Where Offensive Speech is Prohibited, Tyranny Will Follow
by Brian JenningsFirst it was the National Hispanic Media Coalition calling on the FCC to probe what it feels is hate speech by conservative talk radio hosts. The group claims it isolated 334 incidents of hate speech by John & Ken of KFI, Los Angeles, Michael Savage, and Lou Dobbs in eighty minutes of tape.
Then it was minority groups petitioning the FCC to investigate the new radio ratings system called the Portable People Meter because they feel it under represents the ratings on urban radio stations and is unfair. The meter can’t lie and registers in real time what radio stations those who wear the device are hearing. Make sure all groups are fairly represented and all should be fine.
Now, midgets want the FCC to ban the word “midget.” This latest controversy erupted following an April episode of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” in which contestents, including Joan Rivers suggested “bathing midgets in detergent and hanging them out to dry.” Now, the “Little People of America” are asking the FCC to ban the word “midget” from broadcast airwaves because it is demeaning.
So what’s next? Ban the word “fat?” We can’t use that word because it will hurt someone’s feelings? Weight challenged Americans? Ban certain songs, including violent rap music demeaning to women? And while we’re at it, ban the countless words considered to be racist from the airwaves. Ban this and ban that. Instead of using their God-given rights to free speech to fight back in a free country, these groups run to Big Brother asking for speech regulation. They claim they value the First Amendment, but they always use the word “but” in qualifying their cause. It’s time we put an end to this nonsensical syndrome of political correctness and second guessing everything we say as Americans.
As America tries to define hate speech legislation in the Congress, it’s time to tell it like it is. We are a nation of cry babies and wimps. This demand by midgets…er Little People should be ignored by the FCC and we predict it will.
Language cannot be regulated and remain free. Where does it stop? Look at Canada’s cold chill of arctic air under their socialist Human Rights Tribunals and what these Tribunals have done to free expression in that nation. Pastors have been banned for writing about their moral convictions condemning homosexuality. Look at what Hugo Chavez is doing right now in Venezuela - taking the broadcast licenses away from radio stations because he wants no opposition as a tyrant.
Where offensive speech is prohibited, tyranny will follow. Creating protected classes of people free from criticism or even stupid off-color humor is the first step and from there the foundation of a free people crumbles. I’d rather be bathed in detergent and hung out to dry than have the government determine what is and what isn’t free speech.
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274 Comments
I think we should prohibit anything from appearing on television that offends people. I, personally, am offended by the appearance of Democrats. Ergo, they should not be allowed to appear on television.
As a "normal' sized person, I actually find the term "little people" to be offensive. It seems to suggest that they're less than real people. Whereas, at least the word "midget" only describes their physical size. Am I misguided?
If we only can BAN the words THE and AND…THE is so specific, and AND is so inclusie… we need to be more open and general!
My eyes and ears burn whenever Pelosi, Reid, Murtha, and other lib Dems appear on State-Run Media. Ban them.
They are not midgets they are "Vertically Challenged"
Society is turning into the biggest bunch of eggshell walkers, and its working its way down to children. At this rate, the word "No" will be considered hate speech when telling a child that he can't have something since they would be offended. Why I don't really care for the term midget, I think "Little People", "vertically challenged" or "Dwarf" are not any better. Society has a lot of terms that carry a stigma, and we need to be aware that they may not be the preferred choice, but they are commonplace. The worst thing you can do in today's world is hurt someone's feelings.
*shakes head*…. People have gotten such thin skins… is it really too hard to turn off what you don't want to hear? I don't find it that hard… but maybe I am smarter and thicker skinned as well.
I cant speak for all others, but I do have a very dear friend who is a midget and she strongly prefers midget to little people. She thinks the latter is both demeaning and silly.
I thought " midgets-little people" were against any laws which would deprive them of jobs in Hollywood. This is news to me.
I'm waiting for the class action suit against Randy Newman. "Short people got no reason"? You, Mr. Newman, are a monster.
Munchkins . . . It was good enough for Dorothy and it works fine for me.
Munchkins . . . It was good enough for Dorothy and it works fine for me.
I don't know about the rest of you, but being called a "White trash, hillbilly, anti-gay, super bible-beating Middle American." kinda ticked me off. Where's my right to not be offended?
We have all gone to Idiot Hell.
Miley Cyrus is currently being sued on behalf of 1 million Asian or Pacific islanders because of a photo that depicts her making slant eyes. (Oh the horror!) They're asking for $4,000 in damages for each person which comes to a request for $4,000,000,000 in damages.
In addition the plaintiffs lawyers filed a motion to recuse Judge Robert Hess for saying that the controversial photo "included Orientals and non-Orientals and she was doing a gesture pulling with her fingers to the outside of her eyes in a gesture that could be construed as mocking or disparaging of persons of Oriental ancestry."
Plaintiffs accused the judge of racial bias because his use of the word "Oriental" is akin to using the word 'N___er' or Negro when referring to African Americans. Gee, everybody knows that, don't they?
The result? The Judge issued a written apology AND recused himself from the case.
Idiot Hell. Get used to it.
Not only is it stupid to create a bunch of multiple word euphimisms; it's also counter-productive. If I'm going to be a stupid bigot, I'll think bigoted thoughts no matter what words I'm using, and those bigoted emotions will translate whether I'm using the word "midget," "little person," or "vertically challenged." The inverse is also true which is why Hate Crime laws are also stupid. No one reads minds to know what someone is thinking.
All you do when you ban words is lose some of the richness and depth of the language.
You just lost the argument there by showing your "bigotry".
You're an "Average sized" person, not "normal", by defining yourself as "normal" you're saying "little people" are abnormal. How bigoted and small minded of you!
(see, PC is FUN!)
Hear hear… I am tired of being called uneducated and redneck simply because I choose to reside in Texas… I feel like I am demeaned.
*Actually I don't really care because it really only shows the ignorance of those slinging the insults and that makes me laugh.
