# un-PC beliefs **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 2, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823 "2010-10-02T05:46:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/141 "2010-10-06T23:05:09Z")
Several. While individual Muslims are upstanding people the vast majority of the time, Islam is a culture and philosophy of political conquest more than it is a religion. That said, I have problem with zealots no matter what their faith. If someone attacks you and you don’t try to put a stop to them and their actions to the best of your ability, or if taken by surprise/overpowered at least report the attack to the authorities and actively participate in the investigation and prosecution, you are every bit as culpable as the attacker themselves for the next victim. It’s perfectly fine to throw the first punch when it’s obvious a situation is going to turn into a fight, and there’s no such thing as fighting fair. Illegal immigrants should be rounded up and deported. That goes for the 50,000 Irish illegals estimated to be in NYC as much as it does for the 12 million Latinos. It’s not a racial thing. The only thing wrong with Eisenhower’s Operation Wetback was the name. Government should not provide any kind of “social safety net”. It should maintain the logistical infrastructure, mediate disputes, provide for defense and a few similar obligations. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/142 "2010-10-06T23:13:06Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > The French are right in kicking Gypsies/Roma out of the country. They’re a group that, for the most part, refuses to assimilate, camps out on private property without the owner’s permission, and makes their living on petty theft and scam artistry. Yes, there’s Roma who have settled down, assimilated, gotten legitimate careers, and so on, but they’re in a very, very small minority. As long as Roma are prevented from legitimate work by placing conditions on legitimate employment that force them to violate their moral code, they should steal with a clear conscience targeting especially the jerks that make it difficult to find legimate work. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/143 "2010-10-06T23:45:24Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Well, then here’s my answer, and one of my un PC beliefs, all rolled up into one. I think it’s not the school system at all, but the thought process behind it. I believe lots and lots of American are actually anti-intellectualism. Just look at all of the hubbub with Obama and his damn arugula. Book learning is considered high-brow and elitist, and this starts right from the parents who are content to have their children bring home Cs. And it won’t change until we change our whole attitude on education. This is mine. And I’m not sure it’s actually an un-PC belief. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/144 "2010-10-07T05:58:45Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > F’instance, Memphis City Schools have a perpetual problem with students starting school weeks after the beginning of the school year, because the parents think (or say they think) that nothing really happens the first few weeks of classes. In many cases the offending parents can’t be arsed to find out when school begins and affect to be surprised when they learn their children are basically truant. Not to say you are wrong, but in situations like this it’s always worth considering a new perspective. Just as an exercise, try thinking “What if this is an example of the school not meeting the student’s needs?” rather than the other way around. We had this problem in Cameroon- students would just kind of drift in during the first few weeks due to harvests- and we developed strategies for working with that. Honestly I think that was a clear case of the schools not suiting the student’s needs. The insistance on keeping an outmoded colonial French schedule was not compatible with the reality of modern Africa, which is that students have to harvest stuff in fall. Of course, these strategies wouldn’t be appropriate in modern America, but trying to look at where that disconnect is from both sides may be more likely to yield a good solution. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/145 "2010-10-07T06:06:17Z")
> [@ZPG\_Zealot](#): > > > [@elmwood](#): > > > > The French are right in kicking Gypsies/Roma out of the country. They’re a group that, for the most part, refuses to assimilate, camps out on private property without the owner’s permission, and makes their living on petty theft and scam artistry. Yes, there’s Roma who have settled down, assimilated, gotten legitimate careers, and so on, but they’re in a very, very small minority. > > As long as Roma are prevented from legitimate work by placing conditions on legitimate employment that force them to violate their moral code, they should steal with a clear conscience targeting especially the jerks that make it difficult to find legimate work. I’m not familiar with the Roma moral code. Can you tell me more about it? ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/146 "2010-10-07T06:09:50Z")
I’m guessing it has something to do with Zealot’s individual, pathological aversion to shaking hands, rationalized as “the moral code of my people.” ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/147 "2010-10-07T06:41:46Z")
Another probably un-PC\* one from me: That an awful lot of customs involving ritual purity, all around the world, stemmed from various people in time immemorial who were influential, probably perfectly wise and just, perhaps even saintly, and happened to suffer from undiagnosable Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. And either rationalized the symptoms as some divine impulse, or just tried to cover for them so other people wouldn’t think they were crazy. \*depending on how you define “PC,” and where you stand in the political aisle. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/148 "2010-10-07T08:50:19Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > > [@moejoe](#): > > > > It is my firm unPC belief that they are having the babies because the babies make it easier to get the welfare. > > They don’t have any business having babies, but they don’t have babies to game the system; they don’t understand the system. They’re having tons of babies because they don’t know about, understand, or will use birth control cause they’re staunch Catholics. My SO’s little sisters are Latin American, and one of their biological mothers is a legal assistant/paralegal. She makes a good living with health insurance and benefits, has her own apartment, is a white collar professional in a major city. She, however, has had FOUR babies, all adopted by good homes in the US. Why? Cause she has sex in a Catholic country, that’s why. Obviously she’s much more educated - she goes to the local adoption clinic, informs them of her situation, etc. She takes prenatal vitamins, doesn’t drink or smoke when pregnant, etc. But in spite of all that she’s _still_ had 4 kids by age 35 that she didn’t want because of the lack of birth control. Honestly… this is kind of a stretch. An adult professional woman has FOUR (4) out of wedlock children, and in this context she can and will have unprotected sex in non-married relationships, but she can’t muster the power to say “no” to penis, or make better choices, or even bother to use a condom. It’s “because of the lack of birth control”. Somehow the “I blame society” meme looks a bit weak this particular scenario. ---
**Author:** ![Dcypher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@Dcypher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dcypher)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/149 "2010-10-07T18:00:02Z")
I think that the history of bigotry towards blacks has created a black culture of dependency, thugism and dislike of other blacks who work themselves into success. I think that white society is producing bratty shits of little use to themselves or others. I really don’t care what Israel does to Palestine, what Africans do to Africans or what the North Koreans do. I don’t think that we as a nation should be exporting weapons or morals elsewhere. When we care for our own people as well as we should and when hunger isn’t happening here, then let’s export our ‘solutions.’ I think Corporate executives are overpaid and the cozy relationship between Government/corporate executes and their minion BODs are little more than glorified corruption. I am afraid that the money associated with drugs will eventually turn every government into a corrupt mass and that drug laws are wrong because we have no right to say what people can do with their bodies; we just shouldn’t have to pay for the results of others’ choices. I smoke. I like smoking. I am absolutely unrepentent. Something will eventually kill me and that is my choice. This taxing of cigarettes/tobacco is ox goring at its finest and thievery on the part of Government. I am responsible for the choice and I am equally responsible for the consequence. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/150 "2010-10-07T18:41:25Z")
80% of the formal education in this country after the age of 13 is worthless. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/151 "2010-10-07T19:12:39Z")
> [@astro](#): > > > [@lindsaybluth](#): > > > > She, however, has had FOUR babies, all adopted by good homes in the US. Why? Cause she has sex in a Catholic country, that’s why. Obviously she’s much more educated - she goes to the local adoption clinic, informs them of her situation, etc. She takes prenatal vitamins, doesn’t drink or smoke when pregnant, etc. But in spite of all that she’s _still_ had 4 kids by age 35 that she didn’t want because of the lack of birth control. > > Honestly… this is kind of a stretch. An adult professional woman has FOUR (4) out of wedlock children, and in this context she can and will have unprotected sex in non-married relationships, but she can’t muster the power to say “no” to penis, or make better choices, or even bother to use a condom. It’s “because of the lack of birth control”. > > Somehow the “I blame society” meme looks a bit weak this particular scenario. If she’s been having sex since 17 and she’s (by now) 42, then in 25 years only getting knocked up 4 times is an _achievement_. Who knows if she knew or used condoms early in her life, either. Condoms, when used properly (and they very often aren’t) are only 85% effective. 95% of Americans have sex before marriage, so you’re “unprotected sex in non married relationships” rant is really thin. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/152 "2010-10-07T19:28:07Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Condoms, when used properly (and they very often aren’t) are only 85% effective. [Actually, condoms are 86% effective when used _improperly_. Used properly they are 97% effective.](http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/malecontraceptives1.html) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/153 "2010-10-07T19:45:09Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > > [@astro](#): > > > > Honestly… this is kind of a stretch. An adult professional woman has FOUR (4) out of wedlock children, and in this context she can and will have unprotected sex in non-married relationships, but she can’t muster the power to say “no” to penis, or make better choices, or even bother to use a condom. It’s “because of the lack of birth control”. > > > > Somehow the “I blame society” meme looks a bit weak this particular scenario. > > If she’s been having sex since 17 and she’s (by now) 42, then in 25 years only getting knocked up 4 times is an _achievement_. Who knows if she knew or used condoms early in her life, either. Condoms, when used properly (and they very often aren’t) are only 85% effective. > > 95% of Americans have sex before marriage, so you’re “unprotected sex in non married relationships” rant is really thin. It’s not a rant, and it’s hardly a moral judgement to observe that an intelligent professional woman who has had 4 out of wedlock children she gives up for adoption, and chooses not to modify her sexual behavior doesn’t have much standing to point the finger at society. Regardless of how the morality of her behavior is judged, operationally it’s self indulgent and stupid. ---
