# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/141 "2003-05-21T21:41:32Z")
Tax guy: > [@](#): > > Why is everyone else (besides one other poster–thanks) missing the point that being fat does have something to do with running into someone else and then not pulling over? > > The connection is that a fat person is more likely to be lazy and to let problems persist without taking care of them (which is how many fat people get fat in the first place), and someone who does a hit and run is lazy and creates a problem without taking care of it I would dispute this statement. Being lazy, irresponsible and unresponsive to problems is **one** reason why a person might be fat. There are many others. 1. They may be obsessive-such a person may be obsesive about their food and other aspects of life. An obsessive person is unlikely to be the kind of person to run off from an accident. 2. Most people have at least one vice- A person’s one vice might be food. They may overreat but be responsible in all other ways. 3. They do not share your value system towards weight -Being fat is not an issue for them, just for your. 4. They may be diabetic - Difficult not to gain weight 5. They may have an injury or condition which precludes exercise. 6. Medication - Many medications have severe weight gain as a side effect 7. Other Medical condition 8. Responsibility- They may in fact be the opposite of lazy, and be so responsible and busy, and concerened with things other than their own well-being and weight that they are unable to invest the time to take care of themselves. 9. Depression - often accompanied by weight gain 10. Bad genes - Some people simply do have a propensity for being fat 11. Had a kid, injury, life change, middle-age spread or other temporary problem 12. Physically lazy, mentally acute. If you feel that there is a connection between being overweight and likelihood to engage in a hit and run accident, I think you need to demonstrate the likelihood. The one connection you have suggested is simply a possibility. I see no reason for you to assign that one possibility among many to overweight people in general. ---
**Author:** ![TaxGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@TaxGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TaxGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/142 "2003-05-21T21:50:47Z")
I think I didn’t express myself well enough in my last post. Let me try again: Scylla, the whole point is that the OP of the other thread saw this woman acting in a lazy and irresponsible manner (doing a hit and run), and her being fat is evidence that she \*\*may \*\*be lazy and irresponsible in other areas of her life, too. Therefore, there is a connection between the lady doing a hit and run and the lady being fat, so the fat reference is not simply gratuitous, like a gay or racial reference would be. So, I agree with you that the connection is only a possibility, but what I’m saying is that there would be no possible connection for many other slurs, so the slur used is not simply gratuitous. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/143 "2003-05-21T21:53:38Z")
Here’s a thought - if someone says, “What you said is offensive to me,” consider not using it in the future if you don’t want to offend them. Mocking people because of their looks is offensive to me. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![TaxGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@TaxGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TaxGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/144 "2003-05-21T22:09:21Z")
> [@](#): > > if you don’t want to offend them. I don’t really care if I offend anonymous message board participants or not, generally speaking. I’m certainly not going to try to offend people purely for the sake of doing so, but I’m not going to go out of my way to not offend people whom I feel are too easily offended. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/145 "2003-05-21T22:11:25Z")
I’m offended by taxes. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/146 "2003-05-21T22:34:16Z")
I promise not to tax you, Lib. ---
**Author:** ![TaxGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@TaxGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TaxGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/147 "2003-05-21T22:51:01Z")
These constant debates about who’s offending and who’s taking offense and who’s being “too PC” and all that are rather . . . taxing. \ ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/148 "2003-05-21T23:03:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Collounsbury \* > [Insofar as as I am not from some dumbfuck midwestern wilting violet background, I see no connexion between age and a bit of strong lang. A.) I’m not from the midwest. And I’m certainly no “wilting violet”. As to your “need” to be insulting in order to make a strong point. That’s laughable and supports my point. One can use maturity and restraint and STILL make a strong point and remain intelligent. Swearing, using heinous insults about another’s looks, size, etc, shows how LIMITED that person’s vocabulary and imagination is, not the other way around. The person who is truly to be admired regarding their ability to impart an outstanding rant is someone like **Ben** , or **Miller** , not childish schoolyard namecalling. The rest of your post was just more nonsense of the same sort you’ve been saying. I feel a lot of pity for you, from the sounds of things, you’re a bitter unhappy person. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/149 "2003-05-21T23:28:54Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **TaxGuy** _ > > I don’t really care if I offend anonymous message board participants or not, generally speaking. I’m certainly not going to try to offend people purely for the sake of doing so, but I’m not going to go out of my way to not offend people whom I feel are too easily offended. Then don’t be surprised when you’re called to task for your insensitivity. At least, that’s the way I see it. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/150 "2003-05-22T00:36:20Z")
