PC INSANITY!

[flarewearer]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/4156519.stm

[hr]..Is space hot?... ...Of course it is, where do you think we get pineapples from?...

[JAK]

That's jsut insane...

[hr]I want my BBC

[johness]

Oh my goodness, that's so bad it's funny. Except it's not.

[hr]today, my heart's beating slow again, like the leaves, you're not around.

[Zombie Sheep]

I saw that when the proposal was first made, and it really does seem ridiculous. I mean, why try and attract anyone on a walk, let alone specific groups - by all means advertise it, but don't set targets for a certain number of disabled people, or a certain percentage being from a certain background. Imagine the scenario, you drive an hour or two to go on a nice guided walk, and the proposed guide says "Sorry, we can't take you out on a walk, there aren't enough Pakistanis [or insert another minority group of your choice] here to go with us". Crazy.

[hr]Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability. And I want you to know we are with you until victory, until Jerusalem.

[Haunted]

Surely the proposal has been made as a joke to point out how stupid the government targets are?

[Miz Manda]

Nope, it's completely serious, just another example of the petty inverse snobbery and obsession with political correctness that seems dominate all of the local councils.

It always seems to be them that come up with the especially ridiculous initiatives.

[Mr Comedy]

I want to see a body set up to protect the interests of the white middle class minorities. They seem rather unfairly maligned to me.

[Si]

If any of you guys feel as strongly as me about this stupidity then I would urge you to visit the Campaign Against Political Correctness website http://www.capc.co.uk/ . There is a petition against political correctness that you can sign there plus there are lots of other "so stupid they're funny" examples of PC rubbish in this country

[JAK]

[s]Miz Manda wrote on 13:02, 9th Jan 2005:
Nope, it's completely serious, just another example of the petty inverse snobbery and obsession with political correctness that seems dominate all of the local councils.

It always seems to be them that come up with the especially ridiculous initiatives.


Wouldn't inverse snobbery more technically be against upper class people?

[hr]
I want my BBC

[jayaker]

This is jaw-droppingly stupid, but I wouldn't say it is a reason for eradicating 'political correctness'. The term has become one of ridicule because of some overzealous (and plainly ridiculous) proposals over the years, but generally if it is politically correct not to call members of the Pakistani community 'pakis', for instance, then I am all for political correctness. It protects all of us by setting acceptable limits. Some elements of the more right-wing press have tried to smear it, famously in the "baa baa green sheep" story completely invented by the tabloids.

However, I wouldn't say this is an example of political correctness in any case because the authority involved appear to be claiming that walkers are all middle class, middle aged and white, which is both untrue and offensive. This is simply a pathetic example of Government trying to meet unneccessary and wasteful targets.

[hr]"They misunderestimated me" Bush, Nov 6, 2000 "I think anybody who doesn't think I'm smart enough to handle the job is underestimating." Bush
April 3, 2000

[flarewearer]

does anyone know if the government reached the target it set itself for reaching targets last year? I'd be interested to hear what the Department of Pointless Beauraucracy has to say for itself

[hr]..Is space hot?... ...Of course it is, where do you think we get pineapples from?...

[flarewearer]

What is even more infuriating, is that these are not brought about by valid complaints from an offended minority group (who whould have the right not to be offended by government institutions that purport to serve them), but is by overzealous, do-gooding petty politicians who are forever trying to discover what MIGHT POSSIBLY cause the TINIEST amount of offence to somebody. And how exactly is anyone offended by a walk in the countryside, do they seriously think minorities drive up to the lake district, but then turn round when they realise that there are too many middle class white people who wan't to enjoy a walk and are putting them off?

[hr]..Is space hot?... ...Of course it is, where do you think we get pineapples from?...

[JAK]

[s]flarewearer wrote on 15:27, 9th Jan 2005:
What is even more infuriating, is that these are not brought about by valid complaints from an offended minority group (who whould have the right not to be offended by government institutions that purport to serve them), but is by overzealous, do-gooding petty politicians who are forever trying to discover what MIGHT POSSIBLY cause the TINIEST amount of offence to somebody. And how exactly is anyone offended by a walk in the countryside, do they seriously think minorities drive up to the lake district, but then turn round when they realise that there are too many middle class white people who wan't to enjoy a walk and are putting them off?