Yes, I agree.. makes me think of Darby O'Gill's type of "Little People"
I agree with her. They did a story on Fox News about this and there was a show (didn't catch what it was) where midgets were gathered, and one of the hosts asked one guy if he was offended by being called a midget. He said "of course not!"
Never in a million years would I think that "midget" was an offensive word!
Lord save us from the tyranny of the offended!
the next salvo from Fearless Leader…
The FCC already has the authority to install 'neighborhood boards' that will deem whether broadcast content 'is in the community interest'. These will happen stealthily, for they know the Fairness Doctrine is radioactive.
This is no joke.
As the saying goes, 'any means to the end'….
I hate to break the news to you, but there's a large and growing contingent of parents who think it's wrong to say no to their children (the word no itself).
There is also a growing number of parents that believe it's wrong to give your child encouragement or admonishment. It's based on a book called "Unconditional Parenting."
Basically, if your child draws a nice picture, saying, "Good Job!" is wrong and sets up expectations the child cannot reach. You are instead to say, "You did it!" which does not offer any "value judgment."
I understand there are a vocal group of undead who are petitioning the FCC to ban the word "zombie" as derogatory and hateful. They also don't like being called "the living dead" or "the undead" as they feel both terms are unflattering and put too much emphasis on negative stereotypes. Apparently they prefer to be called Re-animated Americans.
I'm wondering WHY any group of adults would insists we call them "little people"; aren't children considered "little people"…seriously, who of voting/drinking age would want to be likened to a child (besides liberal hippies, but that's another matter…)?
So does this mean I can no longer refer to Liberal's as Midget Brains? Do I now have to refer to them as Little Brain's?
And check this parenting philosophy out too:
http://www.consensual-living.com/
How about we don't call these mamby-pamby whiny Little People of America-type groups ANYTHING and just ignore them instead?
As a thin skinned person, I take offense to you writing that something is wrong with me due to my condition.
Scarred (AND sacred) for life after viewing that site. North Carolina, shame on you! No wonder you fell for Dear Leader last fall.
Scarred (AND scared) for life after viewing that site. North Carolina, shame on you! No wonder you fell for Dear Leader last fall.
Do they still eat brrraaaiinnnnsss… ?
Yes, almost like they are patting them on the head and saying, "What a good boy/ girl you are!!"
FYI, the term 'cry babies' is considered offensive to the maturity-challenged community. Be careful.
I'm with Frank Burns: the word "the" is exclusionary. Its very function is to single out one entity from among all of the diversity of the peoples. It should be banned… oops, I used it! I'll go report to the re-education camp now… darn…
While we're at it, I suggest we also ban the term "cracker" when it refers to a Caucasian of European, non-Hispanic descent.
Terry Pratchett has some great satire in the Discworld books related to PC group politics. The trolls are represented by the "Anti-Silocon Defamation League", and the Dwarfs have the "Committee for Equal Heights". Sadly, both represented groups are too busy making a living to be involved in the grievance groups – instead normal humans busybodies run these things. There are too many professional grievance groups in this world!
Dear god that was awful. I need a brillo pad for my brain. Self-determination? When a kid can tell me what that actually means, then maybe I'd buy into the whole ball of crap.
Kids need structure – period. They rebel against it and that's part of growing up.
Try being a conservative trapped in the liberal wasteland of New England. Tarred & feathered with the same brush that is applied to Teddy Kennedy and Christopher Dodd. They offend me by breathing – and I grew up in MA and currently live in CT.
Can I write to someone to complain and get them to go away?
See what they are up against! Just because a percentage of Re-animated Americans (approximately 100%) include human brain as a part of their dietary intake doesn't mean that we need to be afraid of them. Different cultures have different traditions. I'm sure there are many foods of ours that seem strange to Re-animated Americans. We must respect their values and not judge them from the perspective of our value system. We need to be accepting of and accomodating to their diversity.
It's PC run a muck.
Yeah well I take offense that you find my comment offensive…
It looks like the philosophies for the parents whose children can do no wrong… :/ I am a spare the rod type of person and that is how I shall rule…… er, I mean parent.
And WTF is a Caucasion? I'm not from the Caucusus! Hasn't science proven that human life started in Africa? So we are all African Americans! Or maybe it started before the continents formed and we are all Pangeans! That's it! From now on I'm putting Pangean down when any form asks for my race.
I suggest we ban the word Hispanic. It's incredibly sexist and demeaning to women. If we can't ban Hispanic then we must adopt a second word to repair the awful damage….
Herspanic….
When I was a child my parents taught me "sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me". This settled the whole name-calling issue for me back then (when I was like five years old).
When I hear stuff like this it reminds me of that simple saying. Sure words are powerful but names people call you are only as powerful as you let them be. I don't know if a simple lesson like this would get through to people who get all upset and call for bans but really it is that simple.
Maybe we should have some fun with the over sensitive politically correct crowd and start mailing out copies of Gran Torino to them. >:)
so if they were at the Democratic National Convention, they'd go hungry???
Or we could just decapitate them?
Might want to try for a gender neutral word, might I suggest "Theirspanic" or it's deep south variant "Themspanic."
Being Irish, when I hear someone say "little people" I think of leprechauns. Would these crybabies prefer leprechaun to midget?
The more I think of it, the more I HATE the sound of "little people." Grow a hide and some sense, folks!
Welcome to the
United States ofthe Offened
Hussein Obama really offends me
Who can I sue ?
I call them all munchkins
/
I prefer the term "free range" to "self-determination."
How offensive!
You've clearly done time in college! Have you ever run into the womyn that roam college campuses demanding that "history" be renamed "herstory" because "history" is exclusive?
They were serious!?!?!
I thought they were practicing lines from a Woody Allen comedy…..
I like what George Lopez said once, call me an American, I don't want to be associated with anything that has PANIC in it.
Sadly no, they were quite serious.
Does this mean Fisher-Price will have to take their "Little People" toy line off the shelves? My kids loved their collection.