> [@](#): > > If you feel that there is a connection between being overweight and likelihood to engage in a hit and run accident, I think you need to demonstrate the likelihood. The one connection you have suggested is simply a possibility. I see no reason for you to assign that one possibility among many to overweight people in general. Well said, **Scylla**. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TaxGuy \* > So, I agree with you that the connection is only a possibility, but what I’m saying is that there would be no possible connection for many other slurs, so the slur used is not simply gratuitous. Ummm, no. Here, at least, claiming a connection on the basis of simply having not eliminated all possibility of a connection is, quite simply, a crock. But I forget: you’re not talking about any logical connection, here. You’re talking about whether or not a slur is totally gratuitous. Seems the same deal applies there: if there’s no connection, then the slur is completely gratuitous. Since you have no evidence that there is a connection, aside from the fact that nobody’s proven this particular negative, local standards still say it’s gratuitous. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/151 "2003-05-22T00:54:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Libertarian \* > \*\*I’m offended by taxes. \*\* Fucking bigot. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/152 "2003-05-22T01:03:06Z")
As I pointed out (I’m fairly certain in reply to **TaxGuy** ) in the original thread, making a connection between someone’s overweight status and their general behavior or state of mind is not a good idea because you have no idea where that person is in the evolution of their weight. If you see a very obese woman with a van full of children and immediately presume “she’s fat and lazy” you could be dismissing a woman who currently weighs 275 pounds, but weighed 370 pounds a year ago, and over 400 a year before that, and managed to work a program of weight loss while raising several children, and probably also holding a job. That isn’t a lazy person. And I don’t think that “lazy” or even “irresponsible” are the proper labels for someone who engages in a hit and run, either. Malicious, yes. Criminally negligent, sure. Stupid could even apply. It is irresponsible not to stop, but the behavior (especially as described in the thread in question) is so blatant and outrageous that it really surpasses irresponsible by several orders of magnitude. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/153 "2003-05-22T02:30:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > **Here’s a thought - if someone says, “What you said is offensive to me,” consider not using it in the future if you don’t want to offend them.** Oh Jesus, not the appeasement argument again. I hate this argument. I loathe, despise and detest this stupid, pollyanna, rose colored glasses train of thought. An equally valid response to “what you said is offensive to me” would be “Oh, go shove a popsickle up your ass and chill the fuck out, you oversensitive prick.” **Esprix** , buddy, think about what logically follows from your suggestion. People can be offended by _anything_. “The president needs our support during this time of war and your criticism of the republican tax plan offended me” . Ridiculous, stupid, and no reason not continue to speak your mind on taxation. No one should kowtow to an offended person if they believe the complaint is without value. That’s why we have spines. Additionally, think for a moment where your suggestion logically leads. “I’m deeply offended by your admission of homosexuality, please consider not admitting it in the future” Would you be OK with that? ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/154 "2003-05-22T03:58:32Z")
