Oh just FUCK OFF!!

Sissyfoo

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3545471.stm

~takes Greer's political correctness and shoves it where the sun don't shine~

All this political correctness crap is getting a bit too much. If I refer to someone as a 'girl' in the office I'm not f'kin putting her down or belittling her. Jeeeeez...

Next time my boss refers to me and my hard working amigo as 'the boys' I am gonna sue her ass for sexual discrimination!!

Don't get me wrong, I am all for equality in the work place but I think that this is over the top.
 

Ala

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Bonnie Greer said:
To use the term political correctness is one of the laziest things you can say. It's a cliché and it has absolutely no meaning.......
People can call themselves whatever they like. But it fascinates me that a woman as high-powered as Ann, of great stature, would be content to be called a girl.....
We should look at the way women are addressed, especially in the workplace, and if the word "girl" is used in a derogative way, in which it is used against boys on the playing field.

I don't see anything over the top with this womans opinion.
 

BlitheringIdiot

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I take the sam epoint of view as sissy (an extreme version of what anne whitecombe believes).

To a certain extent ala, I guess you 'arent qualified to comment' as I would consider it quite a british thing. Some of my family are welsh and they commonly call each other 'twats', and find it endeering.

Though I am curious to know what other females think of this? I have no problem with being called a boy, 'silly litle boy' perhaps but thats not the fault of the word 'boy' and it most certainly shouldnt become a bad word.
 

Ala

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I think Bonnie makes an interesting point. It's not about being PC. Anne's comment about "Haven't we more important things to worry about?" is a classic, transparent, diversionary tactic, used when no more argument can be found.
My interpretation of what Bonnie wrote, is that we can call each other whatever we want of course, but that to call a woman a girl is unusual and odd in her point of view. Now correct me if I'm wrong but .... why are you all getting so worked up about someones point of view??

And BI I most certainly am qualified and will post my opinion. If you had even read the article you would have noticed that Bonnie is American. So stating that only UK peeps can have a valued opinion on this article is rubbish.
 

BlitheringIdiot

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Ala said:
I think Bonnie makes an interesting point. It's not about being PC. Anne's comment about "Haven't we more important things to worry about?" is a classic, transparent, diversionary tactic, used when no more argument can be found.
Anne isnt like that though, if this was a serious issue that the nation was desperately grappling with then i have no doubt in my mind that she would come up with a billion and one arguements against making it politically incorrect. Shes just a very arrogant person and so genuinely does dismiss things that she doesnt see as important.

Ala said:
My interpretation of what Bonnie wrote, is that we can call each other whatever we want of course, but that to call a woman a girl is unusual and odd in her point of view. Now correct me if I'm wrong but .... why are you all getting so worked up about someones point of view??
Sorry to bring it up, but 4-5 people had negative points of view about you. What else can she think other than her point of view? Or did i miss the point.

Ala said:
And BI I most certainly am qualified and will post my opinion. If you had even read the article you would have noticed that Bonnie is American. So stating that only UK peeps can have a valued opinion on this article is rubbish.
I have read the article, right through (including all the readers comments, the only person there who has a problem is also American). I think you'll find that the lady doesnt experience it in her own country, only ours. So it IS something british, I'm curios to know what british females think of this.
Im sorry if you thought I was dismissing your opinon, because I wasnt. At the same time I wont be starting an invasion on wales to get the word 'twat' made politically incorrect.
 

Sissyfoo

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To be honest I think it is a british thing to refer to young women as girls and young men as boys.

i.e. Girl's night out, Boy's night out etc. etc.

I'm just pissed off with this american author because...well, probably because I'm tired and grouchy. :)

~shrug~

Guess me no like PC facists telling me that I am insulting an entire gender when I'm not. It kinda grates at the nerves to have someone essentially calling me a sexist bastard because of the way my 'culture' behaves. :|
 

Ala

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BlitheringIdiot said:
Anne isnt like that though, if this was a serious issue that the nation was desperately grappling with then i have no doubt in my mind that she would come up with a billion and one arguements against making it politically incorrect. Shes just a very arrogant person and so genuinely does dismiss things that she doesnt see as important.
So no one outside the UK should ever hear anything this woman has to say let alone comment on it because ..."Anne isn't like that ... and if only you were British, you'd understand". If your nation was grappling with a serious issue and Anne had to communicate with other politicians throughout the world, God help you all because no one else can interpret what she is saying :p
After listening to the audio of the transcript, which sheds alot more light on the article with the use of tone and expression, I think Anne sounds like a very old fashioned thinker and Bonnie sounds like a very intelligent and forward thinking person. <<< my opinion!


