The politically incorrect thread

[The Senator]

Just my two cents here...

In my opinion, political correctness is ultimately the result of one thing: the absence of absolute truth. Now, before you all start quoting "Episode III", you should know that's one line I have a notable problem with. Not only is it nonsense in terms of Lucas' story (one side fighting the other, both totally convinced they're right), it also implies that all truth is relative...or, as we've popularly come to put it, "That may be true for you, but that's not true for me." So many people get belief and truth confused, and I think that's what lies at the heart of political correctness: mankind trying to stretch and/or abolish all boundaries, one at a time. I sometimes wonder, "Did it ever occur to folks that some rules weren't made to be broken?"

Oh please.

The only rules you are talking about are subjective to your faith which has dominated the western world for centuries. In other parts of the world, there was no such thing as "Christianity" until the self-righteous members of your faith thought it would be a good idea to force feed their beliefs down other cultures' throats [sometimes, they would do so while denying food to starving children, lest they converted].

You need to understand that we live in a society where there are people who don't have the same views as you, where people are allowed to live their lives freely as long as it is within the boundaries of the law.

But then again, your religion condones racism and bigotry, so why am I not surprised that you don't believe "tolerance" and "political correctness" are valid points in our contemporary society?

 

[BlackLantern]

Ouch...that burns....^^^^

 

[Moviefan2k4]

Perhaps bashing isn't right the word. I'm just saying if women were to do observational humor aboout men's stereotypical flaws, it would be socially acceptable, but if men were to do the same to women, they'd be labelled misogynist. I hate double standards.

You and me both; I think one of the most common motivations behind such standards is fear. Generally speaking, men have long feared being supplanted by women in many respects...and now, American society seems to be shifting the other way.

Consider the educational system for example: most (but not all) public and private schools are geared towards a feminine sensibility. Young boys are often unjustly punished by teachers because they "horse around" in the classroom. Sometimes, it's due to a lack of home discipline, but more often it's simply the fact that they don't learn anything by sitting still and quiet for 8 hours a day.

Most men learn through experience rather than instruction, while most women are the opposite. There's always exceptions, but that's the general format for the American public school system: energetic male students are often punished because the teachers don't know how to relate to them, while quieter female students are aplauded as the "model" for academic success. Why do you think nearly two thirds of high-school dropouts are boys?

 

[BlackLantern]

^^^Bad parents???

 

[The Senator]

^^^Bad parents???

I would say it has to do with bad parents, a poorly managed school system, and the unwillingness of some students to learn.

But most of all, I think it is a poorly managed school system. When you look at Washington, DC, and over 2/3 of the eighth graders cannot read... I think the collective incompetence of the administration and teachers is mostly to blame. I could see why many teenagers drop out of school, especially DC schools.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

^^^Bad parents???

Sometimes it's due to the parents, but more often than not it's simply the fact that boys don't naturally learn in the same ways, and the educational system has tried to force them to for years.

 

[BlackLantern]

Parents suing because their children get a bad grade or get kicked off of a sports team for specific reasons don't help either....Teachers are burnt out because they are handcuffed by school officials who are afraid of parents suing

 

[The Senator]

Consider the educational system for example: most (but not all) public and private schools are geared towards a feminine sensibility. Young boys are often unjustly punished by teachers because they "horse around" in the classroom. Sometimes, it's due to a lack of home discipline, but more often it's simply the fact that they don't learn anything by sitting still and quiet for 8 hours a day.

In my high school, these young boys deserved to be punished for their behavior. Calling other kids "***gots" and calling teachers "*****es," in my opinion, is entirely unacceptable and they do not deserve a slap on the wrist for their behavior.

 

[The Chairman]

There a lot of examples of blatant racial bias in my school. One time I got trouble from my Hispanic teacher for saying the word "*****" (I wasn't calling anyone it) then another Hispanic kid play slapped and called her a mother****er and she just laughed it off and acted as if nothing happened. We also had a black teacher yelling at us for sitting at the table for kids who needed to catch up with homework (no one was sitting there that day) yet when a group of black kids sat there she began talking to them.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

Parents suing because their children get a bad grade or get kicked off of a sports team for specific reasons don't help either....Teachers are burnt out because they are handcuffed by school officials who are afraid of parents suing

Yep, that's definitely a factor, too; I don't recall parents threatening to sue the schools when I was a student. Very disruptive kids simply got their butt busted by the principal.

 

[BlackLantern]

There seems to be this generation of parents today that think their kids can do no wrong, that if the child fails its the systems fault and its easier to blame the teacher....Parents today don't realize that not every kid is a winner.....

 

[Whirlysplat]

You need to understand that we live in a society where there are people who don't have the same views as you, where people are allowed to live their lives freely as long as it is within the boundaries of the law.

And herein lies the problem. When Hitler ran Germany you didn't have any of this political correctness and the trains ran on time; Although, I'm not sure for many people getting on those trains was a good idea.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

There seems to be this generation of parents today that think their kids can do no wrong, that if the child fails its the systems fault and its easier to blame the teacher....Parents today don't realize that not every kid is a winner.....

I think most kids (boys and girls) are genuinely capable of learning properly, but modern-day institutions simply don't have the time, money, or interest in educating them according to their own strengths. For decades, the majority of schools in this country have praised their female students, while simultaneously treating the males as outcasts. Truth be told, boys generally don't learn much by repeated verbal instruction. they require visual input, or hands-on experience in each subject. Lecturing them day after day won't make much of an impact, if any at all. They need an outlet for energy, and a short "recess break" simply won't cut it.

 

[The Chairman]

And herein lies the problem. When Hitler ran Germany you didn't have any of this political correctness and the trains ran on time; Although, I'm not sure for many people getting on those trains was a good idea.

