[2dogs]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,80560,00.html

This month's Atlantic Monthly includes an excerpt from Diane Ravitch's new book, The Language Police, which is either amusing or horrifying depending on your point of view. The piece is a simple list of words and phrases banned by major textbook publishers and their suggested alternatives. The piece is not online.

The best among many:

Blind leading the blind, the (banned as handicapism)
Busybody (banned as sexist, demeaning to older women)
Confined to a wheelchair (banned as offensive; replace with "person who is mobility impaired")
East, Eastern (banned as Eurocentric)
Elderly, the (banned as ageist; replace with "older people")
Fairy (banned because it suggests homosexuality; replace with "elf")
Founding Fathers, the (banned as sexist; replace with "the Founders" or "the Framers")
Huts (banned as ethnocentric; replace with "small houses")
Jungle (banned; replace with "rain forest")
Little person (banned as offensive; replace with "person of small stature")
Lumberjack (banned as sexist; replace with "woodcutter")
One-man band (banned as sexist; replace with "one-person performance")
Regatta (banned as elitist)

And the best (Stalin’s minions couldn’t have done better):

Mother Russia (banned as sexist; replace with "Russia, vast land of rich harvests")

[Oleg Volk]

And the oppressive THR isn't far behind:

**** or *** ***** (Replace with oxygen thief ) ;)

[Preacherman]

I've got into lots of trouble with these idiots because in my sermons and writing, I've been known to call a spade a ****** shovel when necessary... I'm afraid that if we paid any attention to these blissninnies, we'd emasculate our society by refusing any means of expression of strong feelings. I hope I meet one of the authors of this list, so that I can inform him of my displeasure in Stentorian tones and well-chosen phrases! :fire:

[igor]

Count me in with the horrified... :what:

[BigG]

...we'd emasculate our society...

Um, Preacher, aren't we a couple decades behind on this one? Kinda like closing the barn door AFTER the cow's run away. :eek:

[seeker_two]

Can't wait to see Michael Savage get ahold of this...:evil:

[JohnBT]

I've been working with people with disabilities for right at 30 years and I've never seen anybody "confined to a wheelchair" - it's a stupid phrase that makes it sound like they're there by court order or something.

They use wheelchairs it is true, but they get out of them at night and any other time they like. I mean, really, are you confined to your shoes?

Rule of thumb...person with a disability. The person comes first, the disability second.

If you haven't heard, so-called healthy or 'normal' people are frequently referred to as TABS. That stands for Temporarily Able Bodied.

John

P.S. - Elf instead of Fairy? You mean I gotta say the Tooth Elf is coming tonight?

[Oleg Volk]

And "rifle" is too militaristic. Use cordless drill. ;)

[Quartus]

Oleg! :D


I suppose a .50 BMG is a jackhammer? Oh, wait, that's probably sexist.... :uhoh:

[Don Gwinn]

They've gotten to the point of using words that are absolutely not interchangeable to replace words now!

Elf instead of Fairy? But an elf is different from a fairy, is it not? Fairies, generally, can fly. They have magic powers. Most elves don't, do they? Weird.

If you can't say Regatta, what do you call a Regatta? A boat race, I suppose.

[matis]

as plainly and accurately and honestly as I can. I WILL call a spade a spade. And if the politically correct don't like it

--they can go be intimate with themselves.

Matis

[Blackhawk]

No wonder NYC, NJ, DC, MD, etc., are messed up regarding RKBA!

They're in the Eurocentric Time Zone! :rolleyes:

But what about Kali...? :confused:

[Zander]

I repeat myself...

We cannot allow the lexicon to be controlled by the leftists, sociofascists and panderers of controls on "hate-speech".

[Sodbuster]

The Language Police (banned as being stupid. Replace with 17th century English literature, 19th century French literature, Homer, Virgil, early 20th century American literature, and... Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side :D)

[Bruce in West Oz]

The Language police here have the law on their side -- it is, in fact, illegal to use "discriminatory" language. There is, for example, the federal Racial Discrimination Act 1975, the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, as well as various pieces of State legislation.

So, we have:

• Do not use the terms "Christian name", "first name", "forename" or "surname", as these are culturally insensitive. Use "given name" and "family name" instead.
• Avoid (just a couple of examples):
clergyman ---- use minister of religion
webmaster ----- use web manager
foreman ----- use supervisor
disabled person ---- use person with a disability
blind musician ---- use musician with a vision impairment
deaf people ---- the Deaf (sic) community
• Crime suspects can NOT be described as Aboriginal, Chinese etc. They may simply be described as having a "dark complexion" for example.
• A person's age can not be quoted in a news article (especially a female), unless it is germane to the story.

Bruce

[Byron Quick]

OK, while I don't agree I can see the twisted logic behind most of them. But regatta? Lumberjack?

Reminds me of the time my Dad went to a new physical therapist.
The therapist was standing on the stoop as Dad and I walked up walkway. Dad was using a cane and holding onto my shoulder for balance while watching his feet as he had lost all proprioception (the ability to sense the position of a body part without seeing it) below the knees. He also was wearing leg braces to his knees.

Anyway, the therapist watched as we mounted the steps and in the most correct way, said,"Well, Mr. Quick! I see that you are quite physically challenged."

