<Rant> Where has courtesy gone?

[Jeff Wilder]

I wonder how many of the posters here would rail against "political correctness," which is (as the name indicates) just a form of politeness. My guess is "quite a few."

 

[Harmon]

I wonder how many of the posters here would rail against "political correctness," which is (as the name indicates) just a form of politeness. My guess is "quite a few."

For me its not about PC- I could care less.

What I want is for people to treat me politely, respectfully, and more or less how they want to be treated (I believe that everyone wants to be treated with respect and with some politeness).

I agree that PC and politeness are pretty close in form, but I don't think they are the exact same thing.

 

[wingsandsword]

I wonder how many of the posters here would rail against "political correctness," which is (as the name indicates) just a form of politeness. My guess is "quite a few."

Politeness is showing people proper courtesy and treating them with dignity and consideration. Many very polite people I have met over the years have used extremely politically incorrect language and expressions, but they say them sincerely and politely, since they mean no offense and when they learned them the expressions were socially acceptable.

Political Correctness is going out of your way to change your language and behavior to be as inoffensive as possible, for fear of offending a disadvantaged or minority group. I've ment plenty of Politically Correct people who were very impolite, and would be brusque, hateful, and aggressive, but careful to always use ideologically approved words and expressions.

Being "Politically Correct" is not being Polite. They can look similar, but one is a matter of dignity, courtesy, and grace, and the other is about C.Y.A. so you don't offend any minorities and look "insensitive".

 

[the Lorax]

Is also true, to be exact. Jerks get their way rather often as well.

Personally, I'm polite unless circumstances necessitate otherwise (and sometimes technically even then - technically).

It is a problem brought on by the increasingly corporate and service based economy that we live in.
The squeeky wheel gets the greese. Businesses have taught their employees to reward customers rude behavior by by granting the jerk greater attention and service.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

9/10 people apologize for the wrong number.

I try to apologize for the wrong number. I know I apologized to this one poor lady who I called her place 5(!) times one day because my grandmother gave me the wrong number to the place a friend worked at....

[quoteMost of the members of EN World have not viewed this thread, and most of those who have viewed did not bother to commiserate, but many of us have.[/quote]

More people LOOK at a thread than REPLY to one.

The original poster called the restuarant Taco Smell. Who's going to call him on it? I call it Taco Hell personally.

I also call it Taco Hell. Just like my 'net service is AOHell.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

I wonder how many of the posters here would rail against "political correctness," which is (as the name indicates) just a form of politeness. My guess is "quite a few."

I've never cared for being "politically correct". It's just too annoying to have to censor yourself (re: throwing the 1st amendment out the window) just to kiss someone's butt.... If you can't handle the truth, then grow a thick skin. We had to.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Politeness is showing people proper courtesy and treating them with dignity and consideration. Many very polite people I have met over the years have used extremely politically incorrect language and expressions, but they say them sincerely and politely, since they mean no offense and when they learned them the expressions were socially acceptable.

True. My ex-boyfriend's mother (God rest her soul) used a certain word aimed at the black community but they knew, due to her age, that she meant no harm by it and didn't get after her for it; it was the way she was taught... The rest of us would be in the middle of a huge fight if we'd done the same...

Being "Politically Correct" is not being Polite. They can look similar, but one is a matter of dignity, courtesy, and grace, and the other is about C.Y.A. so you don't offend any minorities and look "insensitive".

As a minority, I've heard it all and now have gotten over the hurtfulness of the cutting remarks. It's called "growing a thick skin", 'cause people are gonna be crude and offensive to those they deem "inferior". I just see my slightly darker skin as the fact that those who make crude comments about it are just jealous that I don't have to lay in the sun to get my "natural tan"

 

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

I wonder how many of the posters here would rail against "political correctness," which is (as the name indicates) just a form of politeness. My guess is "quite a few."

The two are distinct!

Politeness is an effort to let others around you be as comfortable and happy as is reasonably sustainable. It is consideration for the wants and needs of others in the process of decision making.

Politically correctness, or "NEWSPEAK," as it used to be known, is an effort to avoid conflict by avoiding communication by through the obsfucation of meaning. If all your words are non-sense, no one can understand you. If no one understands you, they cannot object to what you say.

[sblock]Strategially releasing a pre-adult person of biologically-determined male gender and/or an adult person of size whose birth gender is also male from an altitudinously enabled vessel of peace upon multi-speciel, traditionally accustomed dwelling settlements Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused both foreseen and unforeseen negative patient care outcome of varying acuteness and severity to the residents of those aforementioned places of dwelling. This action was taken in an effort to dissuade ongoing aggressive international action on the part of the those subject to the action or on the part of those to whom they were allied or aligned in national, political, ideological, or other ways against those persons, of any gender, not limited to only two or less, and persons of pre-adult, adolescent, adult and practiced adult ages selecting to conduct the strategic release or those with whom they were allied or aligned along national, political, ideological. or other lines.[/sblock]

[sblock]Excuse me, sir. You probably don't know that you're parked in a cripple spot. Those spots are reserved for gimps because they have a harder time getting into and out of these little spaces and wheelin' themselves out the spots further from the store. Go ahead and get back in your car and move it to a spot that isn't reserved for the lame. Thank you, sir."[/sblock]You guess which is which.

 

[mojo1701]

[sblock]Strategially releasing a pre-adult person of biologically-determined male gender and/or an adult person of size whose birth gender is also male from an altitudinously enabled vessel of peace upon multi-speciel, traditionally accustomed dwelling settlements Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused both foreseen and unforeseen negative patient care outcome of varying acuteness and severity to the residents of those aforementioned places of dwelling. This action was taken in an effort to dissuade ongoing aggressive international action on the part of the those subject to the action or on the part of those to whom they were allied or aligned in national, political, ideological, or other ways against those persons, of any gender, not limited to only two or less, and persons of pre-adult, adolescent, adult and practiced adult ages selecting to conduct the strategic release or those with whom they were allied or aligned along national, political, ideological. or other lines.[/sblock]

And I thought programming was hard...

 

[wingsandsword]

And I thought programming was hard...

That is programming, thought programming. "Control the language and you control the thoughts" to quote Orwell. Political Correctness seeks to change peoples thoughts by removing words and expressions from the language, and replacing them with words that have a meaning that the PC approve of. Orwell called it "Newspeak", but Newspeak has bad connotations of facism because of the book 1984, so that word is politically incorrect, and replaced with "Political Correctness". Even the name "Political Correctness" tells something, it's political. It's not about courtesy, it's about a political ideology/agenda.