KrisNewEngland,
You are precisely correct. I cannot find it now to cite it, but there was a study done some years ago regarding children and boundaries. A group of children is taken to an open (unfenced) playground and told they were free to do whatever they wanted to do. The children were timid, uncertain. They walked warily to the playground equipment. They did play, but it was almost "measured" play with lots of looking around and looking to the adults to make sure they were doing the right thing. The group was taken at a later time to a playground that was completely fenced in with only one gate. The children were told, again, that they were free to do whatever they wanted to do. All of the children took off running and played with abandon, rarely looking to the adults for approval. They knew where and what the boundaries were. Even though this is a physical example, I believe it applies to abstract boundaries as well.
wow……just…..wow……
I agree with whoever said "little people" sounds a whole lot worse than midget; to me, it sounds condescending to the extreme (weren't women, just a generation ago, chafing at the phrase "little woman?") However, I've come to realize that, having been born into a group that is casually and incessantly ajudged to be racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, et al, I don't get to choose what offends whom. If the word offends midgets…er, I mean, little people, that's their prerogative under the by-laws of the PC world gone mad. Language is being regulated: The "N-word" has effectively been banned (depending, of course, on who uses it); why shouldn't the "M-Word" be as well?
John Wayne said it better:
http://www.theodoresworld.net/archives/2006/03/th...
and to think, that was the movie that got Sean Connery noticed for the James Bond role.
Saw that one again last April when we were in the UK. First time for my 3.5 year old.
indeed.. more and more it seems that "little people" has been pushed by those who are not.
That's why I think little people is offensive. It demeans adults.
Now that would definitely piss one off indeed.
indeed, keeping PC is like impossible gymnastics.
They were the Democratic National Convention.
I'm simply going to put "human".
OMG! I was going to post changing "history" to "herstory" as JOKE! There are really women out there demanding that???? Holy crap! PC is completely and totally out of control.
This is like speech codes at college. We're told that we can't say anything to offend anybody, but they won't tell you what that's supposed to me.
Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Liberalism is the disease.
Give them Judge Judy. At least she has a pair.
DIE ZOMBIE, DIE!!!!! come meet my BOOMSTICK!
not while they're in congress doing their petitioning. nothing there to eat.
WAAAAAAAA!
but.. but.. I like Ritz.
The FCC already regulates "offensive" language and content, and a lot of you probably celebrate that fact. But granting the federal government that kind of power is precisely what leads to all this PC garbage being shoved down our throats.
Don't be surprised when the government tries to increase the power it was willingly handed by a gullible public.
Woody Allen is funny?
Or like licking your elbow, though I don't know why anyone would want to lick their own elbow….
He's hilarious!!
But looks aren't everything….
It depemds on who you are and anything you say
Saying good day to a woman could be offending or sexual harrasment
Being white makes you and us offensive automaticly
You are giving libs waaaaaaaaaay too much credit….
Never being one to speak without proof, I offer for your consideration . . . crazy town:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herstory
P.S. I met a whole group of proponents of this in college. They spelled "women" as "womyn" as well.
Who's in "power" and working to stop this government takeover?
DeMint … Boehner … McCotter … Blunt …. to name a few …..
Who else should I be contacting and supporting?
She may be hot, but she is a loser. Boo Megan Fox. I hope Megatron kills you in Transformers 3
That, my dear, is old skool crazy…I remember it in the 70's. There was a bookstore in my Upper West Side called "Woman Books" will a 'herstory' section. Took me a while to figure out why there weren't ever any men in there…
Oh, it isn't just in colleges, sir. They are starting much earlier:
http://www.girlscoutshop.com/GSUSAOnline/GSProduc...
http://www.studio2b.org/lounge/gs_stuff/ip_b_xtre...
You're a thin-skinaphobe!
Just an idea:
Let's start calling Fox News and talk radio and Drudge and Breitbart …. "The Real Main Stream Media."
Let's re-claim the art of making the rules.
uh …. or … Mainstream
You know, I had to work with one of those "pigeon-holers" once…..the kind that have to identify everyone by hyphens and PCness. He was training under me, and never having met a Puerto Rican before, he asked me what was appropriate for him to call me: Hispanic, Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, etc.
With a chilly look, and as much disdain as I could muster (which you know is a lot, Hank) I told the moron:
"You may call me your SUPERIOR."
The next day he requested a transfer to another store….
No I am not a thin-skinaphobe I just don't agree with the lifestyle…
No I am not a thin-skinaphobe I just don't agree with the lifestyle…
We can still be friends.
Toughen up all you sensitive people, you are ridiculous. So your feelings are hurt. Nothing but a bunch of cry babies. If you ban all these words, how will the military communicate, how will police vent their frustration, how will rap artists ,and I use the term artist loosely, write songs, again I use the term loosely. Anyone's feelings hurt?
God help us.
Reminds me of the Lesbian in Legally Blonde where she was telling people that they should change the term semester to ovester…
though changing male-gendered words to female gendered words is "doing" the same thing… so why should people really care?
I bow to your SUPERIOR disdain abilities….
As a fellow who works with jockeys, I prefer 'malignant dwarf" Of course, around the race track, the term is "lil' balls of hate"
If Little People prefere not to be called midgets, ok. We do our best not to use the term. Only fair. But running to the FCC and calling it hate speech. Holy Barty! If someone calls them "midget" as a perjorative, as will happen on occasion, ignore it, or retort("Piss off, Bulwinkle" would be my choice") but don't go running to Federal Teat and whine. Stand up for yourselves. You can be taller than you think.
I don't see a problem with regulating speech that makes people feel bad. What right should anyone have to make someone suffer? If I said, Dear Leader is an incompetent bum and nobody should vote for him, just imagine the anguish he will feel? And think about his family: I have just implied he should be unemployed, which means his wife and children could become street people. Should I be allowed to say this, when the harm it causes is obvious? Of course not.
Cuckoo for Coco Puffs…..
