Political Correctness
Cricket is currently happening in the West Indies. That makes us want to walk around saying everything in a cool Caribbean accent, mon.
Why is it acceptable to adopt a West Indian accent in polite conversation when it is not acceptable to adopt the accent of multiple other races?
Discuss. What other taboo inconsistencies are there in the world?
If only Wikileaker Julian Assange was in the Government and could leak the actual footage of these mysterious focus groups that found Anzac Day was ‘divisive’ because of multiculturalism.
It’s hard to imagine who, specifically, is planning to be offended by the World War I centenary commemorations. Unless some dopey focus group leader who desperately needed something to put in the ‘possible issues’ column sketched some outrageous possibilities such as gory re-enactments of Australian soldiers killing Turks, or Vietnamese.
According to today’s Daily Telegraph, the Federal Government commissioned research and focus group testing that found multiculturalism means commemorating the centenary of Anzac Day is a “double-edged sword” and a “potential area of divisiveness”.
Continue reading "Will the really offended people please stand up?" »
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Lol says:
I think it is interesting to note that the report came out in early 2011 and it has taken nearly a year for the press to find something negative in it to stir up the old racist ant’s nest and amp up that good old fear factor that raises the… Read more »
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McJules says:
John Dark Ataturk appears to be not respected too much these days. Ataturk made laws against some Islamic rules such as women having to wear hijabs etc. Those laws are now overturned by the current fundamentalist regime where All girls have to be home schooled now as they are not… Read more »
Hands up anyone who has never said something that could sound racist. A joke, an anecdote, an off-the-cuff comment. Something that, printed in black and white, would sound much worse than its intention.
If your hand is up you’re probably lying. Or you think that because you prefaced it with “I’m not racist, but…” you magicked the racism right out of it.
A man’s career is over because of a self-confessed silly, throwaway line about Aboriginal AFL recruits. But is that fair, and will it make AFL a less racist place?
Continue reading "Football race row really not that black and white" »
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NESLIHAN KUROSAWA says:
Hi Subotic, I am truly sorry to disappoint you however I am not from an Egyptian background at all. I have spent more than 33 years on Australian soil if that makes any difference to you at all. Would that make me an Australian or Egyptian, anyway? I have also… Read more »
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Bill says:
Demetiou’s at his bully boy best yet again. He’s the one that needs to go. As for the Crows, shame on Trigg and co. for not supporting their man. This is political correctness gone mad. Read more »
There’s a kind of political kismet to the fact that the Orwellian Finkelstein media review is released while international crusader for free speech Mark Steyn is in this country on a speaking tour.
“I have an undream?”
If Finkelstein’s recommendations are implemented they would create an oppressive regime of essentially government-controlled media and overturn our cherished principle of freedom of the press.
They would in essence create a “licensing” of every media agency and even, more disturbingly, most website and blogs. Well, those that are actually remotely popular - those with more than 41 hits per day.
Continue reading "Politically correct jeopardise our freedom of speech" »
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Cathy Cheeseman says:
I read this article in the Weekend newspaper. I think that the example used is very poor - not really an example of threatening free speech and political correctness; just using the correct terminology. An asylum seeker is not necessarily an illegal immigrant. An asylum seeker has to be out… Read more »
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rev says:
It is simple readers just practice myob (mind your own business) especially miss effie and mr rack off generation x By the way did you realize sophie is a scorpio monkey….mmh.. a rather secretive commando type, a country cocky lassie slaving away in her electorate on the mason dixon line… Read more »
The principal of a school in Sydney’s west is the Grinch who stole Christmas. Imagine the confusion on the faces of the three-year-olds at their End of Year Singalong for parents at the Inner Sydney Montessori School.
God forbid that they could be called Christmas carols! Instead of being allowed to sing, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” their rosebud lips were twisted into wishing everyone a “Happy Holidays”.