**Author:** ![SpartanDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@SpartanDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpartanDC)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/154 "2010-10-07T20:30:11Z")
Corporate-owned businesses are often better than “mom and pop” operations. While there will always be extreme examples (Wal-Mart forces its prices so low that the only way for suppliers to meet them is to exploit foreign labor), there’s nothing wrong with a large, faceless entity taking advantage of economies of scale to best the locally-based competition. This is especially true for retail, but even works with restaurants – I’d rather eat at Chipotle (which has to worry about a public image, investors, etc.) than the two-bit burrito shack down the street. The big exceptions to this are places where clientele and character are among their selling points – bars are a great example. Western medicine is AWESOME. While the business practices of pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies are often loathsome, from a purely scientific view, the achievements of Western medicine are mindblowing. As a corollary, I think most “eastern” or “holistic” remedies are pure bullshit. I actually am of the “a pox on both their houses” view on Israel/Palestine. To elaborate, I support the idea of democratic state in the Middle East, but not one that treats its minority groups the way Israel does. Meanwhile, I like the idea of a Palestinian state, but don’t know if I can support one unless said entity can completely divorce itself from antisemitism and terrorist acts/organizations. So far, I don’t think that’s happened. Some cultures are inherently backward. There is no “context” that makes Indian culture’s views on interracial marriages a good thing, and no “rationale” for things like burqas. The overwhelming majority overweight people are in the condition they’re in due to their lack of impulse control and willpower. Same for people in debt – and that includes myself. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/155 "2010-10-07T21:01:28Z")
> [@moejoe](#): > > Ok, here we go: > > I get pissed when I see a mexican family who speak no english and have no money but have a bunch of kids. Sure, you want to come here and make a better life ok, that’s great, but can’t you get your shit together a little bit before you start adding to your family? > > I mean what kind of sense does that make? You can’t speak the language and you make your meager living off whatever truck picks you up in the parking lot at Walmart for a day’s work, but you’re having babies like a Rockafeller. > > It is my firm unPC belief that they are having the babies because the babies make it easier to get the welfare. > > There, I said it. Not really going to comment either way on this, but let me ask: Mexican not speaking English, having no money, and enough kids to start their own baseball team living in the US = bad. Mexican not speaking English, having no money, and enough kids to start their own baseball team living in Mexico = ??? Are you against the whole principle, or just because it’s in the US? (Not really criticizing, just fleshing out your whole feelings on the issue.) The birthrate in third world countries is a lot higher than first world (some first world countries have negative population growth), but no one complains when a mother has six kids in Africa or Asia (except for China, but that isn’t a third world country). Is it universally wrong everywhere, or just here? ---
**Author:** ![panman\_1960](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@panman\_1960](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panman_1960)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/156 "2010-10-07T21:07:43Z")
Anti discrimination laws don’t apply to old white guys. later, Tom. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/157 "2010-10-07T21:36:13Z")
> [@astro](#): > > It’s not a rant, and it’s hardly a moral judgement to observe that an intelligent professional woman who has had 4 out of wedlock children she gives up for adoption, and chooses not to modify her sexual behavior doesn’t have much standing to point the finger at society. Regardless of how the morality of her behavior is judged, operationally it’s self indulgent and stupid. She’s not pointing the finger, I am. Operationally I think it’s the best given the situation. I don’t think sex for many people is self indulgent and stupid. I think it’s much more biological than that. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/158 "2010-10-08T01:55:41Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > > [@astro](#): > > > > It’s not a rant, and it’s hardly a moral judgement to observe that an intelligent professional woman who has had 4 out of wedlock children she gives up for adoption, and chooses not to modify her sexual behavior doesn’t have much standing to point the finger at society. Regardless of how the morality of her behavior is judged, operationally it’s self indulgent and stupid. > > She’s not pointing the finger, I am. Operationally I think it’s the best given the situation. I don’t think sex for many people is self indulgent and stupid. I think it’s much more biological than that. Unprotected sex is self indulgent and stupid unless it’s your goal to be making babies for adoption, you just plain enjoy being pregnant, or you’re getting paid somehow for the babies. Using a condom (correctly) and diligently is not going to yield four kids over a human generation of sexual activity. She’s obviously riding bareback most of the time to generate that many kids. People are not rutting animals and they can make rational decisions about how to conduct their sexual lives, especially an educated professional. You’d think something would have changed behaviorwise after the first or second kid. ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/159 "2010-10-08T08:47:36Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > I don’t think wearing fur is any worse than eating meat. Same here ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823/160 "2010-10-08T09:02:39Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > The birthrate in third world countries is a lot higher than first world (some first world countries have negative population growth), but no one complains when a mother has six kids in Africa or Asia (except for China, but that isn’t a third world country). Is it universally wrong everywhere, or just here? un-PC response: it’s those countries’ problems, not ours. By analogy, it’s sad that there are heroin junkies anywhere, but if one broke into your house and started shooting up in your living room, would you complain more loudly about that then about the junkie doing it in his own house down the street? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/un-pc-beliefs/555823.md?page=9)