Reminds me of the poor kid getting chased by the Womynists in P.C.U.
http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2007/09/25/Musi...
Please tell me it's like a story compatition or something like that…. otherwise my faith in the Girl Scouts just waned.
For anyone that needs to see this in action, the University of Wisconsin – Madison offers regular viewings at or just outside the Memorial Union. Just remember to keep your head down and your mouth shut as you enter the war zone.
Is this not ridiculous. The world must be laughing at us. Who started all the crap anyway, must have been one of those progressive liberals, who by the way have no problem with using all these words when talking about Sarah Palin. I guess they're just bad when conservatives use them. Bunch of midget minded people.
No one really cares, it's just an excuse to piss and moan about something that doesn't really matter so they can feel relevant.
supposedly there are only 3 races in the world but the censors won't let me post them.
We do need to ban evil Albinos however:
http://www.albinism.org/pressRelease/pressRelease...
Nope….this is for real. When the Girl Scouts became a public organization (as opposed to the Boy Scouts) they went down the slippery slope like a beached whale in an oil slick.
In fact, one troop in the Austin area is sponsored by Planned Parenthood. At least they were as of 2007.
As well you should
As discussed in a previous column's thread, it isn't brains they are eating.
just tried that and suceeded. must be a knuckledragger thing.
she's too young for me anyway. Were I not already married, I would prefer a real woman.
she's too young for me anyway. Were I not already married, I would prefer a real woman, not a child.
Quite simply, a lot of folks are adults with the mental maturity of a five-year-old child. This fact explains why they've never learned the "sticks and stones" lesson. It also explains why they prefer to live in a nanny-state.
Quite simply, a lot of folks are adults with the mental maturity of five-year-old children. This fact explains why they've never learned the "sticks and stones" lesson. It also explains why they prefer to live in a nanny-state.
does that mean I have to throw out my Edgar Winter CD's?
People were, in fact, up in arms about that song.
There was a campaign to have the song banned
the man as a satirical genuis indeed.
I thought that was his scent. Dies he smell funny to you too?
I thought that was his scent. Does he smell funny to you too?
Like most knuckledraggers, I prefer cocoa pebbles.
is your real name Gene Simmons??
Luckily I've never been that close….
now that is definitely a classic response. With the multitude of genetic mix in my blood, I usaly have them refer to me as Grand Poohba.
now that is definitely a classic response. With the multitude of genetic mix in my blood, I usually have them refer to me as Grand Poohba.
Didn't they call him a "Meat-Tosser"??
I think I saw a picture of that somewhere. A guy decided to show up with a sign that said "Iron My Shirt"
He is survived by his dog and 2 goldfish….
Wizard of OZ – Munchkins…. will their names be edited out? "Little People Land"
I guess we can't do any more midget bowling.
Joan Rivers looks like she has been hung out to dry.
John & Ken of KFI hate everyone equally.
This is where America – what with our ubiqutiously beloved ACLU and all – has insured better freedoms than say, post-war Germany. In post war Germany its actually illegal to use Nazi iconography and such. While its destable to do so, and I sympathize with the reasoning behind it. Ultimately, freedom for all must insure that any a-hole gets to say their peice, no matter how destable.
"Where Offensive Speech is Prohibited, Tyranny Will Follow". Tough talk! So then show me your ACLU card buddy!
LOL.
Like, you realize that the FCC already prohibits speech on television in all sorts of ways.
And didn't I just read an S.T. Karnick piece here a few days ago about how awesome the Production Code was?
By definition Offensive speach IS protected speach. The concept of freedom of speech was born out of peoples desire to prohibit others from voicing thier ideas. Usually it was not offensive so much as considered inflamatory to their politcal or social agenda. These people would use various excuses to silence the opposition. If one wanted to silence someone simply accuse them of speach that is against God or the King or as in other cases designed to oppress another group. In short to villify someone. When will Americans relearn the lessons that guided our founders? In order to live in freedom and liberty you must accept that you will be offended by others at some point. Stop asking the govt to save you from your own sensitivity the price is freedom.
While I might aspire to that, I'm more Bill the Cat.
Mike, don't question any female professors about their beliefs. You may not get kicked out but you will get an F.
good thing too. No tellin where he's been.
but this is the new era in educashun. F means Fine!
No kidding… I believe the PC terminology is not "Hispanic" but either "Latino" or "Latina".
Not only did I find it on wikipedia, but I experienced it in college.
geez oh geez people. Maybe its just because I spend too much time around here, but far as i can tell, the most SUPER EASILY OFFENDED group of people seems to be WHI TE PEOPLE!
and all of you going off on the well worn notion of "Haha lets laugh at some group that wants to be called something different this week from last week!" well now, you know what? WHAT'S WRONG WITH HUMORING PEOPLE?
Why shouldn't some group get to dictate how people call them? Shouldn't a group have that right?
Now, as a separate issue, should laws be in place to make crimes based on stuff like this…??? I don't see how that can lead to anything but headaches and problems. So leave legality out of it. Lets keep this a matter of social discourse…why not? What's wrong with that?
There is a Simpsons episode where they were trapped in Japan and had to do a Japanese game show to win plane tickets back home. They passed a studio where Woody Allen was filming a commercial for some obscure Japanese product when he says, "What did I do to deserve this??"
Then he droops his head and says, "Oh, right….." and finishes the commercial….
My ancestors came from all over. I'm just a mutt. Or am I now being offensive to canines?
I have to know, did you burst out laughing the first time you experienced this? Or did you fear for your anatomy and look the other way?
LOL! classic!
Does this mean that Don Rickles is finished as a comedian? Dangit!
Mike, Darkwolf is as bad as my husband! Now get in there and get the grades and graduate.
)
Wikipedia is just a storehouse for every crazy thought anyone has ever had.
The reason no one knows about these things is because they never make it off the campus into the real world. No one who isn't already connected to the crazy-camp is willing to buy into it. So it's not commercial. And the media won't pick it up because it's fringe, and because they don't want to offend the PC police.