Callhounsberry: > [@](#): > > Insofar as as I am not from some dumbfuck midwestern wilting violet background, I see no connexion between age and a bit of strong lang. You mean like the Midwestern background that spawned SDMB? _snort_ **CanvasShoes:** > [@](#): > > Swearing, using heinous insults about another’s looks, size, etc, shows how LIMITED that person’s vocabulary and imagination is, not the other way around. In some, namecalling and slurs aren’t the result of a limited vocabulary. It springs from something inferior, aggressive and mean-spirited. There are other reasons too – poor breeding, etc. Regarding the original thread, I don’t think that my purpose in speaking up about the OP was to change his mind. My comments weren’t just for him. They were for anyone reading the thread. And I don’t believe that my one voice or even this thread will make a huge difference. But when tens of thousands of people speak up in tens of thousands of places, change begins. I’ve heard the stereotype of large people being lazy all of my life. That’s a little like saying that people who can barely walk because of arthritis are lazy. At any rate, the only possible laziness that I can think of that might have lead to her having plowed into his car would be unenergetic eyes. Checking the mirrors for a few seconds doesn’t take much flexibility. The connection between laziness and irresponsibility is certainly vague. Any scientific backup for that assumed correlation? I wonder if pregnant women develop a charcter flaw that turns them into lazy people for the last two months of the pregnancy. Hmmm. I suspect it has more to do with difficulty in moving. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/155 "2003-05-22T05:39:29Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **A Monkey With a Gun** _ > > People can be offended by _anything_. “The president needs our support during this time of war and your criticism of the republican tax plan offended me” . Ridiculous, stupid, and no reason not continue to speak your mind on taxation. No one should kowtow to an offended person if they believe the complaint is without value. That’s why we have spines. Additionally, think for a moment where your suggestion logically leads. “I’m deeply offended by your admission of homosexuality, please consider not admitting it in the future” Would you be OK with that? Hyperbole much? I have always read “PC” to mean “Plain Courtesy.” In most cases, if someone says I have done something to offend them, then I will likely endeavour to find out why, and, if appropriate, apologize for doing so if it was unintentional. Going forward, if I want to intentionally offend them, I will go ahead and recklessly do the same thing that offended them the first time; however, if I feel the need to do that same thing again, but don’t want to intentionally offend them, I might do or say things in a different way to at least let them know I’m not _trying_ to offend them, and am sensitive to their point of view. One can hold fast to ones beliefs yet still remain respectful of others, and not compromise common courtesy, yes? Essentially what I’m saying is, you can use honey or vinegar - once you know the effects of both, it’s up to you to decide which choice to make. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![shep\_proudfoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@shep\_proudfoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shep_proudfoot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/156 "2003-05-22T06:23:32Z")
What truly annoys me is that many people on this board are rude and insulting if you do not agree with them. I am not PC. I have my way at looking at things. On this board, I have been called ignorant, an asswipe and other poor remarks. If someone in public called me an asswipe, I would kick his ass. I have received a “warning” from one of the moderators for being a “jerk”. I really enjoy reading this column, if only to show the idiocy and the tyranny of PC and American culture at large. SP ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/157 "2003-05-22T06:42:57Z")
Political correctness is an entirely different issue from not only being a jerk, but also the moderation of this board. You ought to learn the differences between them if you want to keep posting. Literally thousands of other people don’t seem to have this problem, so it might just be you. Esprix ---
**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 22, 2003, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/158 "2003-05-22T06:47:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TaxGuy \* > \*\*and someone who does a hit and run is lazy and creates a problem without taking care of it. > > \*\* Someone who hits and runs is _lazy_??? She thought it was simply too much trouble to pull over? No, my dear sir, a person who hits and runs is a _criminal_. **I** am lazy, but would never consider hit and run. This woman was not lazy in this instance. She high-tailed it out of there. There is simply no connection between her weight and her lack of morals. There’s skinny folks who hit and run too. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/159 "2003-05-22T07:48:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by andros \* > \*\*You’re just not looking in the [right dictionary](http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/w.htm): > > **whinge** Verb. To persistently complain, in an irritating manner. {Informal}. > Noun. To act in the manner of the verb. {Informal}. > **whinger** Noun. A person who complains incessently, see ‘whinge’. {Informal}. > **whingey** Adj. In the manner of a ‘whinger’, see above. {Informal}. \*\* Oh, it’s British slang. No wonder it wasn’t in my dictionary. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016/160 "2003-05-22T07:50:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shep proudfoot \* > If someone in public called me an asswipe, I would kick his ass. Gosh, I’m really impressed by how macho you are.:rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-getting-tired-of-the-pc-police-on-this-board/176016.md?page=9)