Politically correct term for black people

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Grammar Geek

#537495 Sun, 06 Jul 08 08:47 PM

Hello William, and welcome to English Forums.

Your post was interesting - especially hearing the contrast between what is offensive and acceptable in Trinadad and here!

We look forward to your contributions!

Grammar Geek

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006

Pennsylvania, USA

Veteran Member (15,590)

Barbara, who answers in American English.

Goodman

#538479 Tue, 08 Jul 08 06:54 PM

This political correctness crap is about to spill over my tolereance level with people suffering from the case of stupidity. If I order a cup of coffee at the IHOP and the waitress who happened to be of African origin asked me how I would like it; and I said, "I like it black please". How is this going to offend her??
If this P.C. crap holds true, then would it be offensive to order a bottle of red / white to the American Indians and the "white race"?

I am 5,4" and I am short. If someone described me as being short, am I supposed to get all worked up? Fat and skinny are characterristics of humans. I don't see it as wrong describing someone as
someone fat when he weighs 230 pounds with flaps hanging down his sides, although it's true, it's not my nature to do it with malice,

My point is, keep creating rules and laws to govern or control the 5-10 percent of the world's

troubled population who is responsible for 90% of the chaos on this planet while the 90-95% are

getting affected, we are not solving any problems.

Goodman

Joined on Mon, Nov 7 2005

Calif. USA

Senior Member (3,200)

The name says it all!

nona the brit

#538637 Wed, 09 Jul 08 07:53 AM

What are you talking about Goodman? Who has told you you can't say black coffee, or white wine, or any of the things you are saying? All these anti-PC language myths are a bit silly, don't you think?

...but I do agree that occassionally PC goes a little too far. Or rather, sometimes people mistakenly take it too far, when they don't know what they are talking about!

nona the brit

Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004

England

Veteran Member (11,354)

The name says it all.

Goodman

#539023 Thu, 10 Jul 08 12:06 AM

Nona,
In case you are still wondering about my post, I was just being a little carried away with this thread posted by:

Dejanm83 +Add to Friends +Add comment #500545 Mon, 14 Apr 08 01:44 PM

Well, I think the idea behind PC is fine, being sensitive to the feelings of others and trying to avoid derrogative labels, but I'm exploring when PC goes too far

For example, Iread somewhere that a coffee shop waiter refused to serve a customer who ordered black coffee until they asked for coffee without milk. Or when people frown when someone uses the word renig, which means to go back on a deal and is muchmuch older than "***"..

Seriously, the political correctness is killing me! To a certain extent, the western civilization went backward in the past two decades. We have people from the 3dr world
living in this country, using our medical system, schools, and social benefits, Morover, statistics showed more than 30% of the hardcore criminals incererated in maximum security prisons are illegal aliens living and committing crimes in this country, but yet we can't call them "illegal aliens" becasue that's is poitically incorrect and humanly insensitive. That's stupidity!

Goodman

Clive

#539031 Thu, 10 Jul 08 12:26 AM

Hi,
Or when people frown when someone uses the word renig, which means to go back on a deal

Just a small comment that the word is spelled 'renege'.

Clive

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Veteran Member (21,191)

El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

Grammar Geek

#539314 Thu, 10 Jul 08 01:54 PM

Goodman
Seriously, the political correctness is killing me

Then please start a thread in the controvertial subjects area and keep this out of the discussion about grammar and usage.

Grammar Geek

Grammar

Kooyeen

#539517 Thu, 10 Jul 08 09:44 PM

I just think that one about the black coffee is pretty much of a joke. If it ever happened, well, just an isolated case, and funny (or stupid, depending on how you look at it) too.

You don't need to be politically correct, you just need to say sensible things, and doing that is not simple, because it varies a lot from case to case. Sometimes you'll sound silly if you try to be politically correct, or even offensive at worst. And sometimes you won't sound offensive even if you use very controversial expressions. As most people know, black Americans sometimes use the N-word to address each other, in both friendly and unfriendly ways. But not every black person does that, and white people in general should stay away from that word... As you see, language is very complicated, and there's no need to complicate it further trying to introduce politically correctness everywhere. Just use common sense, if you have some. Wink

Kooyeen

Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005

Italy

Senior Member (3,973)

If you don't have a sense of humor already, it's about time you buy one.

Expressions, Jokes

Goodman

#539568 Thu, 10 Jul 08 11:55 PM

It’s not a joke to some people. This is serious matter.

If you live in the Bay Area region of California of USA, political correctness has a higher level of meanings where the liberals decide the city policy where they live, what is acceptable and what is not, what you can say, even on the radio talk show and what is considered racist. I forgot what cities but I heard some laws are being pushed through the legislature that if you know of someone making any remarks being of racist, political incorrect and or defamatory in nature in a work place and you are not speaking out, or alert the management of such event, you can be charged with “hate crime” along with the person who made the comment. That’s the misuse of power of the politically correct kind!