Rush used to talk about these sorts of things in the 1990s. But he's the only one I ever heard discuss it. At my college, it only became well known outside of the "Women's Studies" department because they got into a huge fight with the "African American Studies" department.
It was tawdry, indeed, Scorpio, I assume you meant me. I became quite mean (which attracted them more) and skipped school at lunch to meet the boyz w/ my posse.
I know, but back then people didn't sue. They also didn't claim that a song interfere with their lives.
I know, but back then people didn't sue. They also didn't claim that a song interfered with their lives.
My post is being moderated!!! ha-ha!
Better than a "Salad Tosser".
You must have a dirty mind! LOL!
I think the term "little people" is more demeaning than "midget."
This is another example of a word being deemed "demeaning" because many people are jerks who say mean things about midgets and orientals and negroes. I understand the feeling – I can't even type those words without feeling like I'm doing something horrible (and, despite the 1984 vibe, I'm cool with the term "East-Asian"). But this stealing of words by regulation bothers me. We English speakers have already forgotten countless English words, such as mocteroof, frubbish, grog-blossom and wayzgoose (I have NO idea what these mean, but I wish I did). In their place, dictionaries are adding fascinating terms like aerobicize, blowback, celebutante and therapize, which are no more than current words in new forms (generally the "verbing" of nouns, not to mention "gerunding") or current words combined (such as "newspeak").
Lord, we're boring. Or at least we sound boring.
No Hank, I'm not stupid. These aren't the kind of people you even talk to, or they file a complaint with the adminstrator about being harassed and oppressed.
Think very, very angry white girls with dread locks and "keep your hands of my body" tatoos, which I don't think is actually going to be a problem.
Dang it….soda all over me. Thanks Hank….
I'm a real gal!
we only wish the ACLU did that which it promises; it has an agenda that ii is assiduously following but will throw thw occasional bone to the Nazis to appear bi-partisan. However flawed, they are still better than nothing.
We prefer Judicial Watch- not a conservative outfit, mind you- and hope a little 'competition' keeps the libs at ACLU honest…
Excellent! +1 for you!
There shouldn't be GROUPS at all. We're all unique individuals. Grouping people into opposing factions based on meaningless qualities such as skin color or cultural extraction serves no good purpose.
I'm sure plenty of (and dear God, I don't even know what to properly call them without offending someone so I'll employ vagueness) dark-skinned folks are fine being called "black." I'm sure plenty are fine being called "African-American." Which label should win out? Who should decide?
It's wrong to view people as part of some group or another. It is a form of collectivism, and it only creates animosity between folks. Why can't we simply celebrate the fact that each of us is a unique human being? It's the 21st century–we shouldn't still be clinging to tribalism.
Women's studies…what in the ____? Thankfully, I progressed to a college that was not infected with that. I have heard all about it, as my classmates are now professors in it. I can assure you they are very troubled individuals…
Love Rush on the subject.
Dude, Hank, I'M A GIRL. I WAS IN FEAR! Get with the program!
how many psych classes have you taken? you got the line down word-perfect! I am so impressed with your flexibility in double-thinking!
Awwww. Tx.
actually, I'm worse.. or so my wife tells me.
Ahhh…..I can almost smell the pungent odor of patchouli now……
As near as I can tell from the few who would speak to someone with a Y chromosone, the idea is for a group of angry women to get together and complain that women have been helpless victims throughout time, even when they don't know it.
It's the same group that came up with the "all sex is rape" idea.
wow, were they calling you a gender traitor and whatnot because you bathed and brushed your teeth?
Awww. She laughs.
When you mention The Simpsons and Japan two things come to mind, "fishbulb" and "battling seizure robots"
A yes inventors of the "date rape" (now made into a drink by my college age kids)-these hags can all go live on an island…oh, yeah, been done…
They made fun of me for wearing lipstick (FACT).
Not that I cared. I was "mean girl" (you really have to whhen you're surrounded)
Actually, Wiccans have a deep respect of gender differences. My SIL is a Wiccan 3rd degree High Priestess (something like that), and they can't abide what passes for feminism, or how men have been emasculated in the media.
"THWACK!!!!"
Don't forget the singing fountain toilets!!
I guarantee half of them are married with kids and perfectly happy and the other half have the most cats per capita where ever they live.
Yes, wiccans, wouldn't want to stereotype this much maligned group of thinkers. Hey, I've been a wiccan on halloween. It was a great costume! Peace out, wiccans!
There can be only ONE!
The poor kid who asked about the appropriate label for his boss was probably a very good student and bought all of the koolaid at wholesale prices.
I've said elsewhere today that one of the biggest pushes (grad school – psych) now is multicultural sensitivity. While they'll admit we are unique, there are cultural identities that must be considered – BUT remember that there are differences within cultural groups, so treat them as individuals. GACK!
And collectivism is to be admired and appreciated – individualism is over-rated and aggressive.
Drives me loony – but for the most part I keep my head down and move forward – except last night's assignment on multicultural had me making comments a little more freely. Saturday's is on gender – we'll see if I can be a credit to womyn everywhere and accept the PC approach — doubtful! bad girl!
Was he/she traumatized for life? I think I was (with the banshee and all).
"There shouldn't be GROUPS at all". <– this is the new rhetoric from the right. It fits along side the older & similar "color blind" argument.
I grant you, like the logic of "color blindess" there is a basic ideal here. My criticism against this not the ideal, but the practicality of it.
Sure, we shouldn't regard people by the color of their skin. And there shouldn't be groups. And while we're being so SUPER IDEALISTIC… in a perfect society, we really shouldn't have police either, now should we? I mean really, if everything worked right… why would we need police?
Okay, now lets put that aside and return to the planet earth, shall we? As long as there is competition for natural resources by individuals, then those individuals will increase their chances to win in that competion by forming *groups*. And they will do this because the bigger/stronger group will wins. And that's oppression and yes Virginia its *bad*. I'm describing tribalism and its been around for a while, okay?
