Political Correctness Pfft...

Has anyone ever said to you "well, that's not very PC"  they have to me and I honestly despair with the utter ridiculousness of it all.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to offend anyone and can honestly say I don't ever intend to offend anyone.

But all this political correctness has gone way too far.  Why do some people think others are so offended by such trivial things that we have to change the way we say things or how we celebrate events etc.  It's extremely frustrating and has gone so far as to make an utter mockery of any good that could have come from it.

When a school feels they have to teach children to sing Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep instead of Baa Baa Black Sheep then you know the world has gone crazy.

I have been doing a bit of research into some ridiculous politically correct situations and can honestly say (whilst shaking my head in amazement) I've had enough. I want to be able to speak without having to worry whether some one will take offence or not.

I read about a situation (from a black man - am I allowed to say that?) where a discussion was taking place and a white woman (that should appease the PC people) made a comment about being the black sheep of the family, then someone piped up saying "that's offensive to black people"  REALLY ... give me strength. The black man who told the story said he didn't find it offensive at all.

Are sheep not allowed to have black wool anymore!!

A bakery in Kidderminster was advertising 'Ginger Person' for sell instead of 'Gingerbread Man'  has anyone told these people that biscuits don't have feelings, you can't discriminate against a biscuit - hmmm but maybe I should find it offensive that people may want to eat ginger people (being a red head) ... hmmm interesting ;) 

We also have the situation where parents feel they are doing something wrong if they take photos of their children at the beach or playing in the park. A grandmother from Southampton was told that she could not take photos of her grandchildren in a park paddling pool due to fears that paedophiles could get illicit shots of young children.  Sadly this is a growing trend across different counties, however there is no legal requirement for Councils to have such a policy, so if it happens to you complain to your councillors.

Amazingly a council has banned the phrase "singing from the same hymn sheet" in case it upsets atheists. Salisbury council has told employees that the religious connotations of the saying could offend non-believers. Employees have also been told not to use the phrase 'colour blind' but instead to refer to 'colour visual impairment'. 

A UK recruiter was stunned when her job advert for 'reliable' and 'hard-working' applicants was rejected by the job centre as it could be offensive to unreliable and lazy people.

A classic English dessert has been renamed to avoid embarrassment. The traditional pudding Spotted Dick has been given the title Spotted Richard, after UK council bosses feared the original name might cause offence.

We even have the situation where children's books are being edited to conform with this political correctness regime.

For example some characters in Enid Blyton's books have been changed:

Dame Slap	becomes	Dame Snap
Bessie (a black character)	becomes	Beth (a white girl)
Fanny and Dick	become	Frannie and Rick

We have to avoid using words that some think, may, possibly, offend blind people, fat people, lazy people, foreign people, religious people the list is endless. Where is it going to stop.

Seriously I could go on and on ... 

It's ridiculous that people feel they have to think and double-think everything they say just in case someone takes offence to the terminology rather than what is actually being said.

To have respect for each other includes acknowledging everyone's differences. Respect and tolerance has to come from within. Political correctness which is forced upon us is no more than a mask behind which all sorts of warped opinions may still hide.