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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Driddle" data-source="post: 2270817" data-attributes="member: 3447">The difference, dearheart, is that in my initial post I did not offhandedly dismiss the validity of anyone's sensibilities here. I did not open this thread by suggesting YOU were being oversensitive or that YOU had no reason to be offended. ... After my post, however, at least a few people thought it was important that they step up and dismiss my concerns, assuming that I was speaking from an artificially created postion of "political correctness." THAT is the difference."Politically correct" is too often used as a meaningless cliche by those who are offended at someone else being offended -- implying that somehow the initial feeling of offense is unwarranted. As it's used in this thread, "PC" is dismissive instead of constructively descriptive.And as long as we've spun off onto the tangent, here's something to chew on the next time you (generic "you," i.e. anyone here, not just Elvenshe) use the term or hear it used:"Politically correct," in the strictest sense of its definition and origin, involves broad social and political changes to redress injustices caused by prejudice. Pay close attention to "broad social and political changes" (via American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms). The fact that an individual may find a term questionable does not immediately cast his concerns into the arena of broad social or political changes -- his concerns may only need to be addressed in a very limited one-on-one, interpersonal context.And even though PC may involve avoiding offensive language, the inverse does not necessarily hold true, that avoiding offensive language must be PC. It's a subtle logic construction that a lot of folk can't seem to grasp.The American Heritage Dictionary of English Usage (a different book from the Idiom text) further clarifies that PC is a matter of perception by the second party: "perceived as being overconcerned."This constuct can't be stressed enough: One guy expresses concern over a matter of offense. The second guy labels the first as PC. ... The latter is an implied insult, that the first guy's concerns are unfounded and/or silly in the extreme.This thread should probably be tied down shortly, as I expect a few more angry responses by (heh - this is rich) ... people who are offended at me being offended that someone was offended at my initial concerns. Personal attacks will follow, and we'll be reminded by the moderators to play nice.... all because I think the descriptive text and game mechanics of "Mongrelmen" is pretty frippin' stupid.</blockquote>

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