Oh Lord… I have always liked the scouting organizations… I was a Girl Scout myself and my husband is an Eagle Scout… and I believe in the organizations principles… but never ever would I allow my girls to join a troop supported by such an organization… I would rather start one up for the girls on my own… :/
continued:
Part of the aim of democracy is to over come this. and yes, we should strive to respect one another as individuals. But as long as tribalism has been around, skin color has the most convenient way to divide groups, and I daresay its an ingrained element of society. Given all this… I think its reasonable that representation adhere to tribalism. e.g. why shouldn't group X want to have a senator or rep or president that is also from group X? What's wrong with that, given the millions of years of how humans have evolved? NOTHING!
Sorry I can't award you MORE thumbs up!
HAHAHAHAHA!! That "Peace out, wiccans!" just made me spew my drink!!!
I hear they make a helluva eye of newt….
Crikey…now "Who Wants To Live Forever?" is playing in my head….
Wiccans created the Wiccipedia?
not at all, but then he does love watching zombie movies and likes to snarl back at the screen at them (he gets the feral streak from me).
Actually according to one of my many Mexican friends (I am from and still live in Texas) there is a difference between Mexicans, Latinos and Hispanics…. what that is I don't remember and it's not like you can tell straight off the bat without them saying something anyway…. I think it's Mexicans are from Mexico (duh), Latinos are from the Islands (Ie, PR, Cuba, etc) and Hispanics are from Central America…. and Mexicans will actually get offended if you call them Hispanic… so I just call them all Mexican… since that's what most of them are around here anyway….
Oh yeah. It started with, "no mean no."
Which became, "sometimes yes means no."
Which became, "you can say no after the fact."
Which became "women are not capable of consenting because men are masters of evil, hence all sex is rape."
Crazy.
yeah, he'll do that. I've given up drinking anything while reading his comments.
I think John Stossel did a show about it. It was jaw dropping to see these college girls turn into foaming at the mouth whackos. They wouldn't even let Stossel finish a question before they started screaming things at him.
Imagine a horde of angry young girls screaming the word "enabler" at a respected journalist just for asking a question. It was really awful.
Ditto the thumbs up!
my humble thanks to you and Mr. Price….
Thankfully, there is an alternative now:
http://www.ahgonline.org
American Heritage Girls has recently partnered with the Boy Scouts of America. The first time an all girls organization has partnered with them in its history. Well worth checking out!
and as a thick-skulled-American, I can sympathize with your plight.
oh, and me still hate Geico!
the "Women's Studies" department
that was one of those setups for a punchline that got me a "male Chauvinistic pig" label for a day…
And my comment is being moderated, on a thread about offensive speech being prohibited….
Oh, the irony….
just as well. Was playing that very CD in my SUV on my way to work this morning.
"A Kind of Magic"??
Don Rickles is funny.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Don+R...
you know… I agree with you totally in the sense that the people there that feel that way. There are people here on my side (namely, my wife) that corrects me when I say "Hispanic" and she says I should say either Mexican or Latina. I hadn't heard the Latina/Latino = Islanders thing before but I can imagine why some people go with it. But then, my wife took a chicano studies course in college so maybe she knows the real thing then.
So see folks – to really understand what to call yourself you need to take a college course!
pretty rediculous huh? But I still say: Do your honest best to go along with. Try to humor the sensitive among us. Its not going to hurt anyone.
What's wrong with that?
His moniker should be "King of Spewage", the bastich…
Has anyone kept up with the ridiculous rants about of all things "The Last Airbender" movie? Seems that Asians of all stripes are ticked off that ***gasp***several of the starring roles are being done by white actors!!! Oh the horror!!! The lead role is being done by a ***gasp again***Texan!!!
It's a frickin movie based on a kids cartoon for cripes sakes. The creators of this series are WHITE. The director is M Night Shyamalan (when last I looked a gentleman of Asian persuasion). Also several roles including a lead role are being done by Asian or Indian actors.
This is all part and parcel of the new "let's hate whitey" cabal in America. Don't kid yourselves, this prohibition on free speech only applies to whites.
Welcome to the new America
Nice work!
You may find this surprising, but I was constantly speaking my mind in college. Yeah, I know… hard to believe. It didn't take long before I was a well known enemy of the People. I think they would have killed me in my sleep, if they weren't too stoned to pull it off.
John Stossel, a handsome man with a great jaw line, too. Dreadful behavior!
…another great drink…
The very one.
He can put it on his business card. I'm still trying to get work to print up my cards as "the devil".
I would rather have Eye of Newt than Fwench Fwoglegs
yup. I've known the origin of that term and I believe its an antiquated, and probably disproven theory that all white people descend from some group associated with that mountain range.
go figure.
Perhaps its to our credit that we don't get up in a huff about this mislabling. Of course, it all depends on who is doing the mislabling, I suppose.
Damnit…another spewage. You have been hanging out with Hank way too long
Now that's a brawl I would have paid to see.
That is outstanding. You sir deserve a beer for that….
didn't they use to make 1930's B&W serials about that very topic?
Speaking your mind?? No freakin way man…..
A few years ago I was asked to leave a diversity training class at this company I did work for. The "trainer" wasn't prepared for another point of view….Guys would sneak over to my cube to high-five me but then don dark sunglasses and a hat when leaving…..
Oh yeah? What's in it…..and don't say eye of newt…..
They never tell us what we can say, only what we can't.
Andrew
You are talking ancient history. Stone age era!
Neuronally Challenged
You guys must be talking about Ms. GrrrrAwfulO again.
Good luck with that….I hear that's a popular moniker. I'm still looking for an appropriate one for me, since "machete-wielding, zombie-killing b!tch" was taken.
Go figure….
Why only 1 million people? What about the 1.3 Billion plus in China? That would come out to less that $1 per person. Maybe the Korean people want in? What about the Japanese? What about European people who happen to have a slant to their eyes? Maybe Kobe wants in? Where does it stop? How do you prove that all of those people were actually offended?
