stop the PC madness

[Eilan]

b/c evidently teachers themselves are too damned stupid to be trusted to such decisions? gah! my mother-in-law is an administrator after having spent 2+ decades as a teacher herself and she's a smart lady, but i swear, she must be an awfully unusual specimen...

I have a brother-in-law who became an administrator (he's now an assistant superintendent) after about 15 years of teaching, so I guess he's unusual, too. They can be unusual together.

If I were the teacher in the candy cigarette situation, I would have just taken the candy away until the school day was over. Why involve the administrators because of a kindergartener who wouldn't have had any knowledge of the district's tobacco policies?

 

[Exciteher]

..... "if we make enough stupid policies, it absolves me as an administrator of having to rely on judgment calls" thing. of course, that's entirely a reaction to the litigation-happy atmosphere in which this country is awash. i swear, it's as if liability claims were the new big jackpot and everyone wants to buy a sheet of tickets...

ed

CYA management certainly is a factor, but there is cultural war going on here between those who believe in absolutes... and those that do not.
Use to be, if you had a problem with your neighbor, you both talked it over... now you sue each other. Because you don't even know your neighbor.

...But it DOES keep people from having to THINK about their decisions.

One problem is that while there is such an emphasis on morality... there is no emphasis on ethics. It is as if people really have become incapable of making ethical decisions. So they resort to "formula".

What a Brave New World.

 

[Eilan]

One problem is that while there is such an emphasis on morality... there is no emphasis on ethics.

I guess my thinking tends to be the opposite of that.

I think we saw, at least in terms of school districts, a huge post-Columbine overhaul. While I don't think that's a BAD thing, I'd just like to see the rules applied on a case-by-case basis instead of a "this-is-wrong-so-you're-automatically-outta-here" mentality.

What the hell happened to due process? Though I shouldn't ask, because a colleague of mine faced this recently, and it had NOTHING to do with political correctness, or the lack thereof.

 

[silverwhisper]

tsk, tsk, eilan: you should know that minors are not entitled to the full protection of the law.

ed

 

[Eilan]

tsk, tsk, eilan: you should know that minors are not entitled to the full protection of the law.

I know.

Too bad my husband didn't have kids with his first wife. Seeing as how she was an attorney and all. . .

 

[Exciteher]

I guess my thinking tends to be the opposite of that.

The key difference between morals and ethics is poorly understood, and poorly and often misdefined. Morals is the formation and definition of what is right and what is wrong. Ethics is the application of moral definitions. The "hard sand in the line... and you cross it and you are out of here" response to a moral violation is the abdication of ethics. A binary application of moral principles is no ethics at all.

It is from within ethical thought that "due process" arises.

Example:

Enercom: What they did was wrong... morally and legally. They knew it. Their ethical response was absolute.. to break the law and abdicate any ethical judgement. They could have made ethical decisions.. but did not.

Your example of the child with the candy cigarrettes: The child was doing wrong, as defined by the school system. The child did not know she had done wrong, in addition her wrong caused no harm. The response of the school system was to suspend her, this was an abdication of ethical judgement.

It is the binary response here that is key. If there is only one responce available, or dictated, there can be no choice, and without choice there can be no judgement... ethical or otherwise. There is only a sort against a standard.

And it can be argued, that a failure to apply an ethical judgement is in itself unethical. This was the basis of the ethical reasoning behind the due process clause.

 

[Eilan]

Ethics is the application of moral decisions.

Back in my working mom days, I had a group of Business Calculus students who were also taking a Business Ethics (oxymoron?) class, and they were vexed by it. One of my students complained, "But there doesn't ever seem to be a right or wrong answer."

And it can be argued, that a failure to apply an ethical judgement is in itself unethical. This was the basis of the ethical reasoning behind the due process clause.

Unfortunately, the parent(s) of the child in question didn't question the school district's decision. It probably never occurred to them to do so.

 

[Exciteher]

...Unfortunately, the parent(s) of the child in question didn't question the school district's decision. It probably never occurred to them to do so.

You have lurched into the heart of both the PC maddness phenom and the goofy zero-tolerance phenom.

People put up with this stuff!!! The dumbing down of America!

 

[Nikasha]

You have lurched into the heart of both the PC maddness phenom and the goofy zero-tolerance phenom.

People put up with this stuff!!! The dumbing down of America!

That way people don't have to think or take responsibility. Or think. Did I mention thinking?

And that "zero-tolerence" only seems to apply when convenient. Take our government's "Zero tolerence" policy on drugs. IMHO, if they really meant it, I wouldn't be able to buy drugs on the street. Right? I wouldn't be able to just open my window and smell marijuana on the breeze. Half the population where I live would be in jail, serving 25 years like the Australian woman. Must have something to do with MONEY.

