoming the object of persecution by the mob, if not prosecution by the state.
The Odious Nature Of Political Correctness
To attempt to point out the odious nature of Political Correctness is to restate the crucial importance of plain speaking, freedom of choice and freedom of speech; these are the community's safe-guards against the imposition of tyranny, indeed their absence is tyranny (see "On Liberty", Chapter II, by J.S. Mill). Which is why any such restrictions on expression such as those invoked by the laws of libel, slander and public decency, are grave matters to be decided by common law methodology; not by the dictates of the mob.
Clear Inspiration For Political Correctness
The declared rational of this tyranny is to prevent people being offended; to compel everyone to avoid using words or behaviour that may upset homosexuals, women, non-whites, the crippled, the stupid, the fat or the ugly. This reveals not only its absurdity but its inspiration. The set of values that are detested are those held by the previous generation (those who fought the Second World War), which is why the terms niggers, coons, dagos, wogs, poofs, spastics and sheilas, have become heresy, for, in an act of infantile rebellion, their subject have become revered by the new generation. Political Correctness is merely the resentment of spoilt children directed against their parent's values.
The Origins Of Political Correctness
A community declines when the majority of its citizens become selfish, and under this influence it slowly dismantles all the restraints upon self-indulgence established by manners, customs, beliefs and law: tradition. (See the law of reverse civilization) As each subsequent generation of selfish citizens inherits control of the community, it takes its opportunity to abandon more of the irksome restraints that genius and wisdom had installed. The proponents of this social demolition achieve their irrational purpose by publicly embracing absurdity through slogans while vilifying any who do not support their stance. The purpose of the slogan is to enshrine irrational fears, or fancies, as truth through the use of presumptuous words, so public pronouncement:
Dissembles the real nature of the claim
Identifies any dissenters as enemies of the truth
Acts as an excuse for any crimes committed in its name
For example the slogan Australia is Multicultural is a claim that:
Different cultures are compatible.
People who contradict this claim are blinded by prejudice against other cultures.
People who contradict this claim are trouble-making bigots, which makes them enemies of the community, if not humanity, and deserving persecution.
All of which is an attack upon truth, clear thinking and plain speaking.
From Bourgeois To Racist
Naturally as the restraints shrink the rebellion grows ever more extreme in nature. When the author of Animal Farm wrote an article in 1946 about the pleasures of a rose garden, he was criticised for being bourgeois. George Orwell mentions this in his essay A Good Word For The Vicar Of Bray, published in the Tribune, 1946. The term bourgeois was then a popular slogan meaning having humdrum middle class ideas� The Oxford English Dictionary 3rd Edition, 1938 � which is just a blatant attack upon tradition.
Outright Assault Upon Tradition
Now, in the late 1990s, the results of being bourgeois (retaining traditional notions), is being labelled racist, sexist etc. and risk losing your job, your reputation, being jostled in the street, being subject to judicial penalty and death threats. And it is this very extremity of reaction that has won media attention and the name Political Correctness, though the reaction will become even more unpleasant with the next generation.
Parental Values Always Attacked
The inevitable scapegoat for people impatient of restraint must always be parents, because these are society's agents for teaching private restraint. So the cherished notions of the parents are always subject to attack by their maturing offspring. This resentment of tradition was observed in his own civilization by Polybius (c. 200-118 BC), the Greek historian, who said:
"For every democracy which has enjoyed prosperity for a considerable period first develops through its nature an attitude of discontent towards the existing order,.."
Tyranny Grows
Once a community embraces tyranny the penalties can only grow in severity. This gradual increase is easily seen by the example of Toastmasters. As the members of the club became more concerned about the delights of socializing and less concerned about the disciplines of public speaking, they became more intolerant of citizens who were earnest about learning the art of rhetoric. Once those members who did their duty by truthfully pointing out the shortcomings in another member's performance were just labeled as negative or discouraging; later this became a risk of being socially ostracized. Now (since 1998) unpopularity can result in being permanently ejected from the club by a majority vote.
Australian Experience Of PC Tyranny
In my country the tyranny erupted with the persecution of public figures such as Arthur Tunstall for uttering truths that had become unpopular, either directly in a speech, or indirectly by telling jokes. The maiden speech of the Federal Member of Parliament for Ipswich contained so many disliked truths that the rabble escalated the ferocity of their attack and extended them to her supporters, introducing terror into Australian politics. Anyone who watched the TV coverage (1997/ of Pauline Hanson's political campaign will have seen the nature of her opponents; a throng who looked and behaved more like barbarians than citizens of a civilized community. And any mob that chants "Burn the witch" (when she spoke outside an Ipswich hall after she had been refused entry) leaves no doubt as to their intent or character.
Widespread Throughout The Community
Revealing the extent of the mob's support, their sentiments (suitably refined) were enthusiastically echoed by the media and the administration. And in an unprecedented act of cooperation, all the political parties conspired to eject Ms Hanson from the federal parliament in the election of October 3rd 1998. This was revealed by the how-to-vote cards of the parties contesting the seat of Blaire, which all placed Ms Hanson last. This was a public admission by both the major parties that they would rather risk losing the election than allow this forthright woman to keep her seat in parliament.