And that implies that everyone with the same color of skin thinks the same. That is false. Why not have groups formed of profession or philosophy or hair color or toe nail length or any other basic similarity between individuals that would allow them to rally into a group?
The flaw in your argument is that we should form tribes and stick to them like groupthink animals. I know for a fact that I identify with different people of different types on different days depending on the issue or activity at hand. I don't have a solid groupthink tribe, but many little circles of folks I move around in. And somehow none of them are formed based on what color or skin is.
And that implies that everyone with the same color of skin thinks the same. That is false. Why not have groups formed of profession or philosophy or hair color or toe nail length or any other basic similarity between individuals that would allow them to rally into a group?
The flaw in your argument is that we should form tribes and stick to them like groupthink animals. I know for a fact that I identify with different people of different types on different days depending on the issue or activity at hand. I don't have a solid groupthink tribe, but many little circles of folks I move around in. And somehow none of them are formed based on what color our skin is.
you are right about that. I think I'll just stick with Jewish Ninja Zombie Stomper.
If we're no longer to use "the" because it's to exclusive, then I guess we can't use "I" either because it's also exclusive or non-inclusive.
This is no joke.
I have yet to find anything funny coming out of DC lately.
Well, maybe VP Biden.
Apparently they prefer to be called Re-animated Americans.
Are we talking Disney?
lol
Intolerance will not be tolerated!!
it only became well known outside of the "Women's Studies" department because they got into a huge fight with the "African American Studies" department.
Which side were African American women on?
if the stakes weren't so high, he'd be hysterical…
How about gnomes?
Pelosi
She must be related to my wife!
I don't mean to advocate groupthink. I'm not sure where my above comment implies groupthink.
I hate to turn to the over-used examples of Nazis and Je ws… (although in philosophy class I was taught to frame examples by using extremes, so…) back in 1930s Germany, there were no doubt individuals who thought individualistically. They may have not though of themselves as part of this group or that group. But then, next thing you know, they were carted off and labeled as Je wish – regardless of whether this was a personally important thing to them OR NOT.
Indeed, isn't the more common sentiment from the death camp survivors that they now more strongly believe its important for themselves to identify themselves as Je ws… as a result of the experience?!
The point is: Perhaps we do not want to think of ourselves in terms of parts of groups. However, if there are those out there that still do anyway… so then in self defense, we must!
Is that logical? Is there a flaw with that?
What do all you individualists say to the Israe lis and Je ws who think of themselves as a group?
Homophobe, flyover country and closed minded are particularly offensive, especially when they are used to explain away disgusting behavior towards children.
I agree… I was watching TLC yesterday and they had their promo for the shoe "The Little Couple"… And I just felt like something was wrong with the title but couldn't put my finger on it… but you seemed to nail it on the head.
"Cuckoo for Coco Puffs….."
LOL !
It could be the new motto for the current era!
HA!
Absolutely!
I used to work for that company. They WERE zombies…trust me.
You know, the large amount of zombies out there are flesh eaters, not brain devourers. You're profiling.
Midget is also a clinical term, I believe. Not all "little people" are midgets (very short w/head size proportionate to body). Some are dwarves (normal sized head, small body). Calling all little people "midgets" would be like calling all developmentally disabled people "autistic".
There is no point in outlawing words. Hateful speech has to be answered, not banned one word at a time. It's not possible to ban hatred–after all, it's just the other side of love.
About language police, Jon Rauch said it best: "Outlaw the word "kike" and people will press "soap" and "lampshade" into use."
I have a feeling that you're not the only one who feels that way Andrew.
I'm offended everytime I have to see another headline with the words Al Gore, obama, Franken, pelosi, reid et al and yet I endure. 
Another way to put it is: "It's my job to speak my mind. It's your job to answer me. The government stays out of the exchange. Period."
Oh yea, I'll be waiting in that litigation line.
The hours/days/months of torture that I had to endure from my sister until that one fell off the charts is hard to measure in pain. 
And what about the Koreans, the Japanese, the Vietnamese etc..China doesn't have a monopoly on Asians for gosh sakes. Sheesh, people just need to lighten up and live a little.
the word "No" will be considered hate speech when telling a child that he can't have something since they would be offended.
For some reason… I'm thinking that some child-psychologist already suggested that (but I don't keep up with child-quacks
)
It's PC mucking things up.
No kidding! The government has a long history of banning "offensive" words on air, how is this any different? If so many people find it offensive, why is "midget" worse than "shit"? They're just words. Get over it and give us our right to free speech back!
supposedly there are only 3 races in the world but the censors won't let me post them. It does led me to wonder where the Tribal Americans fit in.
We do need to ban evil Albinos however:
<a href=”http://www.albinism.org/pressRelease/pressRelease…” target=”_blank”>http://www.albinism.org/pressRelease/pressRelease…
Andrew, you found that on wikipedia…oh, vomit…but I needed to see it.
This is where America – what with our ubiqutiously beloved ACLU and all – has insured better freedoms than say, post-war Germany. In post war Germany its actually illegal to use Nazi iconography and such. While its destable to reconjure all of that fascist crap, and I sympathize with the reasoning behind Germany's laws against it… its flawed.
Ultimately, freedom for all must insure that any a-hole gets to say their piece, no matter how destable.
"Where Offensive Speech is Prohibited, Tyranny Will Follow". Tough talk! So then show me your ACLU card buddy!
LOL.
I can't believe people don't know about these loonie "chicks." I went to a leftist girls school with a boatload of them and the teachers never stopped telling me to sit down and shut up.
They put it in wikipedia!?!?
I can't believe people don't know about these loonie "chicks." I went to a leftist girls school with a boatload of them and the teachers never stopped telling me to sit down and shut up.
They put it in wikipedia!?!? What next wickens?