 

[EJFan]

And that "zero-tolerence" only seems to apply when convenient. Take our government's "Zero tolerence" policy on drugs. IMHO, if they really meant it, I wouldn't be able to buy drugs on the street. Right? I wouldn't be able to just open my window and smell marijuana on the breeze. Half the population where I live would be in jail, serving 25 years like the Australian woman. Must have something to do with MONEY.

"zero tolerance" is a phrase that just sounds good and makes people feel like there's actually something going on. and, as you said, even at its simplest, it's corrupted. i can't count the number of times i've heard/read news stories about "zero tolerance" policies being overturned in light of various circumstances.

it's either zero or it's not zero... can't have it both ways, ya know. again... words only have the value we assign to them.

 

[Eilan]

"zero tolerance" is a phrase that just sounds good and makes people feel like there's actually something going on. and, as you said, even at its simplest, it's corrupted. i can't count the number of times i've heard/read news stories about "zero tolerance" policies being overturned in light of various circumstances.

Zero-tolerance policies are a way for the people in charge to feel empowered because they've taken a proactive stance regarding a controversial issue in the hopes of effecting a paradigm shift.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to disinfect my fingers and the keyboard.

it's either zero or it's not zero... can't have it both ways, ya know. again... words only have the value we assign to them.

It just goes SO overboard!

But I'm one of those fence-sitting kind of people who's reluctant to look at some things as either black or white. I'm all about the gray.

 

[EJFan]

It just goes SO overboard!

But I'm one of those fence-sitting kind of people who's reluctant to look at some things as either black or white. I'm all about the gray.

i hope you're being flippant or sarcastic here... this doesn't sound like you.

i neither condone nor oppose zero tolerance policies. i just feel that if you're actually going to HAVE one, it's either zero tolerance or it's not. there's no seriousness attached to a zero tolerance policy once it's been compromised.

and i might be taking a bit of a risk here but has anyone noticed the profile of the people it's generally compromised for? young, attractive, blonde, white, middle/upper-middle income, christian...

 

[Eilan]

i hope you're being flippant or sarcastic here... this doesn't sound like you.

I DO have strong opinions about some things, but I also like to look at both sides before I decide where I'm gonna fall within the continuum. If that makes sense.

i neither condone nor oppose zero tolerance policies. i just feel that if you're actually going to HAVE one, it's either zero tolerance or it's not. there's no seriousness attached to a zero tolerance policy once it's been compromised.

I think they're a good idea--in theory.

and i might be taking a bit of a risk here but has anyone noticed the profile of the people it's generally compromised for? young, attractive, blonde, white, middle/upper-middle income, christian...

Based on that, I got nothing to worry about, anyway.

 

[silverwhisper]

i personally think that zero tolerance policies are evil, simple-minded and insulting to teachers.

ed

 

[EJFan]

i personally think that zero tolerance policies are evil, simple-minded and insulting to teachers.

ed

they're in effect in non-academic environments as well.

the bad thing about being a teacher is that your hands are so tied... you can't really do ANYTHING... everything has to be a cut and dry, cookie-cutter formula. public schools have been DRIVEN to zero-tolerance policies.

again, the problem is that zero-tolerance isn't supposed to have loopholes... but once they're compromised, a loophole is created. so we're back at the "it's just a name to make people feel good" thing.

 

[Eilan]

they're in effect in non-academic environments as well.

Yeah, but it just seems like whenever there's an incident in the news involving zero-tolerance, it's something stupid involving schools.

the bad thing about being a teacher is that your hands are so tied... you can't really do ANYTHING... everything has to be a cut and dry, cookie-cutter formula. public schools have been DRIVEN to zero-tolerance policies.

Nobody wants to get sued.

 

[EJFan]

Nobody wants to get sued.

exactly... so how do we stop this? maybe if i just say, "stop it?" do i have that kinda stroke?

 

[Quoll]

I haven`t caught up yet so I`ll just post and run.


Brainstorms turn to showers

Henry McDonald, Ireland editor
Sunday June 26, 2005
The Observer

David Brent would never approve. 'Brainstorming', the buzz term used by executives to generate ideas among their staff, has been deemed politically incorrect by civil servants because it is thought to be offensive to people with brain disorders.

Instead staff at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) in Belfast will use the term 'thought-showers' when they get together to think creatively. A spokeswoman said: 'The DETI does not use the term brainstorming on its training courses on the grounds that it may be deemed pejorative.'

Sources inside the department said there was concern that the term would cause offence to sufferers of epilepsy as well those with brain tumours or brain injuries.

