PC Police

The BBQ Pit
1

Mind you, I’m a member and a product of Liberal Arts Academe. I called down a student in class the other day for referring to the Backstreet Boys as “backdoor boys” and “fags,” because I know that kind of language is silencing. But honestly, nearly every time I see a thread that points out something interesting, funny, or hell, even boring, someone jumps in and blows the PC whistle.

Some examples (and I’m not going to hunt for the threads–they’ve all been active recently so you’ve probably seen them):

The “types of homeless” thread. Abso-fucking-lutely hilarious. Someone jumps in and says, “Were you ever homeless?” or something to that effect. Well, shit. Making fun of the homeless electronically is like a comedian ragging on the Amish on HBO. Who are you excluding?

Language Nazis. 'Nuff said. No, not 'nuff said. For chrissake, the language evolves and words lose impact.

Gay “lifestyle”

“Someone said nigger”

And the final straw, in GD someone in the creationist vs. evolutionist thread got on the evolutionists for making fun of the creationists. “Just because they don’t agree with you doesn’t mean they deserve to be made fun of. They’re people too and deserve respect, not ridicule.” Bullshit. Nobody deserves respect, people earn respect. I expect people to be idiots until they prove otherwise–that way I’m rarely disappointed and sometimes pleasantly surprised.

Point in fact, and I hate to sound like someone who calls affirmative action “reverse discrimination,” but being PC Police is silencing to those who have opinions that don’t fit in the “be nice to everyone no matter how big a loser he/she is” mindset.

My cent-and-a-half’s worth
(I’m a TA–I can’t afford any more than that)

2

Thank you!

That bugs the crap out of me too. I’m a dyed in the wool bleeding heart liberal, but I have a twisted sense of humor. I contributed to that Homeless thread you cited and I thought it was funny too. Then the PC cop came in and totally harshed my buzz (if you’ll excuse the vernacular). I feel for the plight of the homeless as well as others less fortunate than I, but I just can’t jump on every platform and gush from my cockles about how sad it is, and how we should all link arms and sing “We Shall Overcome” until the problem fixes itself.
But I tend to leave the preachers alone because I know they mean well.

So thank you for saying what needed to be said.

3

“Making fun of the homeless electronically is like a comedian ragging on the Amish on HBO. Who are you excluding?”

You’d be surprised at what might come back to bite you in the ass when you least expect it.

4

Oh, you missed another one, Stof—Ukulele Ike’s thread on how WWI pop culture was more enjoyable than WWII pop culture.

Several people have limped in to whine, “All wars are awful because people die! This thread is so trite!”

5

A rabid online hobo and/or his eDog?

ow who threw that?

6

Yeah, you must be gutted that your enjoyment was ruined by people debating the homeless issue. Just out of interest, were you ever homeless?

7

Some people forget that sometimes laughing about serious, depressing subjects is the best way to cope with them.

8

Please tell me that this was a pathetic attempt at sarcasm and not just extending the very thing that the OP was bitching about into the thread.

You know what phrase makes me laugh?

  • Baby-kicking. *
    Would I kick a baby?
    Would I even consider it?
    Am I in any way condoning it?
    Nyet.

But damn…kicking…* babies *

Alright, now who wants to be the first in line to eviscerate me for that?
Queue starts here:

9

what a humorless drone! I get so tired of people who can’t laugh and have to put on an air of po-faced seriousness to show that they are better people Because They Care.

10

For fucks sake he was joking you tits.

11

Yeah, really good. And how about, wait for it, raping old people!!! Laugh it up!

12

C’mon goboy, don’t you know it should be Because They Care.

(The emphasis is always apparent in the tone of this phrase.)

13

Hey! I’ve been homeless!

So?

I agree. Lighten the fuck up.

(because everyone cares what I think.)

14

How can you see my face from there, goboy?

15

Boy, the PC police must HATE South Park!

People tend to make fun of things that make them nervous or scares them. It is a pressure release valve.

