# I am getting tired of the PC Police on this board. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 18, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016 "2003-05-18T05:12:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CuriousCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@CuriousCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousCanuck)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/1 "2003-05-18T05:12:14Z")
It is getting to be really annoying to read Pit threads (and others) that get totally hijacked because of self proclaimed PC police that need to tell the world why everything that the OP says is offensive to other people. I am sorry, but in a Pit Thread people are there to rant and rave. **For example** , _(and this is only an example of many I could have chosen)_ if I call someone “fat” when describing them, it does not make me a sizeist. It does not make me a bigot, or a terrible human being. It is simply an adjective with which to describe them. If I wanted to describe Marlon Brando physically, the man is fat. Ryan Styles from Drew Carey? He is a toothpick. They are ADJECTIVES, not nuggets of hatred. [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=184387) is a perfect example of what I am talking about, and the following quote there-in sums up how I feel nicely. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reuben \* > **Has anyone else noticed that the most hateful, bilious, intolerant vitriol we see on these boards is invariably spewed out in the name of tolerance?** I guess what I am trying to say is that some people are overly sensitive, and perhaps even need to grow up a little bit, develop a thicker skin. Try to realize that the entire world is not here to bash you. If some people poured as much energy into improving themselves as they did into their self righteousness and self-loathing, then perhaps this place might be a tad better off, and they themselves might be as well. Flame away. I know it will come after this post, but I had to get it out. I am sensitive to many issues, and see everyone as a fellow human being first and foremost, all equals. But when you spew your self righteousness at me, it gets harder and harder for me not to spew back. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/2 "2003-05-18T05:14:17Z")
Huh. You sound like some poufy-haired bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/3 "2003-05-18T05:16:00Z")
Waah waah. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/4 "2003-05-18T05:24:22Z")
Quoth Yosemitebabe: > [@](#): > > If I started an OP where I ranted on and on about how someone I didn’t like wore purple and she had 2 cats and liked open-toed shoes, while really, my main beef was that she was a gossip, wouldn’t you wonder why in the hell I was ranting on about the cats, purple, and open-toed shoes? What the hell does that have to do with gossiping? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/5 "2003-05-18T05:43:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Has anyone else noticed that the most hateful, bilious, intolerant vitriol we see on these boards is invariably spewed out in the name of tolerance? Oh, Christ, there’s an original insight. When the fuck are people going to get it through their improbably thick skulls that being tolerant doesn’t require you to smile and nod when some asswit is insulting you. Being tolerant means treating people the way they want to be treated. And if someone wants to act like an asshole, then it is perfectly okay to treat them like an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/6 "2003-05-18T05:54:32Z")
I’m going to have to side with the **Canuck** on this one. The word “fat” seems to be offlimits as a derogatory remark around here. The relenacy to the rest of the rant is beside the point. You would not here the same complaint if the linked OP had said “that goat-fucking bitch hit my car”. No one would have chided the OP for linking an alternative lifestyle with driving skills. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Wrong_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/7 "2003-05-18T06:05:22Z")
> [@](#): > > The word “fat” seems to be offlimits as a derogatory remark around here. The relenacy to the rest of the rant is beside the point. You would not here the same complaint if the linked OP had said “that goat-fucking bitch hit my car”. No one would have chided the OP for linking an alternative lifestyle with driving skills. But see, the OP in the linked thread took great pains to describe how “hugely obese, skanky, horrifically ugly” the woman was who bumped his car. It totally and completely sucks that he was a victim of a hit-and-run, and that woman was a bitch for doing it. But what does her being obese have anything to do with it? I didn’t see most of the people challenging the OP in the linked post as “self-righteous”–I think they genuinely wanted to know why the OP needed to go on about how fat and disgusting this woman was. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/8 "2003-05-18T06:10:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*Oh, Christ, there’s an original insight. When the fuck are people going to get it through their improbably thick skulls that being tolerant doesn’t require you to smile and nod when some asswit is insulting you. \*\* I think the key word here is the last one: _you_. If someone uses a word to describe someone else in an OP, then they can’t exactly be deliberately insulting _you_, can they? ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/9 "2003-05-18T06:16:09Z")
Using the word “fat” as an adjective and associating the word “fat” with everything evil and in fact the very reason the person in the car crash thread was evil in the first place are two entirely separate things. Saying something like “hey! that fat guy just ran into my car”. Well, you were just describing the man’s appearance. But going on and on about how the fat must have been the reason he was a bad person, and how since fat people “can control” whether or not they are fat, that they shouldn’t expect to be treated with basic dignity (after all, black people are born that way etc etc) is what is wrong. Along with a lot of other people (judging from the posts seen on all the "anti-fat bashing meltdowns) the majority of them, I think that some people just aren’t seeing the distinction. And they NEED to. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/10 "2003-05-18T06:16:58Z")
