The next time I hear those words I’m determined I’m just
going to let myself give in to the giggle.
Because amongst my colleagues, it’s become an ironic
descriptive phrase for a certain kind of people.
A political-correctness-gone-mad person can be from any
level of society and from any age/gender demographic. Though they do seem to be the most prolific within the ‘Boomer generation.
However, one thing they seem to have in common is that they don’t appear
to have a very firm grasp on what political correctness actually is. Which would tend to make one think
that the ability to judge what form PCGM takes when it goes mad, is a little
impaired.
It occurred to me to-day when someone, only about 60% joking,
responded to something I’d written in an
email with “ It’s a good job it’s only me you’re talking to !!! At least I know
you aren’t really racist!!!”
What she (obviously) had thought was very un-PC and almost-racist
was that I had written that, every week when I walked into one particular
post-grad tutorial I had taught in China, I used to think of “The Road Song of
the Bandar Log” in Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”.
I shared that with
her as a teacher-joke. I’m sure that,
from Primary School teachers to venerable Professors some have, at some time
or other, had a class that ticks some,
if not all, of the boxes in that poem.
My young correspondent , who has never in her life actually been
part of a marginalized group, believes that because this class was composed of
Chinese students, I can’t mention the fact that they were utter
wankers. “Not my rules, actually. “ as she explained
when she responded to that response: - “It’s just that political correctness has gone mad in our
society.”
Which made me want to weep.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stewart_Lee (Yes, I know it’s a wiki. Don’t judge me,) mailto:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad
Both the above say all that I would have said about PCGM in
general – but in particular, I’m amused by the trickle-down effect to us here,
down in the sludge at the bottom of the societal well.
In a country which
hesitates to give proper-names when an inane euphemism will do, we pond scum pose
quite a problem. We stopped being “the poor” a long time ago. Not, I think in
reaction against our Victorian legacy – for those attitudes still
remain – but because it just doesn't do.
With statistics and
facts at the touch of a button it would look too bad if we were simply to say
that we have a certain percentage of society who are poor. People on the Sub-Continent are poor. Countless millions in Africa are poor.
People in Britain are
“marginalized “ (perhaps a four-syllable
euphemism contains a gravitas a
one-syllable word lacks?) or “receiving
benefits” ( Slight trace of smug Victorian benevolence?). They aren’t down and
out – they’re “Looking-for-work”? (
which is an active phrase giving no hint that times are hard and some of these
poor sods haven’t a snowball’s of ever
finding what they are looking for) . In
all of England’s green and pleasant land no-one is do-lally. They have “special needs” (doesn’t everyone?).
Neither is there a sector down here who are complete thugs, morons and utter wastes of
space as there are in every other sector of society. Down here there are merely ‘anti-social ‘ people (rather like Diogenes or
Samuel Johnson, one imagines).
But no, no, a thousand times no…… this is not PCGM.
It’s not a result of the haves not wanting to hurt the feelings of the
have-nots. Nor of a compassionate need to make us all feel better about
ourselves. It’s a necessary expedient in
to-day’s economy.
Because no-one – either
in Governmental or societal circles - wants to be reminded that the poor are
always with us.
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