They became confused. Eyes welled up. Parents were furious. The song sheet had been expunged of all reference to the birth of Christ.
Continue reading "What’s wrong with a little Christmas spirit?" »
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Claire says:
The multicultural around the world celebrate Christmas and they know about baby Jesus who was born in the middle East. The Christian around the world and religious leaders go to the middle East to recreate his birth, his path and his death. In their country the buddhists and Muslims don’t… Read more »
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Claire says:
These head masters just hide behind the diversity to change “Christmas Holliday” to Happy Holiday” when they should have known that around the world there are a lot of Christians who celebrate Christmas and it does not bother multicultural at all. Only someone who is strongly against religion will use… Read more »
One of the interesting features of modern public debate is the emergence of a small army of thin-skinned souls on permanent stand-by to be offended by pretty much everything.
The way we talk, the jokes we crack, the way we describe each other, all these things are subject to such an increasingly prohibitive set of strictures that it is easier to keep your mouth shut for fear of upsetting someone.
While the scourge of mental illness is not to be taken lightly, and is something which has touched us all, it still puzzles me that one of Australia’s leading mental health organisations is spending its time vetting newspaper articles and sending letters to journalists asking that they excise certain figurative expressions from their writing.
Continue reading "Vertically-challenged pornos seized in (short) customs raid" »
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David says:
Penbo, you are the best thing going for News Limited and Journalism on the whole in Australia right now. Please, please keep it coming!! Read more »
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Emma says:
Brilliant, this article made my day. Read more »
There you have it! After 40 years of feminists like Germaine Greer and the sisterhood telling men that it’s wrong to objectify womyn and that equality means treating them like blokes, a recent survey of Australian men proves that little, if anything, has changed.
A recent survey of men’s attitudes, carried out by Derek Jones from D&M Research, concludes that men, primarily, look for sex appeal in a relationship and that what they most look for in a women are good breasts and a nice backside.
According to Derek Jones, while political correctness is forcing men to act like new-age, sensitive guys, look below the surface and most men still prefer Megan Gale and Jennifer Hawkins.
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Outraged says:
Amen Wilma! I am a gay man…and the gay community is more superficial and materialistic than poor, straight guys who constantly get attacked by the PC crowd! I remember doing Womens Studies at Uni, and the rabid Feminists saying: “All porn objectifies women!!”...but I would say, “What about the porn… Read more »
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marley says:
Men are fake - they shave their beards to disguise how hirsute they really are - they wear toupees or get hair transplants, use contact lenses, they put on ultra tight undies and jeans and roll on pungent man-scent and basically do anything they can not to present au naturel. … Read more »
Well, we’ve been spared a flashy arrival in a huge fibreglass egg and a dress made entirely of animal flesh, but Lady Gaga hasn’t failed to make some waves while she’s been in town.
On Wednesday night she performed for an adoring crowd of her ‘little monsters’ at Sydney Town Hall. It was all quite sedate, for a Gaga-gig. A flesh-coloured bedazzled onesie and an aqua wig was a flashy costume, sure, but it was no meat dress.
And then, there it was. The lady herself, resplendent in a black vinyl mermaid tail, emerged from backstage as only one with their legs bound together in a somewhat restrictive costume could; in a wheelchair.
Continue reading "I reckon Lady Gaga was wheelie, wheelie awesome" »
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Muttsy says:
I think Glen was talking to Philip…well I assume so since there was no anger in this excellent article. Read more »
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Stella says:
Sorry Glen, not me. There’s more than one of us crip-activist types around. Read more »
True story: At an important function a while back an Aboriginal elder gave a traditional welcome to country. The audience looked suitably solemn, if a little glazed.
The elder said: When you give me my country back, then I’ll welcome you to my country.
Oblivious to the subversion, a succession of politicians and dignitaries took to the microphone and thanked them for the welcome.
