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About 10 years ago I grew tired of people saying “political correctness has gone mad”.
It dawned on me that this phrase was being used to whip up hate against vulnerable groups, and that such claims needed to be challenged - so I did a bit of research.
Here were my findings:
It dawned on me that this phrase was being used to whip up hate against vulnerable groups, and that such claims needed to be challenged - so I did a bit of research.
Here were my findings:
MYTH: Teachers are banned from singing ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ in schools, because it's racist.
TRUTH: A couple of Oxfordshire nurseries decided to make the song longer / more stimulating for kids by replacing ‘black’ with other adjectives such as happy, sad, pink, white, & blue.
TRUTH: A couple of Oxfordshire nurseries decided to make the song longer / more stimulating for kids by replacing ‘black’ with other adjectives such as happy, sad, pink, white, & blue.
MYTH: The term ‘brainstorm’ must now be referred to as ‘mind maps’ or ‘thought showers’. This is to avoid offending people with epilepsy.
TRUTH: 93% of people with epilepsy did not find the term derogatory or offensive in any way. https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/press/facts/brainstorming-offensive
TRUTH: 93% of people with epilepsy did not find the term derogatory or offensive in any way. https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/press/facts/brainstorming-offensive
MYTH: England shirts / flags were banned during the World Cup, in case foreigners were offended.
TRUTH: In Croydon (where there had been a history of football riots), Police gave pubs advice on avoiding trouble. This included "dress code restrictions – eg no football shirts".
TRUTH: In Croydon (where there had been a history of football riots), Police gave pubs advice on avoiding trouble. This included "dress code restrictions – eg no football shirts".
MYTH: Christmas is offensive, and should be called ‘Winterval’.
TRUTH: In 1997 and 1998, Birmingham Council used ‘Winterval’ as a marketing name for 3 months of seasonal festivities at their newly regenerated town centre, including Chinese New Year, Diwali, and Christmas.
TRUTH: In 1997 and 1998, Birmingham Council used ‘Winterval’ as a marketing name for 3 months of seasonal festivities at their newly regenerated town centre, including Chinese New Year, Diwali, and Christmas.
MYTH: The Passport Service ‘banned’ a 5-year-old girl’s passport photo because her shoulders were showing, and it might offend Muslims.
TRUTH: There was no such rule against shoulders in passport photos. This was just a mistake made by the cashier at the Post Office.
TRUTH: There was no such rule against shoulders in passport photos. This was just a mistake made by the cashier at the Post Office.
So, why does all this matter?
Our collective failure to challenge bullshit scare stories (and our media’s delight in printing them for millions of outrage clicks) have severely exacerbated a society where people who lack critical thinking skills feel like they're under attack.
Our collective failure to challenge bullshit scare stories (and our media’s delight in printing them for millions of outrage clicks) have severely exacerbated a society where people who lack critical thinking skills feel like they're under attack.
Tabloids these days seem to prefer the term ‘woke’ to ‘political correctness’ and ‘social justice warriors’ to ‘the PC Brigade’ - but it’s the same twats whipping up the exact same panic about what comedian Stewart Lee has referred to as “institutionalised politeness”.
What can be done about it?
I don’t know... but when racists hollering "Take back control" are elected into power, we desperately need to start coming up with some ideas.
I don’t know... but when racists hollering "Take back control" are elected into power, we desperately need to start coming up with some ideas.
