Another thread got into political correctness. Instead of replying there, I figured it deserved it's own thread.

How about you? Do you buy into the whole idea of being PC? Me? No way. I call it like I see it. I hope I don't offend people, but I don't see why we have to call garbage men "sanitation engineers who take our discarded items to waste management".....

While we're at it...let's list some old terms and the revised politically correct way of saying it. It should be fun!

No, I don't think I am PC.

I don't purposely try to offend people, but, anymore it is almost impossible not to, with all the PCness going on.

I call black people black people, because that is what they are. White people are white people because that is what they are. The mailman is the mailman unless I actually see it is a woman, and then it is the mailwoman. Same with police and fire.

I think we've gotten TOO politically correct. And, ha, what an oxymoron that is, in itself. Politically and Correct.....ahhahahh.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I try not to offend people in a negative purposeful insulting way. If people are offended by my religion, my looks, the way I express myself I can't do anything about that. I feel that PC has gotten way out of hand.
I make jokes about races (my own included). I make jokes about people of all sizes, colors, nationalities, economic levels, etc. including the groups I belong to.

I mean no harm to anyone and that's what I think is the big problem. Intent. I don't feel that any group of people is superior or inferior to any other.

The man who picks up my garbage is a garbage man. He picks up my garbage. He is not garbage and he is not better or worse than my doctor or anyone else.

When it comes to holiday time I think people are going overboard. People don't believe in God (which is okay because he believes in them) not everyone is a Christian but I'm going to say Merry Christmas to people unless I know for a fact their beliefs then I'll say Happy Holidays or Happy Winter.
People are mostly good and for the most part have good intentions. How grouchy and unhappy would a person be if they went around being offended by everything? For me that's what the bottom line is. I am a happy and positive person always looking for good in people and situations. I don't have the time or will to scrutinize a stranger's well wishing to me or to feel threatened by beliefs other than my own. I guess that comes from confidence in my beliefs. You can believe whatever you want and I know what's right in my heart and soul.
Having said all that, other than when I was morbidly obese and people would make comments all the time, I have not experienced any prejudice against me, Maybe I would feel different if I had.

If I encounter racism, sexism, or any of the other isms I will speak up.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I don't consider myself a PC person, however, it does frustrate me to no end when someone says "the add child" or "the special needs child" because that is labeling the child. It should be "the child with add" or "the child with special needs" because now you are saying what is wrong with the child instead of the problem is what makes the child wrong.

This would be me. I will tell jokes I think they are funny but don't try to hurt or put down anyone. In face, most of them put down MY heritage (ie: Jeff Foxworthy redneck stuff).

I think we are beyond PC:

Janitor is now Sanitation Engineer
Secretary is now Administrative Assistant
Hair Dresser is now Hair Stylist or Hair Designer
Meter Maid is now Traffic and Parking Control Officer
Maid is now House Cleaning Service Provider
Shoe Salesman is now a Shoe Sizing Specialist
an so so many more...

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

Yep, a lot of teachers now call themselves educators....lol. I still say I am a teacher.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

I usually here "educators" high school and above. I have also heard "instructor" instead of teacher. I met a gal on a mommy board and she said she was an Instructor. I asked at what gym she taught at LOL She wasn't amused...but I was serious

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

That is funny! I have a friend that calls herself an educator and I always tease her about it.She teacher 1st grade.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

No way... I like to say what I think. No PC for me!

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I think the term is meaningless. People draw the line at different points, but I think everyone who isn't a total neanderthal refrains from using certain terms or saying certain things, so as not to be offensive.

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.

I try not to go out of my way to offend people but I tell it like I see it as well.

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John 14:1
GO GATORS!!
GO BEARS!!
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I also feel that PC has gotten way out of hand. You can't say/do ANYTHING anymore that doesn't offend SOMEONE. I think a lot of people used to try (myself included) when things were first brought to attention, but it's gotten so ridiculus that I no longer care.

Like jujubee said, everyone draws the line at a different point. Why should YOUR point take precidence over MY point?

Also, as several have said, I don't think most people intentionally try to offend others. Everyone has just gotten so sensitive anymore that you just can't win. So, I call 'em like I see 'em as well.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

I also try not to offend but no way am I politically correct.

There is one term I just haven't understood though. Will an Asian please reply because I am very curious.

We used to call Asians "Orientals". Now the PC term is "Asians".