Continue reading "Why are people so opposed to showing a little respect?" »
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ChrisW says:
@truthfully should understand that hormonally-propelled emotional outpourings may offer relief but that something more factually based is necessary for stable government. Movement of cultures and peoples has gone on since time immemorial driven by invasion, religion, economic power. The expectation that a Stone Age culture can remain unchanged, other than… Read more »
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truthfully says:
This has to be the most hateful, horrible comments site to ever be put out, never known so many people to be so ignorant and stupid regarding an issue they would normally not have a clue about, only because they, in their so called wisdom, feel it is their right… Read more »
Are you feeling offended? Put out? Insulted? You’re not alone.
He Who Almost Always Offends, Andrew Bolt, offended some people a while back. Then their lawyer offended him. Then one of the offended turned around and offended a third party, who offended her right back. Youch.
Surely it’s time to start building some bridges – of the reconciliatory, conciliatory, and the ‘get over it’ kind.
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Sam says:
From an Aboriginal view point all the waste of money is from the employment of non-aboriginal workers who sponge off the disadvantaged marginalised minority that is traditional owners (all aboriginals), the dominate controlers must first sort out thier issues as to avoid imposing more failed programs that we have come… Read more »
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DJ says:
Heh… Yeah thanks on behalf of my Communities for defining our people… Was trawling the net for research and came across your posts… As an Indigenous man I’m offended by what Bolt says, writes and portrays - so I choose - my family chooses not to watch / read /… Read more »
A radio host the other day was discussing the iPod-full of Australian artists that our Prime Minister gave to Barack Obama. Reviewing the collection of songs - which included Midnight Oil - he claimed it proved “political correctness has gone mad’.
(Glenn Beck on political correctness gone mad)
These sentiments were echoed in The Punch the other morning when Kevin Donnelly warned us that the proposed national curriculum was much too ‘politically correct’. The entire curriculum, Donnelly argued, is overwhelmed by politically correct messages and ignores Christianity.
Feeling under siege by political correctness I decided to do something about it: I called a Muslim friend and made some jokes about her cultural background. I figured it was OK, because some of my best friends are Muslim.
Continue reading "Economic correctness - the new political laziness?" »
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Glenn says:
@Scarneck People in housing estates are not “filth”, they’re only less fortunate then you. You had a relatively decent upbringing (although your politics leave much to be desired) else you’d be in one of those houses. You aggressive individualists can’t see cause and effect in the individual, you focus exclusively… Read more »
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Glenn says:
This article is such a departure from reality one has to wonder if it wasn’t written purely to manipulate people into further abandonment and demonisation of Political Correctness to further the neo-con social project now underway in Australia. The original political correctness is things like not allowing wife bashing, racism,… Read more »
It’s been a big week this week for the politically correct.
Tracey Spicer is worried her children are being indoctrinated into Christianity at school.
Some Coalition backbenchers are worried they can’t indoctrinate new citizens to Christianity.
Continue reading "It’s political correctness gone maaaaaaad!" »
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rvfchkytgnc says:
CTPO7B qceomfakobak, uresyceasonl, [link=http://udbxlsjajuwp.com/]udbxlsjajuwp[/link], http://iuykgetwgsry.com/ Read more »
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Mensur Cehic says:
Why is it that Anglos always bitch about Political Correctness? So you can keep plucking a new victim out of the portfolio of “ethnic” minorities? I think you should toughen the fuck up. WE all know you have been SKIPping your well-deserved turn. There’s no way around it. Read more »
An upstart Thai airline recently revealed that it had begun hiring “third sex” staff. By third sex, the airline means trannies. Pre-op, post-op, they don’t appear all that fussed; apparently they’re an inconclusive mob over there at PC Air.
A win for the rights of transgender and transsexual people the world over? Hmm. I’m 30. Not so young, but certainly so, so cynical.
I’m guessing that the airline name comes from the initials of the founder, Peter Chan, although in the West, PC has connotations centred on computers. And politics. The later, no doubt, underpins the temptation to rejoice.
