How far is too far in terms of political correctness?

[Laize]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against insisting on calling people what they are (A female Congressional Representative is obviously NOT a Congressman, etc) but that's just it... political correctness today isn't even calling people what they are anymore.

The one that grinds my gears more than any other is "African American". This is for a number of reasons.

1) Not all black people are from Africa! Haitians, Dominicans and many other people who hail from any tropical nation are black, light brown or otherwise dark skinned.

2) Not all Africans are black! 10% of the South African population is white while many people in Northern Africa descend from the tribes of Arabia.

3) Black people living in America are not "African American" unless they were native-born in an African nation! I'm Irish. You don't see me going around demanding to be called an Irish-American because I'm not from Ireland. My great grandfather was, not me! So why should I call a black person who's 4th/5th generation or more in this country "African American"? It seems incredibly stupid.

Is it just me? Am I the only one who sees this?!

[Adam Jensen]

I think it's going too far because most people will get, from the context of what you are saying, that you are talking about black people.

And the term "congressman" is gender neutral in my book. So what if the word "man" is at the end, does it really matter? Besides, I prefer the term "congresscritter."

[Flatspriest]

And the term "congressman" is gender neutral in my book. So what if the word "man" is at the end, does it really matter? Besides, I prefer the term "congresscritter."

Personally, the term "F'ing Liar" is a better fit for those in politics.

[Laize]

Personally, the term "F'ing Liar" is a better fit for those in politics.

Not all of them. Just the huge majority. For whatever it's worth Chris Christie has done everything he promised he'd do.

[Winterbane]

I refuse to put a foreign nation's name before a person's nationality. If you're American, you're american. We all came from different countries and skin color means jack and squat as far as a persons worth is concerned. No one calls me a Norwegian-American just because I have ancestors from Norway, so why would I do that to anyone else? To me, feeling the need to apply such a specification before a persons nationality is just another form of separation and racism. If you want to be politically correct, then accept a person as one of your own. Simple as that.

[roflwaffle]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against insisting on calling people what they are (A female Congressional Representative is obviously NOT a Congressman, etc) but that's just it... political correctness today isn't even calling people what they are anymore.

The one that grinds my gears more than any other is "African American". This is for a number of reasons.

1) Not all black people are from Africa! Haitians, Dominicans and many other people who hail from any tropical nation are black, light brown or otherwise dark skinned.

2) Not all Africans are black! 10% of the South African population is white while many people in Northern Africa descend from the tribes of Arabia.

3) Black people living in America are not "African American" unless they were native-born in an African nation! I'm Irish. You don't see me going around demanding to be called an Irish-American because I'm not from Ireland. My great grandfather was, not me! So why should I call a black person who's 4th/5th generation or more in this country "African American"? It seems incredibly stupid.

Is it just me? Am I the only one who sees this?!

it's a general term to cover the wide range of possibilities. like saying American instead of Californian, just a broader localization.

as for the Congressman thing, it doesn't bother me cause just cause it has man at the end doesnt make it gender specific, i mean we dont have to call ladies huwomen... yet.

[crakerjack]

Not really sure what you're getting at, but when I see someone who is black or I hang out with one of my friends who is black... typically I call them by their name or nigga w/e works with them (don't even dare give me a fraction for nigga, there's BIG difference between the two and if you haven't been immersed in the black community, then you don't have any say on whether or not who is entitled to say that. It's not demeaning, it's like dog, homie, bro, man etc.) But yea, if I see some black dude walking, I'll refer to him as black... not saying everytime i see a black person i'll say that, but if there's something to say about someone who is black, I typically say look at that black guy or black nigga.

[Nakura Chambers]

Not all of them. Just the huge majority. For whatever it's worth Chris Christie has done everything he promised he'd do.

That doesn't make him any less of a terrible human being.

[Adam Jensen]

it's a general term to cover the wide range of possibilities. like saying American instead of Californian, just a broader localization.

as for the Congressman thing, it doesn't bother me cause just cause it has man at the end doesnt make it gender specific, i mean we dont have to call ladies huwomen... yet.

Womyn. *grimace*

Which is interesting because:

In Old English sources, the word "man" was gender-neutral, with a meaning similar to the modern English usage of "one" as an indefinite pronoun. The words wer and wyf were used to specify a man or woman where necessary, respectively. Combining them into wer-man or wyf-man expressed the concept of "any man" or "any woman." Over time, wer-man was simplified to man while wyf-man developed into woman.[3][4] Feminist writers have suggested that the less prejudicial usage of the Old English sources reflects more egalitarian notions of gender at the time.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Womyn

Man is gender neutral, at least, it use to be, referring to humanity, while the suffix placed in front is what determined gender. Wyfman and werman.

[Baratheon]

I refuse to put a foreign nation's name before a person's nationality. If you're American, you're american. We all came from different countries and skin color means jack and squat as far as a persons worth is concerned. No one calls me a Norwegian-American just because I have ancestors from Norway, so why would I do that to anyone else? To me, feeling the need to apply such a specification before a persons nationality is just another form of separation and racism. If you want to be politically correct, then accept a person as one of your own. Simple as that.

I agree but what if you are trying to describe someone to police or whoever? Yea... officer it was an "american" who stole my ice cream....

[Laize]

That doesn't make him any less of a terrible human being.

I happen to think he's a very capable governor and all-around reasonable guy. Fuck me, right?

[Rukentuts]

I happen to think he's a very capable governor and all-around reasonable guy. Fuck me, right?

But he's a RINO! That means all right wingers need to hate his guts!

[Laize]

I agree but what if you are trying to describe someone to police or whoever? Yea... officer it was an "american" who stole my ice cream....

How about you actually describe the person? "Yes officer, the guy who stole my ice cream cone was a black man, looked like mid-20s and about 180 cm tall with a medium build." Sounds reasonable to me.

[Adam Jensen]

I agree but what if you are trying to describe someone to police or whoever? Yea... officer it was an "american" who stole my ice cream....

And you wouldn't use the term Norwegian-American because it's not very distinctive. I mean, what traits does a Norwegian have that distinguishes him from non-Norwegians? Whereas if you used the term African American, people will assume you're talking about a black person, even if technically people like Dave Matthews or Charlize Theron, if they have American citizenships, would be African Americans.

[hakujinbakasama]

Watch any current USA News or Television show... That's too far.

[Winterbane]

I agree but what if you are trying to describe someone to police or whoever? Yea... officer it was an "american" who stole my ice cream....

Same way as you would with any person. Having light or dark skin is just a descriptor of physical makeup, nothing more. Did the person have an accent, what could it be mostly likened to? Did they have any scars? How tall where they? What color was their hair?

In fact, I daresay that if you attempt to apply a nationality to a person as a generality, you may inadvertently provide misinformation if you guess the wrong country.

[Nakura Chambers]

But he's a RINO! That means all right wingers need to hate his guts!

Nice strawman, I never said anything about him being a "RINO" or whatever.

[Rukentuts]

Nice strawman, I never said anything about him being a "RINO" or whatever.

I was being satirical about FOX News and their cognitively deficient viewership.

[Laize]

Nice strawman, I never said anything about him being a "RINO" or whatever.

You also never said why you think he's a terrible guy... which sounds pretty far fetched given that he's got a 70% approval rating as a Republican governor in a heavily blue state.

[Nakura Chambers]

You also never said why you think he's a terrible guy... which sounds pretty far fetched given that he's got a 70% approval rating as a Republican governor in a heavily blue state.

He said he wants to destroy the Constitution.