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I have a love of life. Some may call me a cynic but I'm truly an optimistic realist. I work on the philosophy “If you expect the worst but aim for the best, you'll land somewhere that's comfortable.”

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20 July 2011

Political Correctness

Political correctness according to Wikipedia is “The avoidance of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult certain groups of people.”

Surely, the term “political correctness” could be scrapped and we could return to using “basic respect” and “good manors”. It's not PC to call a dry stone wall a dyke because lesbians may take offence to it; however, I would say the person that considers that to be offensive/homophobic is petty and needs to remove their pink topped flag pole from their rectal cavity. It was the name people were calling dry stone walls for years before it was used as a slur. Why call it anything else – just because some female, that doesn't wear a bra - because she can't afford one and claims it to be feminism, says she's offended by the word being used in it's proper and correct manor.

If words such as Faggot, poof, tranny, dyke, rug muncher, niger, gypo and Jock are so offensive why do the people that these words can be used to describe use them amongst themselves? The plain and simple answer is because they don't actually care. When someone other than another minority person uses them towards a person of a minority it's a cue to pull out the minority card.

I personally, would be happy for someone to call be a dyke. This isn't because I'm not offended by it, but simply because I don't care. Society has labels for everything. Maybe a Tomatoes just wants to be seen as a red juicy fruit. In saying that – it could be argued that I'm being none PC towards the lesser developed Tomatoes. As mad and crazed as my previous statement may seem that is what political correctness isn't.

Why can't we just use the tags that exist for minorities? As long as they aren't being used in a negative way, who cares?

Pakistan, how is this racist? It is merely an abbreviation of Pakistani. But yet how many Scottish people take such great and deep hitting offence at being called “a Scot”? Likewise, for British persons, is it therefore racist to call them “a Brit”? Where does the line get crossed? The argument that many people use is that, Pakistan, is racist because it is used towards people with similar looks – regardless of their nationality. If therefore it is racist, who to? The person that is being called a Pakistan – or the people from Pakistan themselves? I'd say if it is towards the person being called a Pakistan, it's not racist just ignorant to assume that someone is from Pakistan based on looks. If it's towards the person s of Pakistan, then see the above argument (Scot/Scottish etc).

A man is no longer to hold a door open for a female because it is to suggest that a female is incapable of holding the door for herself. If there is anyone intending to use the door after you it is simply only good manors to hold it for them regardless of gender? This once again stems from misguided feminism and females wanting to be seen as equal to males which we are. However, I'd be more annoyed if a man shut a door in my face because he thought he may offend me by holding it open so I could pass through it easier. To show males and females are equal – we need to stop banging the PC drum – and look at the reality. Is it nice to have someone hold a door open for you regardless of their gender? Yes. Is it nice for a person to let you go first? Yes. If we as females want true equality we have to stop seeing ourselves separately from males. If you cut a log in half it is different on either half, fact. If you cut everything into two sections the differences are more apparent. I'm not saying females have to be any less feminine or more masculine but stop seeing the dissection of male and female.

PC means not discriminating against a person negatively because they are deaf or blind or in a wheel chair. But, would you ask a blind person to take your arm so you could help them over the road? If the answer is yes, surely that is discrimination. You are presuming because they can't see they cannot safely cross a road. As a blind person myself, I wont deny it is occasionally welcome to be offered help. However, it can also become very annoying on crossings that I know very well to be asked time after time. Like with sighted people. A blind person is able to ask for help either verbally or by their body language. It's not very often you see a blind person being asked for bus stops or directions when a sighted individual is in need of help. They would rather ask a sighted person for the assistance. I'd personally say – you're better to ask a blind person for directions or for bus information as it is more likely they can give you accurate details. A blind person needs to know where they are to get to where they are going. A sighted person will give you alternating distances 300 yards forward on the right. Then another may say 450 yards on the right. A blind person if they know where the place is will tell you two roads a-head on the right. What is more accurate? I was once in Edinburgh city centre on my own going to catch a train or something, and a group of Australasian tourists said, “we need to ask someone local where the Scot's Monument is.” they were shocked when I pipped up and said it's that big monument over there on the left hand side, they were surprised to say the least.

I could go on for ever and a day about PC and how it's going mad. If I did though, I'd not be able to publish this and tell you all this simple thing.

Get a grip – life is life, people are all the same but yet very different. Judge everyone one on their own merits.

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