I wouldn't.. it sounds too much like McCarthy mixed with a social worker from Haringay telling one you just committed a hate crime because you didn't eat up your Aloo Ghobi.
And yet, and yet... I have never laughed about a joke involving black people, women, or any form of disability. I couldn't possibly have sat through that Borat film...
I get quite irate when people make dismissive comments about other nations - in fact I am absolutely allergic to any type of nationalism. "Proud to be so and so"? Why? It is accidental.
Your country may not even care about you very much ( Gary McKinnon!) whilst you're being proud....
So I'd better face up to it :
I hate stereotyping, prejudice and judgmental attitudes.. I am therefore officially PC!
But hang on... do I have no prejudices then?
Do I not get a bit shifty when a group of young black men is walking towards me in town?
Do I not laugh hysterically when a gay friend does a malicious impression of a camp hairdresser?
What exactly is my attitude towards, say, a British hen party?
Oh dear oh dear .. all getting a bit murky here!
What's your take on Prejudice- Stereotype- Political Correctness?
You have hit the nail on the head! We all have prejudices, but we don't all act on them. Awareness of our prejudice is the key to not being bigoted!
ReplyDeleteMy blood runs cold if I enter a pub and there is a hen party, or I pass a gaggle of hens on the street. It's not my thing at all but I'm aware of my feelings and I don't want the individual women / hens to be treated unfairly in anyway. I just wish they didn't make so much noise but I believe they have a right to have a hen party and behave however they like as long as they don't harm anyone or anything.
The world of comedy, is based on political uncorrectness, without it there would be no comedy. All jokes are about a "difference", it doesn't have to be malicious at all to be a joke, but a misunderstanding or lack of knowledge about a country, religion, gender etc. usually makes the best joke especially if funny from both sides.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alan, we have to be able to laugh about other people's views, forms, appearance, anything. Often it's the most least political correct jokes that are the funniest.
ReplyDeleteBut I also agree with you Margit, I hate nationalism, or fervent religiousness. But sometimes I think we are all being so very sensible, and so very fair,to the point that this in itself causes friction. Just being human causes friction, so all we can do is try to be fair and aware of unjust behaviour.
Look at me, I have single-handedly caused a prejudice against people who wear animal print...! Helena xx
I have to tell you i have never laughed so much for such a long time at Borat I hate religion as it causes so much trouble and that is all religion as the scene in Borat with the American christians terrified me as much as any fundamentalist could x
ReplyDeleteMaking ill informed public judgements based on prejudice rather than experience and facts is something that can easily give offence. Working against this - the PC agenda, I guess - has to make sense. But if it becomes a bullying attitude, where freedom of thought and speech is the victim, then I am no longer sympathetic. And not at all sympathetic if the law of the land sees a supposed hate crime as a more serious offence than say grievous bodily harm. This is the realm of madness....now what country do I live in, let me check...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anonymous above.
ReplyDeleteWe're all bigoted about some things, whether we admit it or not.
What's dangerous, is when PC people get all self-righteous and start trying to deny the bigots freedom of speech and all manner of human rights, making the supposedly non-bigoted as bad as the bigots.
I don't think anyone is as pure as the driven snow as far as bigotry is concerned, most of us need to keep an eye on our strong opinions and watch out for PC smugness and self-righteous intolerance.
The whole idea behind 'being' politically correct is that exactly. 'Being' PC. So it's clearly different from the way you feel personally about nationality, or races etc etc. Saying what you need to say to 'sound' PC is what we all do in daily life. Afterall, whether we like to admit it or not, most of us are active image managers and modify the way we're perceived by people, in different social settings.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with your point on your nationality being accidental. I can relate to it more, having been brought up in India, but being forced to change the way I think, dress, speak and much more, to adjust to life in the US. And yes, our country doesn't even care we exist.
I guess we can't escape having an ingrained point of view on a controversial subject, owing to our upbringing or education or cultural exposure. The key is to just keep an open mind and take people for who they are. I can't say I'm not prejudiced. I have deep prejudices against my own countrymen - Indians. But I'm working on it. :-)