[hr]..Is space hot?... ...Of course it is, where do you think we get pineapples from?...


And if they are those sorts of people in minorities, then they are surely more in the wrong then the middle class white people.

The above statement is not racist

[hr]
I got my BBC

[harmless loony]

I've always enjoyed a walk in the Lakes/Peaks/Penines, wherever there are hills - in fact my dad and I reguarly climb Snowdon - we are both dual national Pakistanis.

Have I ever been offended by other walkers being of a different ethnicity to me? No!

Have these PC do gooders ever bothered to ask Pakistanis/any other ethnic people why they don't go walking in the hills?

Maybe it's because they do not want to?! But to suggest that there has to be a certain number of people of x colour or y nationality in an area to enable tours to go on is purely offensive to everyone.

These idiots that come up with these stupid ideas never ever seemed to have consulted the right people before coming out with their policies - it's stupid people who think this is what the ethnic minorities want, rather then finding out what it is we really want!

And they're rife in local councils everywhere!! I know having worked for my council over the summer - they kept coming up with stupid ideas which they thought would appeal to the ethnic minorities, however, the ethnic community were too busy laffing at the stupid ideas to care. One example I can quote was that officers were told not to greet ethnic minorities with "hello" in case they might be offended? I mean wtf? No one had ever complained before so why would ethnic minorities born in Britain complain now?? Stupid stupid! Thankfully I managed to put a stop to that nonsense before they made it council policy.

[LonelyPilgrim]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but in an article I read on this a few days ago the rational was that public money is being spent to pay the guides' wages... in otherwords, tax money is being spent to support a service that is overwhelmingly benefiting only one part of society.

In that case, while I still think this is ridiculous, it does provide a sort of logical reasoning...

[hr]---Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.--- Abraham Lincoln

[flarewearer]

[s]LonelyPilgrim wrote on 16:46, 9th Jan 2005:
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but in an article I read on this a few days ago the rational was that public money is being spent to pay the guides' wages... in otherwords, tax money is being spent to support a service that is overwhelmingly benefiting only one part of society.

In that case, while I still think this is ridiculous, it does provide a sort of logical reasoning...


you are wrong, the guides are volunteers

[hr]
..Is space hot?... ...Of course it is, where do you think we get pineapples from?...

[harmless loony]

And anyway that logic wouldn't quite work because an analogy (although quite a poor one) is that my taxes are used to pay for unemployment benefits meaning that my money is being used to benefit one certain group only.

[JAK]

[s]harmless loony wrote on 16:58, 9th Jan 2005:
And anyway that logic wouldn't quite work because an analogy (although quite a poor one) is that my taxes are used to pay for unemployment benefits meaning that my money is being used to benefit one certain group only.


That logic would work: anybody, in theory could claim unemployment benefits.

[hr]
I got my BBC

[sweet]

[s]JAK wrote on 18:26, 9th Jan 2005:
[s]harmless loony wrote on 16:58, 9th Jan 2005:[i]
And anyway that logic wouldn't quite work because an analogy (although quite a poor one) is that my taxes are used to pay for unemployment benefits meaning that my money is being used to benefit one certain group only.


That logic would work: anybody, in theory could claim unemployment benefits.

[hr]
I got my BBC
[/i]

Sorry I don't see your point - anyone, in theory, could go on a guided tour also

[Joesta]

I don't know if I would call it PC, rather than just plain reta(r)ded. If somebody is actively seeking out people of certain religions or skin colours in situations such as this one where nobody is discriminated against, then that implies that they have more of a problem than those that do not.

Conversly, a lot of the people that are extreamly anti-PC are normally just fools who have who see the whole PC thing as a threat to their narrow-minded ways.

In the end, PC or not PC, changing the name of a particular title shall not change a persons opinion of people refered to. However, at the most basic level, PC is merely protocol, something with which not to offend others i.e. not refering to a person as a pak!, nigg@r, go0k, fudge-packer, goldberg or cremlin. Therefore, the intentions of the PC movement,regardless of any communist origins, are honourable, the plan to end the free walks due to the reason given are not PC but plain stupid, hopefully this american trend shall stop rather than become popular over here.