“Hugely obese, skanky, horiffically ugly” is an insult. He’s not allowed to insult the woman who hit and run? If he insulted her by calling her a “goat fucker” and used that theme throughout the OP, no one would have said a peep, although sexual activities with farm animals would be equally irrelevant. However, since he had the gall to use her weight as an insult, all Hell broke loose. He also used the term moronic. Should we call him out on his insensitivity to the developmentally disabled? ---
**Author:** ![CuriousCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@CuriousCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousCanuck)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/11 "2003-05-18T06:18:56Z")
Let’s keep our poor example thread guy out of this as much as we can. If you have to pile on, pile on me. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/12 "2003-05-18T06:21:28Z")
Well, we could bring up the “cocksucker” debacle again. Anybody remember that nightmare? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/13 "2003-05-18T06:21:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\* . And if someone wants to act like an asshole, then it is perfectly okay to treat them like an asshole. \*\* Then you get 2 assholes for the price of one, each feeling totally justified. I’m reposting what I said in one of the fat-bashing train wrecks: > [@](#): > > OK , now you bastards have got me thinking. > > How best to make a change in society? Which approach to use? The OP has used words that are inflammatory and could be considered bigoted. Bigotry is certainly something we would like to change in society. But how should we do that? > > We’ve seen two approaches here. > > \*\*alice\_in\_wonderland \*\*tried the ‘giving information’ approach, saying that the OP might want to dial back on that kind of talk because it really didn’t help or his position and may be hurtful to somebody else. And in response, the OP disagreed to an extent but seemed to be willing to talk it over. > > \*\*Mockingbird \*\*took the ‘calling him a piece of shit’ approach, saying that because he used such terminology, he was beneath contempt and not worthy of being a member of decent society. Then the OP dug in his heels and responed in kind, hurling invective at Mockingbird. > > I submit that alice’s approach may be more in tune with our stated purpose, and that Mockingbird’s approach may be counter-productive, but that’s certainly open to debate. Now if tolerance and understanding is our goal, is acting like an asshole the way to achieve that? Is that a good approach to changing someone’s mind? I don’t think so. I mean, sure, it _feels_ good, but I think it inspires the original asshole to cling to views and label the secondary assholes as , well, assholes. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Wrong_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/14 "2003-05-18T06:24:04Z")
Come on, **A Monkey with a Gun**. Surely you can see the difference between calling someone a “goat fucker” multiple times (which, btw, we would have no way of knowing if it was true or not, unless she was wearing a t-shirt or something) and referring to the way a person looks, multiple times. Yes, he called her “moronic.” He also didn’t go on about it the way he did about her weight. The fact that she was obese was, IMO, central to his rant. People called him on it because her physical appearance doesn’t have anything to do with her actions. He had no way of knowing if she was a “goat fucker,” so most people would have taken that to be a random insult. He did, however, know that she was obese, and talked about how disgusting she was because of it. To me, the distinction is pretty clear. Is it still not to you? ---
**Author:** ![CuriousCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@CuriousCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousCanuck)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/15 "2003-05-18T06:26:01Z")
Again, let us try to focua on the general rather than my one specific example. Poor guy has been hijacked and piled on enough. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Wrong_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/16 "2003-05-18T06:27:08Z")
Okay, okay–sorry. I posted the last one before I saw your previous request. I’ll bow out now; I’m not sure I’m succeeding at changing anyone’s mind anyway. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/17 "2003-05-18T06:39:54Z")
**The Wrong Girl** , are you telling me it is never OK to use the terms “fat” or “ugly” as insults? Can ANY insults be based on physical appearance, or must they all be based on the character of the intended victim? If so, I’d have to say that gives you a rather limited repetoire. Additionally, the insult’s relevancy to the topic is, in a word, irrelevant. Insults are the icing on the rant’s pastry. They are there for added effect. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/18 "2003-05-18T06:42:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lizard \* > \*\*I think the key word here is the last one: _you_. If someone uses a word to describe someone else in an OP, then they can’t exactly be deliberately insulting _you_, can they? \*\* Depends on the OP, I guess. I wasn’t commenting on the linked thread, merely on the tired “for someone so worried about tolerance, you’re awfully intolerant” canard. Tends to pop up mostly in threads relating to homophobia. **Joe Cool** was fond of it. “If I have to tolerate your homosexuality, you have to tolerate my homophobia. So stop calling me an asshole, you faggot.” That sort of thing. It’s a major peeve of mine. In fairness, I should mention that I don’t think **Joe** ever actually called anyone a “faggot.” Although I often got the feeling that he wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/19 "2003-05-18T06:42:26Z")
Oh, and I’m trying to be non thread specific, but we still need to discuss the various terms the PC police find so heinous. ---
**Author:** ![CuriousCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@CuriousCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousCanuck)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/20 "2003-05-18T06:46:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by A Monkey With a Gun \* > \*\*Oh, and I’m trying to be non thread specific, but we still need to discuss the various terms the PC police find so heinous. \*\* That’s fair. I was jsut trying to limit my poor examples continuing flaming when the other thread is doing well enough on its own. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016.md?page=2)