International Experience Of PC Tyranny
And it is not just in Australia but in every western democratic country popular demands have been made for restrictions on expression. Bowing to the clamour of the electorate, politicians in these countries have enacted absurd laws. The Australian community wide declaration of irrational hatred displayed by the persecution of Pauline Hanson, paralleled the Canadian experience of Paul Fromm, director of the Canadian Association for Free Expression Inc., and the examples of the national soccer coach of England and a prominent public servant in Washington, USA confirm that the hysteria is everywhere.
The Inevitable Result Of Political Correctness
By using the excuse of not upsetting anyone, the politically correct are demanding that people behave like the fool who would please everyone; that everyone must become such a fool! All must accept the notions of the Politically Correct as truth, or else! This is the same mentality that inspired the Inquisition and forced Galileo to recant; the same mentality that inspired the Nazis and obtained the Holocaust. Once expression gets placed in a straitjacket of official truth, then the madness that occurs in all totalitarian states is obtained. Life, in private and public, becomes a meaningless charade where delusion thrives and terror rules.
Examples Of Denying Freedom Of Speech
Evidence of this effect is amply demonstrated by the Soviets, who embraced Political Correctness with the Communist Revolution. The lumbering, pompous, impoverished, humourless monster this Nation became is now History. And it should be remembered that in 1914 Tsarist Russia was considered by Edmund Cars, a French economist who then published a book about the subject, to be an economic giant set to overshadow Europe. The SBS television program "What Ever Happened To Russia", which was broadcast at 8.30 pm on 25th August 1994, detailed the terrible effect the Bolshevik's oppression had on their empire. And SBS further detailed the terrible crimes inflicted upon the Russians by their leader Stalin, in the series "Blood On The Snow" broadcast in March 1999.
An Old Witness
Helen, a member of Parramatta writers club in 1992, was a citizen of Kiev during the Red Terror, and described living with official truth and the constant threat of arrest. Knowing the content of the latest party newspaper was critical to avoiding internment, as public contradiction, either directly or indirectly, meant denouncement to the KGB. If you complained about being hungry when food shortages were not officially recognized, then you became an enemy of the state. If you failed to praise a Soviet hero, or praised an ex-hero, then again your fate was sealed. The need to be politically correct dominated all conversation and behaviour, as failure meant drastic penalty. Uncertainty and fear pervaded everything, nobody could be sure that an official request to visit Party headquarters meant imprisonment, torture, death, public reward or nothing important.
Living with such a terrible handicap naturally destroyed all spontaneity of thought or action, rendering the whole community mad. The awful effect this had upon Helen's sanity was made clear when she escaped to Australia. Here she encountered the free press, which had an unpleasant impact upon her. One day she read The Australian newspaper which happened to carry two separate articles about Patrick White, one praising, the other denigrating, this well known writer. Poor Helen found herself turning from one to the other, which was she to repeat as correct? She nearly had a nervous breakdown.
Political Correctness Is Social Dementia
Unless plain speaking is allowed, clear thinking is denied. There can be no good reason for denying freedom of expression, there is no case to rebut, only the empty slogans of people inspired by selfishness and unrestrained by morality. The proponents of this nonsense neither understand the implications of what they say, nor why they are saying it: they are insane |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 7:39 am Post subject: |
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Wow, an ant-PC rant. Makes me wanna stick a copy of Reality Bites in the VCR and crank up the Nirvana.
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| The set of values that are detested are those held by the previous generation (those who fought the Second World War), which is why the terms *beep*, coons, dagos, wogs, poofs, spastics and sheilas, have become heresy, for, in an act of infantile rebellion, their subject have become revered by the new generation. |
Well speaking personally, it's not that I revere the subject of those words, nor that I regard such words as heresy. It's just that I find the kind of people who use those words to be quarter-educated brickheads who lack the communication skills to express themselves with anything but monosyllabic slurs.
But fortunately we've got Mr. Philip Atkinson, self-styled champion of the bourgeois, defending the rights of screaming yobs everywhere. |
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Tony_Balony
Joined: 12 Apr 2007
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| Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:19 am Post subject: |
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| Wow, an ant-PC rant. Makes me wanna stick a copy of Reality Bites in the VCR and crank up the Nirvana. |
My enemies are... "behind in taste and fashion". Even without the difficulty of determining who is right and wrong, we can easily determine who is more clever. |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:33 am Post subject: |
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| Tony_Balony wrote: |
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| Wow, an ant-PC rant. Makes me wanna stick a copy of Reality Bites in the VCR and crank up the Nirvana. |
My enemies are... "behind in taste and fashion". Even without the difficulty of determining who is right and wrong, we can easily determine who is more clever. |
Hey, I have nothing against Gen-X films or grunge music. I was just using them as references for the last era in which anti-PC rants were regarded as saying anything original.