BlitheringIdiot said:
Sorry to bring it up
rofl! yeah right, that's sincere I guess :rolleyes:


BlitheringIdiot said:
I have read the article, right through (including all the readers comments, the only person there who has a problem is also American). I think you'll find that the lady doesnt experience it in her own country, only ours. So it IS something british, I'm curios to know what british females think of this.
You've read an article that has maybe 10 peoples opinion on the topic in it....we live in a world of millions :shockz0r!: Ms Greer never mentioned that she hasn't experienced it anywhere else.
I'm sure you will hear from British women on this topic...although there aren't many women on this forum really. So making a point of telling one of the few women that her post and opinion aren't really valid is kinda shit really BI. Regardless of where I'm from I am a woman and this article is about women. Besides all that I do have an opinion and like you, I have a right to express it.

BlitheringIdiot said:
Im sorry if you thought I was dismissing your opinon, because I wasnt.
BlitheringIdiot said:
To a certain extent ala, I guess you 'arent qualified to comment' as I would consider it quite a british thing.
Uhuh :touch:
 

BlitheringIdiot

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ala said:
So no one outside the UK should ever hear anything this woman has to say let alone comment on it because ..."Anne isn't like that ... and if only you were British, you'd understand". If your nation was grappling with a serious issue and Anne had to communicate with other politicians throughout the world, God help you all because no one else can interpret what she is saying
Shes famous for saying what she thinks, in this case she simply thinks 'what a pile of crap'. And quite rightly, in my opinion.

I wont bother replying to the rest, get over it. Im trying to have a decent discussion, Im sorry if you cant.
 

Ala

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Sissyfoo said:
Guess me no like PC facists telling me that I am insulting an entire gender when I'm not. It kinda grates at the nerves to have someone essentially calling me a sexist bastard because of the way my 'culture' behaves. :|

She is entitled to her opinion and no one has told you you cannot call women sluts, bitches, whores, cows, bints or girls.
"PC facist" is a tad harsh response to one person having an opinion. Do we live in a dictatorship where no one can say wether or not they are happy with todays language use?? I didn't notice her namimg men as sexist bastards....I noticed her voicing her dissaproval at a certain term used for certain people.
Whites were in an uproar when blacks wanted equal rights, so times do change. Lets not forget the ignorance of the past that we now look back in hindsight upon as great and positive change. Perhaps Ms Greer is striving to improve womens rights and she may or may not have a point that will be of consequence to our future. Time will tell.
 

Ala

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BlitheringIdiot said:
Shes famous for saying what she thinks, in this case she simply thinks 'what a pile of crap'. And quite rightly, in my opinion.

I wont bother replying to the rest, get over it. Im trying to have a decent discussion, Im sorry if you cant.

lmfao at your last paragraph! Nice try at a decent discussion...you've just reverted to 'get over it'. *loool* Get over what?? My opinion?? *rofl!* Great discussion technique, wherever did you learn it? Anne perhaps? :p
 

Sissyfoo

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Sissyfoo, when your brain tells you that what you are about to post is a can of worms...DON'T FUCKING POST IT!! :)

I'll come up with a devastating reply that will astound you and blow all of your minds ... but tomorrow. Sissy needs his beauty sleep. :mad:
 

BlitheringIdiot

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Ala said:
Whites were in an uproar when blacks wanted equal rights, so times do change. Lets not forget the ignorance of the past that we now look back in hindsight upon as great and positive change. Perhaps Ms Greer is striving to improve womens rights and she may or may not have a point that will be of consequence to our future. Time will tell.
The race equal rights came from years and years of protests, government pressure and then educating. Not changing the terms we could use, for a while the term 'black' was incorrect, now its considered perfectly fine again.

Equal rights between the genders wont come from stopping people from callnig their female friends 'girl'. It comes from changes in the law and decent education about the problems.

/hug
 

Ala

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And perhaps Bonnie is one of those educators.....
 

Driwen

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uhm if people mean the world girl as in woman who looks (just looks not mentally) younger than she is what is wrong with it?

As non uk'er its damn hard to know how a word is precisely meant, you might speak the same language but the nuance or even complete meaning of a word in a situation can be different.

So Bonnie knows the american word, which apparently has a slightly different meaning. It is good to have a look at the use of this word to see wether it stands for an attitude that is in the way of equality, but it is still a word that resembles a meaning and if woman can be called a girl and still be respected than imo the use of the word isnt wrong.
 

TeaSpoon

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The use of girl can be twisted to belittle a women, as can the use of boy.

If I'm working in a team, I'd say something like "The girls in our team..." because it soundsmore personal and they're young (I call most women upto around 30 the same in the situation).
 

BlitheringIdiot

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TeaSpoon said:
The use of girl can be twisted to belittle a women, as can the use of boy.
Well yes, but then a hell of a lot of words are belittling if the person wants them to be, thats not a reason to try to ban the use of the word.