The reason our society is at the crossroads, heading for sure destruction is that we have forgotten four little words – A Sense of Humor. Where did it go and when did it die? The ability to laugh at ones self without bringing this PC/victim crappola into the mix is lost, but worse, it's spreading like a plague. Now, attacking one's character is fairplay – liberals do it best, but if you utter a disparaging word about a visual difference, they'll bandy up and demand a pound of flesh. Laughter is the only solution.
There shouldn't be GROUPS at all. We're a bunch of unique individuals. Grouping people into opposing factions based on meaningless qualities such as skin color or cultural extraction serves no good purpose.
I'm sure plenty of (and dear God, I don't even know what to properly call them without offending someone so I'll employ vagueness) "dark-skinned" folks are fine being called "black." I'm sure plenty are fine being called "African-American." Which label should win out? Who should decide? Why even have a label?
It's wrong to view people as part of some group or another. It is a form of collectivism, and it only creates animosity between folks. Why can't we simply celebrate the fact that each of us is a unique human being? It's the 21st century–we shouldn't still be clinging to tribalism.
Ha ha… Because of my educational background and my ancestrial history I have decided to feign offense and refuse to be called Caucasian…
my family has come from nowhere near the Cacaus mountians, which are technically in Western Asia (around the Country of Georgia)…. I will only be called either Euro-American OR Anglo-Saxon… since that is where my family came from (Denmark, Northern Germany and England)….
Darn me having a Geography degree… now I get "offended at being labeled a Caucasian… Oh but it is fun to mess up statistics when Caucasian is one of the race choices…
I remember a time in California when jury in a murder trial had to base the verdict on intent. A person walks into a store with a gun to rob it and shoots a clerk numerious times and the poor jury had to base the verdict on intent?
Unless the robber stated that he intended to kill the store clerk when he went in who could prove the intent.
Dumb laws put into effect by even dumber people.
There's something weird and sad about that to me. Were their parents with them, or just the experimenters? Maybe they were unsure because there were a bunch of strangers with clipboards watching them, and by the time they got to the next playground they were more comfortable.
I liked the comment on another blog so much I decided to steal it.
Grow up!
You are so right. Now if we can only solve the dilemma of the split infinitive….to deftly do that would be so incredible.
I have heard that song more than I care to mention and have probably heard every short joke most people have in their arsenals. I was also subjected to children's menus until well in my 30's. Everyone has some kind of deficiency, but that is what makes us all individuals. People, we all need to quit being victims and try to be citizens.
The state control of words allowed to be used in speech comes straight from communist Russia, where it was used as a mechanism of control and a handy way to weed out counterrevolutionaries.. From there, the KGB agents agitated and "educated" at our universities during the 60s and 70s. Now, the stoners from the 60s and 70s are running our universities. Hence, very few universities in America today have free speech.
The KGB was given the mission to foment discord in the US any way possible in order to weaken us. The agitators were advised on how to point out real and perceived injustices to make various groups hate each other. They wanted to turn black against white, women against men, poor against rich, uneducated against educated, labor against management, and so on.
Getting people to identify themselves as a member of a group instead of as an individual is a cornerstone of communist totalitariamism. If they can get Americans to identify themselves as a member of an oppressed or aggrieved group, then they can win. Finally, the old KGB program is going to gain the Soviets a US Supreme Court Judge that views herself as a member of an oppressed minority group instead of as an American. Too bad for them the Soviet empire doesn't exist as they envisioned.
The state control of words allowed to be used in speech comes straight from communist Russia, where it was used as a mechanism of control and a handy way to weed out counterrevolutionaries. From there, the KGB agents agitated and "educated" at our universities during the 60s and 70s. Now, the stoners from the 60s and 70s are running our universities. Hence, very few universities in America today have free speech.
The KGB was given the mission to foment discord in the US any way possible in order to weaken us. The agitators were advised on how to point out real and perceived injustices to make various groups hate each other. They wanted to turn black against white, women against men, poor against rich, uneducated against educated, labor against management, and so on.
Getting people to identify themselves as a member of a group instead of as an individual is a cornerstone of communist totalitariamism. If they can get Americans to identify themselves as a member of an oppressed or aggrieved group, then they can win. Finally, the old KGB program is going to gain the Soviets a US Supreme Court Judge that views herself as a member of an oppressed minority group instead of as an American. Too bad for them the Soviet empire doesn't exist as they envisioned.
and it's a much deserved observation on both of us I am sure *grins*
There is no law or provision extant in the Constitution of the United States of America that guarantees one the "right" to not be offended. Would the midgets in question prefer to be referred to as achondroplasic dwarves, or primordial dwarves depending on their particular variety of genetic defect ? It is doubtful. If one lacks the cerebral fortitude/social skills to deal with persons in society that utilise terms that are, shall one say, less than couth, perhaps the "offended" party should consider that the "offender" is possibly a social maladroit & simply disengage from the interaction. It should hardly come as an astounding revelation to anyone, that if a person has attained (chronological) adulthood, yet they still lack basic social mores, no amount of fussing, squawking, or "hissy-fit" pitching is going to stand a chance of inducing self-reflection & character improvement.
In such instances simply leave the blathering twit to its own devices, & waste no further time or concern on it. Stooping to such juvenile actions as "telling teacher" is as useless as it is revolting. Anything that furthers the intrusion of the Klepto-thugocracy, that is laughingly referred to as the US "justice" system, into the arenas of social discourse & personal expression (however banal or revolting) should be assiduously avoided.
I've worked for thirty five years and I got laid off. Now people are calling me unemployed. I hate that word I prefer that people refer to me as "Employment challenged" or …….oh hell just call me a deadbeat.
[...] this latest round of political correctness, for example: First it was the National Hispanic Media Coalition calling on the FCC to probe what [...]
PC is absolutly the most stupid and rediculous idiology ever i mean PC MEANS STUPIDIDY
Most people are required to red Fareinheit 451 in High School, but does anyone? The entire point of the book was that the bookburning started when people wanted everything offensive banned. At this rate, it won't be long before the fireman start loading their trucks with kerosine for our dystopian future.
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