Got anything on this Ross Perot fella I keep hearing about? |
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twg
Joined: 02 Nov 2006
Location: Getting some fresh air...
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| Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:27 am Post subject: |
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| On the other hand wrote: |
| But fortunately we've got Mr. Philip Atkinson, self-styled champion of the bourgeois, defending the rights of screaming yobs everywhere. |
There's a lot of money to be made in making stupid people feel good about themselves. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:02 am Post subject: |
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But fortunately we've got Mr. Philip Atkinson, self-styled champion of the bourgeois, defending the rights of screaming yobs everywhere.
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Is this Rowan Atkinson's brother or something? |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:25 am Post subject: |
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Immunity Deal Hampers Blackwater Inquiry
By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The State Department promised Blackwater USA bodyguards immunity from prosecution in its investigation of last month's deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians, The Associated Press has learned.
The immunity deal has delayed a criminal inquiry into the Sept. 16 killings and could undermine any effort to prosecute security contractors for their role in the incident that has infuriated the Iraqi government.
"Once you give immunity, you can't take it away," said a senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation.
State Department officials declined to confirm or deny that immunity had been granted. One official � who refused to be quoted by name_ said: "If, in fact, such a decision was made, it was done without any input or authorization from any senior State Department official in Washington." 
Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd and FBI spokesman Rich Kolko declined comment.
FBI agents were returning to Washington late Monday from Baghdad, where they have been trying to collect evidence in the Sept. 16 embassy convoy shooting without using statements from Blackwater employees who were given immunity.
Three senior law enforcement officials said all the Blackwater bodyguards involved � both in the vehicle convoy and in at least two helicopters above � were given the legal protection as investigators from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security sought to find out what happened.
The bureau is an arm of the State Department.
The law enforcement and State Department officials agreed to speak only if they could remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the inquiry into the incident.
CONT'D ...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/blackwater_prosecutions
;_ylt=AicjyRRkQutj.rm5WvTBr3lsaMYA |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 1:59 am Post subject: |
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Santas Warned 'Ho ho ho' Offensive To Women
Wed Nov 14, 9:45 PM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it "may" be "offensive" to women, it was reported Thursday.
One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.
"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.
"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.
"Leave Santa alone."
A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071115/od_afp/lifestyleaustraliachristmasoffbeat
;_ylt=Av47Cal0LMZSqIM1Fo2asTYDW7oF |
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Atavistic
Joined: 22 May 2006
Location: How totally stupid that Korean doesn't show in this area.
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 2:27 am Post subject: |
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| I actually thought this was going to be a question. In which case I was going to say if you disagree with BigBird, you're being un-PC. |
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Dome Vans
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 2:28 am Post subject: |
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I agree in a lot of cases it's gone a bit too far. But in some cases it's acceptable with some of it's terminology.
But I think the majority of the ridiculous examples are purely fabricated to hammer home the point that it could quite easily get out of control.
I was talking with my co-teacher today and she mentioned to me about the few "mental" children that are at the school that I teach. I said it's nicer to call them slow learners rather than mental. Maybe I'm now part of this PC band. Was I wrong in pointing out this? |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 2:37 am Post subject: |
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Truth is political correctness has far more ULTIMATELY to do with social conformity & submission to projected state authority than the use of language per-se.
The etymology of the word "government"?
GUBERN (control) MENTE (mind) = mind control
Last edited by igotthisguitar on Thu Nov 15, 2007 2:08 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Funkdafied
Joined: 04 Nov 2007
Location: In Da House
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 4:22 am Post subject: |
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| Wow, an almost eloquent and rather valiant attempt at defending one's right to be a yob... |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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Mobile Labs To Target Iraqis For Death
Robert Parry
December 13, 2007
U.S. forces in Iraq soon will be equipped with high-tech equipment that will let them process an Iraqi�s biometric data in minutes and help American soldiers decide whether they should execute the person or not, according to its inventor.
"A war fighter needs to know one of three things: Do I let him go? Keep him? Or shoot him on the spot?" Pentagon weapons designer Anh Duong told the Washington Post for a feature on how this 47-year-old former Vietnamese refugee and mother of four rose to become a top U.S. bomb-maker.
Though Duong is best known for designing high-explosives used to destroy hardened targets, she also supervised the Joint Expeditionary Forensics Facilities project, known as a "lab in a box" for analyzing biometric data, such as iris scans and fingerprints, that have been collected on more than one million Iraqis.
The labs � collapsible, 20-by-20-foot units each with a generator and a satellite link to a biometric data base in West Virginia � will let U.S. forces cross-check data in the field against information collected previously that can be used to identify insurgents. These labs are expected to be deployed across Iraq in early 2008.
Duong said the next step will be to shrink the lab to the size of a "backpack" so soldiers who encounter a suspect "could find out within minutes" if he�s on a terrorist watch list and should be killed.
MORE ...
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m39178&hd=&size=1&l=e |
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blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
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| Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2007 1:11 am Post subject: |
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| ...so what should I call people with afros? |
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