"offensive" language in history

[mobing]

I don't know if this really belongs in politics or not, but since there's nothing else here yet...

I just read this article about a list of 'derogatory' words compiled at Stockport College (Manchester) and it is ridiculous!! Words like 'ladies' and 'gentlemen' frowned upon because they point to social class. And 'nitty gritty' is bad because its said to originate from slavery. Others on the list: 'mad,' 'manic' (point to mentally ill); 'Mrs.' (sexist); 'normal couple' (because it means something IS normal)...

Is it me or are we going to just have to stop communicating if we don't want to offend people?! We definitely can't just use sign language because we all know how offensive gestures can be. <IMG alt="image" SRC="http://www.thesite.org/ubb/rolleyes.gif">

[Charlie]

Yeah, my friend told me about how he got told off for calling it a "black-board" instead of a chalkboard when he was at school. Apparently his mum came into school and gave the teachers a bollocking shouting "It's a board, it is black - therefore it is a blackboard".... It's really stupid.

Then again, it's always been like this. In Victorian times, the word "legs" was vulgar because legs were considered sexually arousing. "Limbs" was the appropriate and socially acceptable term. (Sorry, I'm a linguistics student).

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[Charlie]

Why not? They don't know any better. Ring-a-ring-a-roses is about the Black Death, Humpty Dumpty was about a king (I forget which one)... All nursery rhymes are either nonsense (Hey-diddle-diddle) or ultraviolent (three blind mice) .

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Listen to:
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[ade]

why should a woman's marital status be evident from her title? a man's isn't.

i admit that some of the recent PC innovations are puerile and pointless but inequality and chavinism do exist - how else can we change if we don't do something?

[Scotty 2 Hotty]

Originally posted by j9j9:
Why does it matter whether it's evident or not. Why should it matter whether you're married or not.

If someone is concerned about equality they should think about whether their gender is evident from their title, not their marital status. Perhaps they should go for a neutral first name, like Nick, or Sam, Lesley, Lindsay, Francis or even Hilary, and leave out the title altogether.

Personally I have no problem Miss, Mrs., Master or Mr.

I am quite happy to be known as Mrs. and whenever I see Ms. It always conjours up the image of a militant.

I have never encountered a problem with people knowing my gender or marital status. In my experience, attitude is more important and obvious to an employer, or any relevant body.

J9

I guess each to their own opinion but it is getting stupid, "they" have control over what we watch and most of the time what we do, they are now challenging what we say, that's just wrong!

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1 Life= 1 shot
if nothing else, make it a good one for yourself!

[lucy180485]

i totally agree scotty <IMG alt="image" SRC="http://www.thesite.org/ubb/rolleyes.gif">

[DoctorBob]

As do I. Its all bullshit, this Political Correctness thing.

FACT: It was all invented by Lewisham borough Council

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Fish.

[Horse]

Yep, total BS. Dumbass bureaucrats coming up with new rules--i.e. excuses to keep themselves busy and in a job when in reality they're not needed.

In fact, these dumbsh*ts should all be sacked for this.

[Turtle]

If you want to read about PC going beserk, Bill Bryson's "Mother Tongue: The English Language" is one of the easiest to read yet useful books on many aspects of the english language. Where do you think terms like drumstick (when referring to a chicken) come from? Post-WWI America. If you can get a copy of the book, it is definetly worth your while to read it. Great for making conversation...sometimes.

[Girl-From-Mars]

lol j9 they're gooooooood, especially the oppressed, oppressor to be ones! <IMG alt="image" SRC="http://www.thesite.org/ubb/biggrin.gif">

can you tell im in a male hating mood lately? is it at all obvious? lol

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It only takes one tree to make a thousand matches, only takes one match to burn a thousand trees

[Whowhere]

Fat=Horizontally challenged
Woman=slave
Man=Master
Girl=Unlucky
Boy=Lucky

[Turtle]

can u email me the whole list j9, pleaasse???

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And all the grown-ups say is sorry, cos we got no reply.

[Turtle]

Aiiight...no problem then.

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And all the grown-ups say is sorry, cos we got no reply.

Originally posted by Charlie:
Yeah, my friend told me about how he got told off for calling it a "black-board" instead of a chalkboard when he was at school. Apparently his mum came into school and gave the teachers a bollocking shouting "It's a board, it is black - therefore it is a blackboard".... It's really stupid.

Then again, it's always been like this. In Victorian times, the word "legs" was vulgar because legs were considered sexually arousing. "Limbs" was the appropriate and socially acceptable term. (Sorry, I'm a linguistics student).

Hey Charlie, I wanna study linguistics! Is it a good course, the one you're on? Just interested!

As to the original post, yeah, it is really stupid! My best mate's Indian and she doesn't mind being called Asian. She resents black because as she says she's not, she's brown! - but it'd be different for someone of African origin (there, see, I said it like that coz I was afraid to type just African!). The blackboard thing's just ridiculous. lol.


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*~stellar~*

[jeffrey]

It's kind of linked to offensive language in history, anyway here is;

THE TOP 10 TIMES IN HISTORY WHEN USING THE "F" WORD WAS PROBABLY APPROPRIATE:

10) "What the f%&* was that?" Mayor of Hiroshima - August 1945
9) "Where did all these f%&*ing Indians come from?" Custer 1876
8) "Any f%&*ing idiot could understand that." Einstein 1938
7) "It does SO f%&*ing look like her!" Picasso 1926
6) "How the f%&* did you work that out?" Pythagoras 126 BC
5) "You want WHAT on the f%&*ing ceiling?" Michelangelo 1566
4) "I don't suppose it's gonna f%&*ing rain." Joan of Arc 1434
3) "Scattered f%&*ing showers...my ass!" Noah 314 BC
2) "I need this parade like I need a f%&*ing hole in my head!" JFK 1963
1) "Aw c'mon, Monica, who the f%&* is going to find out?" Bill &gt; &gt; Clinton 1997


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I am not Jesus, though I have the same initals.