Dad looked up at him and then lowered his head slightly to look over the top of his glasses. (Looking over the top of glasses was generally reserved for examining idiots)

"Physically challenged, hell," he said. "I'm crippled."

[Wildalaska]

I DEMAND that the word "fat" be eliminated to preserve my self esteem! Substitute "adonis like" instead

WildmusclesAlaska

[4570Rick]

Oleg

I must be ahead of the curve. I've been drilling bulls-eyes for years. :D

Blackhawk

The problem with Kali types as I see it has to do with the Right Brain Left Brain Theory.:what:

The right brain controls the left side of the body, and is where the mothering, nurturing, meddling, knee-jerk, and artsy fartsy thought patterns develop. :scrutiny:

The left brain controls the Right side of the body, and is where logic and reason reside.:cool:

The problem with Kali types is they never read the owners manual for their left brain.:(

There is a way to identify them, but I promised Oleg I would be good, so you will have to figure it out for yourself. :D

[BigG]

One of our well-informed politically minded members did a great explanation of the communist fight to control the language. Control the language, control the debate is the bottom line there. He also explained that the terms left and right we Americans bandy about so freely were first used to describe wings of the Communist Party. :eek:

Wish I could post a link because it is pertinent to this thread. :o

[TarpleyG]

Didn't we just have a FOUR PAGE discussion in General about this very thing??? :what: Sounds as if we do not practice what we preach. Words are words and some folks take it WAY to seriously like this example.

GT

[FPrice]

"**** or *** ***** "

Fish or cut bait! :confused:

[DeltaElite]

Can I change my user name to "Adonis Like"? Please..... :neener:

[Oleg Volk]

Oleg...

"**** or *** ***** "

Fish or cut bait!


Can't I make fun of my own policy anymore? Check the source code of that post -- **** all originated as such. ;)

[Quartus]

Can I change my user name to "Adonis Like"? Please.....


Delta, it's kinda like shooting. You have to qualify first. :what:


And don't go posting any pictures, either! This is supposed to be a family friendly board! :fire:


:D

[Quartus]

Words are words and some folks take it WAY to seriously


Too seriously? I don't know how you can take the destruction of our language too seriously. Words are the most powerful weapons we have. Like other weapons, they can be used for good, or for evil. As things stand in our society, the statists have understood well the power of words, and are using that power against us very effectively, helped along by otherwise good people who don't understand the nature of the war.



Words matter.

[STW]

Last year some administrator was fired because he used a word properly (niggardly) that others were too ignorant to understand. Once they were told their mistake instead of appoligizing they stayed on their high horses and continued to blame the speaker. It was his fault for making them feel bad.

More than once I've seen words used that left me more confused than not. For example, I read a story on Liberia that referred to an African American. Did they truly mean an American or did they mistakenly change the nationality of a Liberian black because of some style manual. I still don't know.

The problem is that we're trying to legislate based on feelings and SOMEBODY will be offended no matter what is done.

[Oleg Volk]

All of my African-American friends happen to be white (pinkish, actually, but I haven't matched them to a Pantone swatch). Kim (http://www.kimdutoit.com/dr/weblog.php) is one such character.

[spacemanspiff]

Words are the most powerful weapons we have. Like other weapons, they can be used for good, or for evil.

quartus, i think you are partially correct. words can be used as weapons only upon those who are vulnerable to them. i am impervious to words (good or evil), but not to bullets.

[CZ-75]

The problem with Kali types is they never read the owners manual for their left brain.



I find it hard to believe those in Kali have problems using their left anything. :neener:

[DeltaElite]

Quartus,
My little feelings are hurt. :( :neener:

I won't post any pictures, no one should be subjected to that. ;)

[pax]

STW,

Last year some administrator was fired because he used a word properly (niggardly) that others were too ignorant to understand. Once they were told their mistake instead of appoligizing they stayed on their high horses and continued to blame the speaker. It was his fault for making them feel bad.
Well said. I always thought the uproar over that incident was because people were too embarrassed over their own ignorance to be anything but furious at the person who revealed it to them.

pax

A European says, "I can't understand this, what's wrong with me?"
An American says, "I can't understand this, what's wrong with him?" -- Terry Pratchett

[Mal H]

Preacherman - Sorry I got in on this a little late, but I must take exception with something you said:
... we'd emasculate our society ... That's very sexist. Shouldn't you say, "we'd genitalectomize our society"?
:D

[spacemanspiff]

i just wish the eedeeots would stop "female dogging" about mundane things.
:evil:

[Shalako]

Since when did everyone's feelings get so fragile that we have to tip toe around the english language so as not to ever offend anyone? If individuals were left to their own devices you may get a few Archie Bunkers but the majority of folks would continue just being good natured enough to get along with others. Now that we have mandated touchie feelyisms to constrain our every conversation it throws a hammerlock on our ability to express ourselves as individuals. Combine that with the unreconciled Liberalist double-think and you've now got stammering fools afraid to speak out in public or communicate with others. It all seems like some nefarious masterplan to undermine our thriving society of indivdualists and condem us to a massive cattle ranch of drooling humanoid eloi.

Where's the drooling smilie when you need it!?!

[griz]

A good line but I don’t remember who said it:

Politically correct speech can never stay acceptable because eventually the meaning catches up to the euphemism.
;)