Continue reading "The mile high club just got a whole lot weirder" »
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MK says:
Better a young happyy steward, tahn a grumpy old one, if niether of them provide good service, But more than often the virgin airlines do provide goodservice, I have had some qantas female stewards who may have been very exeperienced in this service industry but would have had no clue… Read more »
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Mike Ceighton says:
Erickk just get over it. You are a WASP. WASPs whinge about anything non-WASPish. They always have. We know that.. Stop boring us with this endless griping and self-obsession. Read more »
Ho! Ho! Ho! Yes, it’s that time of year again, when political correctness rears its ugly head and the majority of us are gifted the opportunity for a little righteous indignation with our eggnog.
Except nobody told new Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu. In a bold and somewhat surprising display of common sense for a politician, he has made an effort to bring the spirit of the season back into Australian schools, insisting children “have the opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures of Christmas”.
Praise the Lord indeed.
Continue reading "It’s called Christmas folks, with a capital C" »
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notSue says:
Buddhism and Hhinduism are “incredibly intrinsically *inclusive*, religions”, is what I meant to say. - (nice litle piece of alliteration there!) hah! Read more »
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notSue says:
@ Feral Wombat and marley Having read your exchange,, I think, as you originally stated, marley, the last two lines of FW’s post are the most significant, viz: “Ted wants Christians who fear other religions to know that he is on their side. And what those of other faiths hear,… Read more »
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses and all the King’s men,
Helped to make Humpty feel better again.
Continue reading "Scrambling Humpty Dumpty, and other travesties" »
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Rick says:
What about King Canute? Has he been superceded by King KRudd?? Read more »
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kate says:
I have been busy reading the kids (kindergarten) old nursery tales along with modern versions of them same. What surprised me the most was how much they liked the older versions. I kept seeing th sexism, racism, brutality and people getting away with all sorts of things (that they would… Read more »
Some years ago The Melbourne Age ran an awkwardly written profile of a young lesbian vegan woman with one leg whom the newspaper reported stood unsuccessfully for the Victorian Upper House on the Australian Democrats ticket.
The piece was picked up and emailed around the country, with the droll observation that it probably wasn’t the only place she’d stood unsuccessfully.
The reason for the humourous response to the piece was not derived around cruelty - you could call it the Peter Cook defence; I have nothing against your right leg. But while there’s nothing funny about having a physical disability, there were plenty of laughs to be had at The Age’s expense, with their clunky and earnest locutions unwittingly creating a solid foundation for a terrific accidental joke.
Continue reading "Debate goes PC as the PM reveals his sauces" »
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pork belly says:
Will he start to call the G-G Guvna and John Faulkner Lefty? Read more »
Take note Lleyton Hewitt - the phrase “spac attack” is now on the banned list. And while he’s normally the kind of bloke who would rail against political correctness, it’s National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce who agreed to put it there.
Joyce will tonight apologise on television for saying Kevin Rudd had thrown a “spac attack,” after the Spastic Centre called on our political leaders to stop using the word “spastic” as a term of abuse.
“I would like to blame ‘Kylie Mole’ from the 1980’s Comedy Company but I should have understood the derivation of this word,” he told The Punch yesterday afternoon. “I generally can not stand political correctness but this definitely deserves an exception.”
Continue reading "“Spac attack” banned - Senator about to apologise" »
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steve says:
No this isn’t a uniquely Australian saying - it is used in all English speaking countries. It is highly immature and childish and just as bad as racism. Oh we have a Senator that uses Kylie Mole as his role model. He goes, he goes, he goes, he goes….. I… Read more »
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Jo says:
When we discard our uniquely Australian sayings, then we discard our identity. Why do we keep purifying and refining everything we say? What ever happened to strine? It was colourful, eloquent and uniquely Australian. ‘Spac attack’ is a term that has been used to describe a fit of rage, a… Read more »
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