 

[The Chairman]

I think most kids (boys and girls) are genuinely capable of learning properly, but modern-day institutions simply don't have the time, money, or interest in educating them according to their own strengths. For decades, the majority of schools in this country have praised their female students, while simultaneously treating the males as outcasts. Truth be told, boys generally don't learn much by repeated verbal instruction. they require visual input, or hands-on experience in each subject. Lecturing them day after day won't make much of an impact, if any at all. They need an outlet for energy, and a short "recess break" simply won't cut it.

You're absolutely right. I go to a private school for students with learning disabilities, and they're always stressing the importance of knowing that everyone learns differently. Unfortunately, it's not always enforced. Our science class for the last two years was a heaping pile of fail.

 

[BlackLantern]

I think most kids (boys and girls) are genuinely capable of learning properly, but modern-day institutions simply don't have the time, money, or interest in educating them according to their own strengths. For decades, the majority of schools in this country have praised their female students, while simultaneously treating the males as outcasts. Truth be told, boys generally don't learn much by repeated verbal instruction. they require visual input, or hands-on experience in each subject. Lecturing them day after day won't make much of an impact, if any at all. They need an outlet for energy, and a short "recess break" simply won't cut it.

...but you have boys that thrive in that environment....I did....so why is it some can and some can't...?

 

[The Senator]

And herein lies the problem. When Hitler ran Germany you didn't have any of this political correctness and the trains ran on time; Although, I'm not sure for many people getting on those trains was a good idea.

Yes, because allowing homosexuals to marry and adopt children is really equivalent to the Holocaust.

 

[C.F. Kane]

I've noticed that the only people who use the phrase "politically correct" are conservatives and libertarians who need an umbrella term for everything they don't like in this country. I can't think of a time when I've heard a left-winger use it.

It's just a straw man used by the right to demonize liberal and progressive politics.

 

[C.F. Kane]

I would say it has to do with bad parents, a poorly managed school system, and the unwillingness of some students to learn.

But most of all, I think it is a poorly managed school system. When you look at Washington, DC, and over 2/3 of the eighth graders cannot read... I think the collective incompetence of the administration and teachers is mostly to blame. I could see why many teenagers drop out of school, especially DC schools.

It might be simply the beliefs we have about masculinity. It's considered good form for a man to be rebellious (especially in this country, where our culture heroes - cowboys, superheroes and the like - are people who go against the grain and fight the power). Men are also the more privileged sex, so the young men who drop out of school might believe that education is only optional for them, since they would be at less economic and social risk than females even if they didn't have a high school degree.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

...but you have boys that thrive in that environment....I did....so why is it some can and some can't...?

As I said, there are exceptions to this type of thing, but it's rather rare. There's energetic girls in schools, too (no jokes, please), but again, it's a rarity where learning is concerned. Society has, in many ways (not just education), told men that we're supposed to be more like women. Think about it: as a kid, how many times were you told by someone (other than your parents), "Sit down; be quiet; don't mess with that"...the list goes on and on. With the majority of kids in single-parent families being solely raised by their mothers, it's not much of a surprise this has happened. There's a reason kids need both a mother and father, so they have a proper balance in life. Many men today didn't have that balance as kids, so they don't know how to give it to their own children.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

It might be simply the beliefs we have about masculinity. It's considered good form for a man to be rebellious (especially in this country, where our culture heroes - cowboys, superheroes and the like - are people who go against the grain and fight the power).

Those beliefs aren't inherently wrong, though, and not all rebellion is a crime. Men are supposed to be forceful, brave, and strong...but never opressive or abusive with that strength.

 

[Majic Walrus]

I think most kids (boys and girls) are genuinely capable of learning properly, but modern-day institutions simply don't have the time, money, or interest in educating them according to their own strengths. For decades, the majority of schools in this country have praised their female students, while simultaneously treating the males as outcasts. Truth be told, boys generally don't learn much by repeated verbal instruction. they require visual input, or hands-on experience in each subject. Lecturing them day after day won't make much of an impact, if any at all. They need an outlet for energy, and a short "recess break" simply won't cut it.

What is your evidence for that?

 

[The Senator]

I think most kids (boys and girls) are genuinely capable of learning properly, but modern-day institutions simply don't have the time, money, or interest in educating them according to their own strengths. For decades, the majority of schools in this country have praised their female students, while simultaneously treating the males as outcasts. Truth be told, boys generally don't learn much by repeated verbal instruction. they require visual input, or hands-on experience in each subject. Lecturing them day after day won't make much of an impact, if any at all. They need an outlet for energy, and a short "recess break" simply won't cut it.

So, what do you suggest? That schools should let these children run around, calling each other "***s" and "****s" and every other curse word out there? They should be allowed to blatantly insult teachers and destroy public property?

The sex of the student has nothing to do with any of this. Teachers are not being sexist or treating girls differently than boys. Girls behave better, it is as simple as that, and I really do not understand what point you are trying to make.

Boys don't learn better through repeated verbal instruction? Well what do you suggest should be the solution to that problem?

 

[Zephyr Alexian]

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First, it might serve a paramount purpose to define "politically incorrect", either by deciding what is correct to discover the opposite, or just exacting the conclusion by way of your own theory. In fact, politically incorrect seems to be little more than theorized opinion.

Are politically correct speech, actions, and/or behavior only the same as publicly correct speech, actions, and/or behavior? What's the purpose of the label and why did it originally come to pass?

Seriously, there are not a few questions prior to claiming that something is "politically incorrect". According to whom? Politics are one of the most subjective things on the planet, so wouldn't the correct or incorrect nature of something judged by that follow the same pattern?

 

[Whirlysplat]

Whooooosh. To paraphrase two famous quotes, there's irony in everything message board posters do. Message board posters are my theme and let satire be my song.

Word!