Here are some other examples of Political Correctness Gone Mad.
There's the ludicrous re-naming of one of our favourite puddings as ''Spotted Richard'' - many people won't say Spotted Dick any more because dick is slang for a penis. Never mind that Dick is a perfectly acceptable diminutive for the name Richard, but Dick originally just meant ''pudding'', so it was a spotted pudding because of the dried fruit in it.
People have been censured for using the word ''niggardly'' because it sounds like the ''N'' word, though it simply means... well, mean/stingy. That's more a case of gross ignorance than political incorrectness. (But strangely, no one seems to object to the word 'snigger', do they?)
The use of ''Chair'' drives me nuts. I am Chairman of my town's U3A (University of the Third Age). The term Chairman is not gender specific. I don't like being called the Chair, much less Chairwoman - and as for Chairperson... puh-lease!!!
You can't say ''blackboard'' any more; it has to be called a chalk board - though you can have a whiteboard without any problems.
Basically, PC Gone Mad has made many people avoid using phrases which contain ''man'' or ''black'', so instead of asking for a black coffee I'm supposed to ask for a coffee without milk, lest I offend anyone. A ''manhole'' in the road is now a utility hole.
These are the kind of things I meant, Roger, but there are loads more examples. Being offended (especially on someone else's behalf) has become some people's raison d'étre - no offence to the French intended!
Jayne
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