But the Campaign for Plain English complained that the decision had 'reached the point of real ridicule'. John Wild, its spokesman, said: 'You do sometimes wonder if some people haven't got anything better to do with their time. Do they just sit down and search out enough words until eventually they can say, "I can make that out to be politically incorrect"?

'Of course there are certain terms that should be deemed out of bounds but then sometimes things go too far.'

The move follows that of the Welsh Development Agency, responsible for promoting business in Wales, which ran a series of courses last year to teach staff to be more politically correct. 'Brainstorming' was on its list of banned words, as well as 'nit-picking' and 'manila', because of their origins in the slave trade.

 

[Quoll]

...and

Plain-English translations
.


Before

High-quality learning environments are a necessary precondition for facilitation and enhancement of the ongoing learning process.

After

Children need good schools if they are to learn properly.

(Although the 'Before' paragraph does not mention it, the situation does involve schoolchildren.)

Before

If there are any points on which you require explanation or further particulars we shall be glad to furnish such additional details as may be required by telephone.

After

If you have any questions, please ring.

Before

It is important that you shall read the notes, advice and information detailed opposite then complete the form overleaf (all sections) prior to its immediate return to the Council by way of the envelope provided.

After

Please read the notes opposite before you fill in the form. Then send it back to us as soon as possible in the envelope provided.

Before

Your enquiry about the use of the entrance area at the library for the purpose of displaying posters and leaflets about Welfare and Supplementary Benefit rights, gives rise to the question of the provenance and authoritativeness of the material to be displayed. Posters and leaflets issued by the Central Office of Information, the Department of Health and Social Security and other authoritative bodies are usually displayed in libraries, but items of a disputatious or polemic kind, whilst not necessarily excluded, are considered individually.

After

Thank you for your letter asking permission to put up posters in the entrance area of the library. Before we can give you an answer we will need to see a copy of the posters to make sure they won't offend anyone.

 

[EJFan]

Brainstorms turn to showers

Henry McDonald, Ireland editor
Sunday June 26, 2005
The Observer

David Brent would never approve. 'Brainstorming', the buzz term used by executives to generate ideas among their staff, has been deemed politically incorrect by civil servants because it is thought to be offensive to people with brain disorders. ...

DEAR JESUS SOMEONE MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!!!

and welcome back, quoll... i'd thought you'd vaporized there for a while.

 

[Quoll]

DEAR JESUS SOMEONE MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!!!

and welcome back, quoll... i'd thought you'd vaporized there for a while.

Before
Due to an excessive amount of vertical precipitate entering the confines of the telecommunications centre the data communications system was inadvertantly rendered ineffective for a substantial period of time.

After
It rained, the phone lines were fucked.

 

[EJFan]

BEFORE:
in a chronological period successive to reading your account of the dire meteorological situation, and the resultant technological consequences, in your geographic locale, i wish to convey my deepest and most sincere feelings of remorse and empathy.


AFTER:
after reading your post, i'm sorry about the weather.

 

[Quoll]

BEFORE:
in a chronological period successive to reading your account of the dire meteorological situation, and the resultant technological consequences, in your geographic locale, i wish to convey my deepest and most sincere feelings of remorse and empathy.


AFTER:
after reading your post, i'm sorry about the weather.

BEFORE
Hahahhahaha chuckle snort smirk hahahahahaha guffaw giggle belly laugh hahahahahhaahahahh.

AFTER
I laughed.

 

[EJFan]

BEFORE
Hahahhahaha chuckle snort smirk hahahahahaha guffaw giggle belly laugh hahahahahhaahahahh.

AFTER
I laughed.

see... THIS is what we need more of... less verbosity and more laughter.

now if you all will kindly excuse me as i momentarily cease further communication with regard to the topic at hand so as to engage in a regularly scheduled session of non-partnered physical relations.

 

[buttplugged]

Ok just spotted this thread

Glad to some discussion on this subject. I dont believe in political correctness. Is it really something tangible. Its not real. Besides no matter how politically correct one tries to be, some pussy ass bleeding heart tree huggin peta member will be offended.

The great thing about the AmeriKa that I live in is that I can say what ever I want, no matter how unpopular. And everyone has the right to be offended. Fine.

I use the word black all the time to describe things that are black, (cars, clothes, etc...) No reasonable person, black, or any other color would be offended by this(im pink). Some people would not like it if I said that I like to eat dolphin steaks, with a side of snow leopard. If you are so offended that you feel like you need to make a negative comment to me, then you sir/maddam are the one with the problem.

Basically I believe in free speech. No statement or thought should be altered for any reason, including being polite.