Ive been thinking about it a bit more and actually I think we (the brits) are the ones entirely unqualified to comment on it. Basically I'd say that 99% of us would have no problem with it, which I guess is what she sees as the problem. She thinks that we are teaching children to use such terms, terms which she considers belittling.

Lets go back to my welsh relatives ;) Say the kids got used to saying twat a lot (they see it much like 'twit') and wandered into an english school and starting called people twats then the teachers probably wouldnt be too impressed, but then again its innocent.

So anyway, I still stand by good old Anne! (Ive met her you know :mad: )
 

Ala

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Is it like 'spunk'? Here we call hot looking girls, men, women, boys > spunks! I know what you (Brits) guys interpret that as hehe. Pretty funny really. Plus in Austria i called a cat mushi (pronounced - mooshie)..like a cooing kinda thing.."awww mushi mushi" and everyone laughed cos they call 'pussy' (not the cat term <cough>) mushi :( I didn't know!
 

Ekydus

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OK, let's review; once again it's America, litigation capital of the world who has come to the rescue. Once again the world is going absolutely idiotic over political correctness, sorry, I meant America. The world is being lead into a state of brainwashed ideals where if you trip over your shoelaces you can sue the manufacter.

Sorry, but I just can't take this light-heartedly...

This absolutely takes the fucking piss.
 

BlitheringIdiot

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Reminds me of one state in america (forget which) who banned the use of the computer terms 'slave' and 'master'.

They said it was racist towards ethnic minorities.

Twats! (Its ok, im 1/8 welsh)
 

Sissyfoo

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Nobody can take away my god given right to slap the office girl on the arse when she brings me my morning tea and digestive biccies!! NOBODY!! :mad:

Actually, funny story, honest, today my boss (a lady in her 40s) came up to the table I was slaving away at and said, "So how are my girls doing today?" ... then she noticed me and added, "...and my boy...sorry, Sissyfoo!" I thought about getting on my table and telling my fellow 'girls' to throw down their tools and demand to be called women and to throw off the shackles of male oppresion in the work place...but then I realised they probably didn't care and I was too tired to stand up. Another victory for equality!! \o/
 

Tilda

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I agree with Anne(!!) and Blith, and Sissy.

tbh, it dosn't bother me if I'm called boy, young man, or Sir or Mr or Dr or whatever.
I know many girls who dont care that you refer to a group of them as "girls" its stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

It reminds me of something i read somewhere, possibly here, possibly not a while ago.
In some areas of the UK people have different greatings. Such as people using "Love" e.g. Come on love lets get you home. or, How can I help you love. That comes from Yorkshire among other places.
I read that one city council, (Bath I think) had banned its receptioninsts and telephone opperators from using "love" to refer to a person. I totally disagreed with them, if somone uses a term like that on the phone to me, it adds to (imho) the "personal" touch. I'd much rather be adressed as "love" than be treated with the pre-written, poorly worded lines that some american phone hotlines i've phoned use.

Tilda
 

Sissyfoo

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Got me thinking about how people address eachother in different countries. In america people will refer to you as 'sir' or 'ma'am' in the workplace which is something I will never get the hang of. I have never been able to call someone 'sir' without feeling really uncomfortable. :p

How do you refer to people in Australia, Ala (apart from calling them dags :p)?
 

Ala

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Mrs/Ms/Mr *lastname*
Hi *firstname*
Oi fuckwit!!

Sir and Madam are archaic terms I reckon... we might use them in school still..but in the real world it's rare...politics I s'pose....

Seedy men use terms like 'love, honey, doll, sweetheart'. Totally innapropriate. Can't they get with the times ffs!
Then again, old peeps use terms like 'love' and it seems less offensive :s Depends on the person saying it and the tone of voice.
 

BlitheringIdiot

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"Goodday mate!"

Im not your fucking mate, mate. I dont fucking no you. AND ITS FUCKING NIGHT TIME!

Ala said:
Seedy men use terms like 'love, honey, doll, sweetheart'.
Are you telling me that my female friends are in fact seedy men? :p

They dont use the term 'doll' though. Anyone who uses that really should just be shot.
 

Sissyfoo

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BlitheringIdiot said:
"Goodday mate!"

Im not your fucking mate, mate. I dont fucking no you. AND ITS FUCKING NIGHT TIME!


Are you telling me that my female friends are in fact seedy men? :p

They dont use the term 'doll' though. Anyone who uses that really should just be shot.

Ooookay...~takes a step back to avoid being squashed by the throbbing vein in BI's head~
 

Ala

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"G'day luv" ... reply: "I'll give you love!" :twak:
 

Sissyfoo

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~throws a dart at the throbbing vein and jumps for cover~
 

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