The Crazy world of the PC Brigrade

[gerry]

Was reading a story the other week about some amateur Drama group that wants to put on "Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs" as the christmas panto this year.But the Local Council cheifs have said that it isn't pc to use the word Dwarfs in the title,so they want the word to be replaced with something else.Is it just me or is the PC card getting played for most things now adays & even in most cases just for the little things?.

[jno]

It's political correctness gone mad.

[Drusilla]

It's funny you should post this question today, because earlier I saw a post asking about a midget in 'Fantasy Island', and my immediate thought was, 'Oh dear, can they say that?' 'Is he a midget, a dwarf, or a short person?' The trouble is, such fear can actually hinder communication with people who are different, because we become more concerned about offending, than we do about being inclusive and friendly with them. I bet the people who complained weren't dwarfs.

[ronniemonda9]

I think it's quite right and that people's rights should be upheld more. Don't you think by the nature of your question you are undermining people's rights? We had a similar show at our local Town Hall last year and the council rightly renamed it 'Snow Caucasian and the 7 Little Fuqers".

Quite right.

[kags]

This story was in the Sun I believe, so it should be read with an open mind (ie scepticism). My only thought was that Dwarfism is a real disease and so perhaps the story could cause offence. It depends who has raised the objection, if it someone who is affected by dwarfism then they are perfectly entitled to object. Just because it is an old story doesn't mean it should never be reviewed in the current context.

[Buddy]

Its discrimatory against dwarfs.This just puts more focus on ordinary people who happen to be smaller or it could be perceived that its discimatory against people who are taller.Does it really matter - I would bet that smaller people are totally p++++ed of with this.

Dwarfism is a medical term not an insult.

[january_bug]

First - too right it should be banned - cos they'd bloomin spelt it wrong! What example does that teach to the kids!?! The plural of dwarf is dwarves! Tsk tsk tsk!!!

Second - I'm only kidding, so don't be upset anyone please!!! :-)

Third - Banning Snow White would be ridiculous, but I'm not sure this story is actually true.

A story that IS true is that the school where my dad was head, wasn't allowed to put on a production of Joseph because it was, as the crow flies, within 100 miles of the West End production and as such they couldn't get performance rights as they'd be in competiton with the London production. Now THAT is crazy business!

[WendyS]

Try this site if you want some light relief from the political correctness brigade:

http://www.politicallyincorrect.me.uk/

[eye_nose]

Look on the bright side - they were okay with the word 'white'.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Actually, J-B 'Dwarves' and 'Elves' are both derived from Tolkein. The correct forms are actually 'Dwarfs' and 'Elfs', but the alternatives have passed into common usage. :-P

[smudge]

Interesting Wendy!

[smudge]

P.S. Anyone who can't open the link - just delete the last few letters at the end, until you get to uk!

[Buddy]

Thanks Waldo for that - I knew I was right but really couldnt be arsed with jb being pedantic - even tho she did say she was kidding to cover herself.

Jan-Bug - You have your strengths but please appreciate others do as well.Just let people post without picking them up.Its enough sometimes to put people off posting if they think they are fundamentally going to be made to look foolish

[january_bug]

Buddy - in my defence

1. I was being tongue in cheek - and I clearly said so and asked people not to get offended


2. I assumed gerry was directly quoting the story he'd read and thus the spelling error was someone else's not his


3. Within less than an hour someone corrected ME and said that I was wrong.


4. So - I think it's fair to conclude that it was ME who looked foolish, not gerry - and as anyone who doesn't think I'm a total b1tch would realise - it was never my intention to make gerry look follish, merely to show how mistargeted the Council's efforts were, for more reasons than one!

Buddy, again it seems you have a problem with me, but I hope that you bothered to read on in my post - to the point where I question whether or not this is true. Cos I'd bet my bottom dollar that either it's not, or the decision is over turned pretty quickly and the play goes ahead.

gerry - if it were true, I would agree with you that banning it would be ridiculous, please be clear on that. As it is, I'be just seen too many "PC brigade" stories to believe them anymore. I hope you'll forgive me for being so cyncial.

[bigveg]

i heard of a local play being renamed Snow White And The 7 Guardians Of The Forest.

[qapmoc]

hmmmm, Waldo it seems to me that the usage of these words/terms whatever came into use long before Tolkein used them, Dwarf is an ancient word dating back many centuries. In the unabridged Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the meaning of dwarf is straightforward and neutral: "A human being very much below the ordinary stature or size." The dictionary traces uses of the word as far back as the year 700.

[january_bug]

PS - and also to quapmoc and waldo. I was going on the basis of shelf, hoof, roof etc - I presume that's why in common usage dwarf -> dwarves and efl-> elves. Ho hum! :-)

[jake-the-peg]

Just because a word has a history and a proper use doesn't mean it can't be offensive.

Take the word spastic - referring to a type of cerabal palsey.

The spastic society changed it's name in 1994 to scope because spastic had become a term of abuse.

Is this PC gone mad? Or would you ask if somebody in a wheelchair was a "spastic" these days?

[WaldoMcFroog]

qapmoc - I didn't mean to imply Tolkien invented the words 'Dwarf' or 'Elf' (both come from Middle English); he invented the plural forms utilising 'ves', rather than the technically correct 'fs' endings.

[ronniemonda9]

I think it's against netiquette to correct people's spelling under any circumstances.

[ludwig]

Have you heard the one about the non-racist, non-aggressive, non-hierarchical chess set ? - 32 grey pawns all on the same side.