There have been times in my life when homelessness was less than a paycheck away. When staring it in the eye like that, sometimes it helped to laugh at it a little. People who get on their high horse about laughing at something they think it’s inappropriate to laugh at probably has never come face to face with the problem or issue. They’re usually the “I feel your pain” type.

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[pulpit]My point is, I’m not very PC, and speaking for myself, don’t know any homeless people, have never been homeless, but if I was taking the piss, which has been known, and someone took offence, I wouldn’t tell 'em to lighten up, cos I don’t know what they’ve been through. It’s all about the company you’re telling it to, I reckon. Telling racist jokes wouldn’t go down too well if you’re a white guy in the Bronx (tell them to lighten up, Myrr21 & goboy), telling nazi jokes wouldn’t go down too well talking to some jews/germans, etc. You get the picture. It’s a bit linked to the “nigger” thread, also in the Pit. It’s more acceptable to make a joke if you’re part OF the joke. If you’re not, it can come across as insensitive. Say as politically-incorrect stuff as you want, but don’t be surprised if someone takes you up on it. A lot of people are reading out there, and it ain’t all humour material for everyone.[/pulpit]

17

::tossing hat into the “gives a flying fuck about what ** Hamadryad ** thinks” ring::

Look ** Biffer Spice: ** You’ve obviously got a lot to learn. Raping old people just isn’t funny. What the hell is wrong with you, you goddamn perv? Kicking babies is funny. Freezing small children in liquid nitrogen is. Getting mauled by the online incarnation of the bum at York and 31st is.
Online…homeless…mauling!!
eBums.com (now I have to go see if that’s actually a site; damn it)

18

I just want to thank Jack Batty for refraining from gushing from his cockles.

19

Isn’t it just amazing that Biffer Spice showed up saying that we had to be sensitive to others?

Look, I don’t get all up in arms about people making fun of the “ivory tower” (like I don’t have bills and life to deal with), or the militant feminists who think that all white men are oppressive rapists, or veggies of any sort who think that omnivores are murderers–but isn’t that the same thing that the PC are doing to others?

Another example, this time from the other side. Some of you may have seen this; I don’t know how national the story has become. Here in SC, we have this BBQ joint guy (if you can call it BBQ–it’s mustard based) named Maurice Bessinger. Maurice is an unabashed racist and segregationist. He actually went to the Supreme Court in 1976 to protect his “religious beliefs” in not allowing blacks to eat in his restaurants. That’s not a typo, that’s nineteen-seventy-six. When the Confederate flag was taken off of the Statehouse here, Maurice protested by removing the US flag from his restaurants, and putting the state flag over the Confederate flag. This in turn led to investigation of his beliefs, which led to the discovery that he sells–currently–tracts and tapes that claim that slavery of foreigners is Biblically sanctioned.

Shortly afterward Sam’s, Wal-Mart, Food Lion, and a few other grocery stores dropped his BBQ sauce. Now we’ve got protesters and letters to the editor claiming that Maurice’s right to free speech is being denied because other businesses are deciding what to sell or what to leave off the shelves.

My point: I fully support Maurice’s right to sell whatever the hell he wants, as long as he doesn’t exclude anyone from entering his place of business. I fully support his right to fly the fucking hammer and sickle if he wants. I also fully support the right of whatever store to refuse to carry products that are offensive to their customers. Freedom of speech works both ways, and there are a lot of us liberals (yes, that’s us liberals) who are trying to shut it down.

Folks, there’s a difference between hate speech and fun. Get it through your heads that not everything negative is evil. I enjoy the latest version of nigger/polack/blonde joke because I know that it’s not true in every case. I also enjoy dumbass professor jokes, even though I’ve never had a student say “Do you know who I am?” and stick a final in a pile. I enjoy lawyer jokes even though I know good people who practice law. I love HMO jokes even though my wife works for one–one of the better ones–and tell them to her. I like jokes that play on the stereotypes of both women and men, and send them on to my wife, my mother, and my father.

But I guess if you’re a white, able-bodied, heterosexual male, you have to put up with that, huh?

20

Well, maybe if you bought me dinner first.