I have been a long time campaigner against the PC movement for no reason other than the bastardisation of the English language.

For those that care to understand the language the prefix and suffix "man" is usually derived from the Latin "mannus" meaning "hand". Do the translation and it's obviously not offensive language. Work-hand, for example, gives a better understanding of the original intent of the word.

I refuse to be corrected by feminists when I'm using the language correctly. I'm not making up new words (altho I may have in the first sentence of this post).

As for other PC phrases, some are just dumb. Blind and deaf are much more succinct than sight and hearing impaired. To argue otherwise just demonstrates you are intellectually unincumbered.

spendocrat,
can't say that I'd noticed the left overall being unwilling to "just lay into someone".

Certainly some well mannered people on these forums from a range of political perspectives but also some who are most noticable for the unpleasantness of their posts. The speed with which posts become personal attacks is sometimes stagering and both the left and right have their share of posters who seem to prefer the nasty personal attack over open and friendly debate. No need for a list of names I hope.

Am I missing some key point that you are trying to make? Are you suggesting that the left is unwilling to talk about issues involving minority groups which need addressing?

R0bert

I like to think that PC means Personal Courtesy. Political Correctness has a rather authoritarian sound to it. As for terms like manhole, womanhole (tee hee) and personhole - all equally ridiculous. What is wrong with access hole? (I know they are all double entendres)

However, I believe that the scorn and ridicule cast upon political correctness was just a way to be able to continue to being rude and patronising to one another eg refering to women as girls and men as little men;-).

Until now I had no idea that PC was about Left or Right wing political orientation. Far as I know lack of courtesy knows no political boundaries. Seems Rebecca wants to make it political though. Hmmm, this article is beginning to look more and more like a waste of time. All I can do is quote Bill and Ted and say

"Be excellent to one another."

Thor,

thanks for your post...think I'll join spendocrat in the *not worth it* dance.

SPENDO.....
I’d much rather you did not waste a post with ‘uurgh’..... etc.
Look at what I’m really saying, and counter it with argument.

I am deliberately speaking partly ‘out’ of the discussion, and challenging many of the assumptions on which some PC is based. I am also saying “If the most important thing we can discuss is whether its a ‘personhole’ or a ‘manhole’ then we are a pitiful bunch.

I mentioned some conflicts, which if you think about them, is drawing a line in the historical sand, to show that we only have what we have today, (i.e. the relative peace in which such purile and trivial matters as person/man hole can be the center of discussion) because of such incredible struggle, so many lost lives, so much suffering... about which we say on the 11th hour of the 11th month “Lets we forget”.....please....dont ! (forget)

Its like a child, who has been given an upbringing by sacrificial parents, who does not know of what they went through and gave up just to provide for that child, and then acts as though it was nothing.. as if HE/SHE HIM/HERSELF had achieved all they now have.

Perhaps the difference between my appreciation for these things, and yours, is that I’ve lived on the edge, where the next meal you get can depend on what you can scrounge from the river, or catch in the jungle.. whether its a Cicada or a lonely prawn, or a wild pig or a monkey.... and all this mixed in with at times hostile Muslims. (many of who’s lives were saved by our medical people)
When u goto the market every day, and walk past the Muslim head man of ‘Kampung Seberang’ and know that he was the one who’s job it was to MURDER every single missionary, and white person during a local power struggle, it focuses the mind. ( he never did seem very friendly)
He was also a butcher... slaughtering buffalo every morning.

Most of us are just plain too sheltered from the real world.

Trinity, courtesy yes... pc no :)

seether: it’s the dance craze that’s sweeping the nation!

BOAZ – I ignored your previous post because I believe anyone who so cheerfully attacks all Muslims isn’t worth responding too. And as for whatever else you’re talking about, yeah, I’ve read it twice now and still have no idea what your point is, if there is one. Give me something to work with if you want a proper response.

Moving on to the actual discussion:

Those who aren’t arguing against PC language as a whole, but rather what they consider to be the more absurd examples, like ‘personhole’ or whatever: I think you’ll find many feminists and PC advocates would probably agree with you. Quite often these examples are highlighted (or even dreamt up) by the right, as a way of making the PC concept look silly. The more sensible PC advocates agree with you that some of these terms are quite dumb. Those who advocate them lack an understanding of the reasoning behind political correctness.

R0bert – you may have misunderstood, when I was speaking of debating, I wasn’t referring to this sort of forum we’re speaking on now. I was thinking more of the televised, public kind. I’ll concede my opinion of this has probably been skewed a little from certain instances dominating my memories of such debates.

And no I wasn’t saying the left was trying to avoid certain topics, not at all. I meant the MANNER in which these topics are debated by the left can be detrimental to their cause (Because of how PC language can be limiting to phrasing, etc). But anyway, it’s kind of a side-note, I just thought it was worth mentioning. Carry on folks, nothing to see here.