Is there anything offensive to the term Asian? Just curious.

Around here student teachers are now said to be interns!!

I'm not Asian, but my understanding is that the term Oriental is considered offensive for a few reasons:

1) The word means "the East," indicating east of Europe - suggesting that Asia is subordinate to Europe - reminiscent of imperialism.

2) It has connotations of being mystical and exotic, as though the people of Asia were somehow weird and Europe "normal."

3) It suggests that all people in that region of the world share the same culture and traits.

That's my understanding, but I could be wrong.

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.

LOL!! Whatever....huh?

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

My father is Japanese. My parents, my grandparents and most the Asian/Orientals from the neighborhood in NJ still use the term "Oriental". I usually use and prefer the term "Asian" because I've moved away from there and it's just what I've become accustomed to. I went back a few years ago, I was out shopping and mentioned to someone (who wasn't Asian) that I need to stop by the Oriental store. She looked at me almost kind of shocked and said "don't you mean the Asian store" I kinda laughed and she said told me it was disrespectful to use the word "Oriental"

Seriously, it's the Oriental store, it's been there since before I was born and that's what it's always been called. My grandmother is best friends with the owner's wife. I know them and most of the customers and nobody calls it the Asian store.

It's not like I didn't know that "Orientals" had become un-pc. I've heard that many times before, but usually not from other Asian/Orientals, It's almost always someone else who is offended on our behalf. That's not to say that there aren't Asians that are offended by the term "Oriental", there are. In most circles the term isn't used anymore

I'll called people whatever they prefer to be called. If I refer to someone as "black" and they say they prefer to be called "African-American", then from then on that's what I'll call them.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

Perfect example of ridiculous political correctness taken to the extreme. Anybody who believes that garbage is just looking to take offense at something. If everyone said Asian instead, they'd just find something else to be offended to about.

No, I'm not politically correct---for once I think everyone (even those who don't like me!) could agree with me

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

This is resultant of our feel good society, in part. Eveyrone wants to be more important than they are with the made up titles and scolding of people who simply tell it like it is.

"It is what it is" applies. Why we have to dance around and sugar coat so much to appease a few is ridiculous. It irritates me to have to push #1 for English (and I love Spanish culture) and to know that we pay extra for signage and tests in Espanol.......the same with all the labeIing of kids that have learning disabilities, are retarded, slow, limited, etc, etc Those are but 2 examples. People want their kdis labeled, but they want the label they want !

dl

I guess I am. I generally don't use gendered job titles, I don't tend to use race or birth country as someone's distinguishing feature, and I use Ms rather than Mrs. I think this comes from how I was raised, rather than from fear of being offensive. I did get told off for referring to 'brown bread' rather than 'wheat bread,' (isn't almost all bread made out of wheat?), but I think that may be regional, as much as anything.

No PC for me.

Are you kidding? That is just stupid!

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

So.....what do you call a red apple? lol

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

I try to be PC. I'm not always successful, but I am not a "rock the boat" kind of person, so it is completely unintentional if I say something offensive. My DH is not even remotely PC, which is frustrating to me. I don't see the point in having to share something that will be offensive to someone else for your own benefit. For me, it's unacceptable to say things that are/can be hurtful to others. It's important to me to lead by example and show my DS that, while we can be free-thinkers, we need to be respectful of others and their beliefs.

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Kim

How I wish everyone shared this line of thinking. An ex family member has no problem telling racial or sexist jokes in the middle of a restaurant, at the grocery store, even at DH's retirement ceremony. While we all may "agree" that &h1t floats, there is NO need to express that every chance one gets. KUDOS to you for trying to instill that in your DS .

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I'm a little bit PC. I don't say things or use terms that I know can be offensive, especially when I can see how/why a certain thing would be offensive.

However, I do not go out of my way to please those who just go around looking for things to be offended at. I still say manhole cover and colored paper. When it comes to greeting customers at this time of year I say whatever I can think of at the time, sometimes its "Have a nice day", "Be careful driving out there, it's really snowing" or "Have fun with the XYZ(whatever it is they just bought)".

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I guess I'm kind of PC; one has to be in the corporate world. I will say that I'm happy to call people by whatever term they prefer; the problem is that it's hard to get a concensus - what works for someone, offends another....can't win for losing.

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

Half and half honestly and it depends however at work most definitely all the way. Peace. Catherine