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Is This Proof At Last, That Political Correctness Has Gone Too Far?

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anotheoldgit | 16:43 Tue 29th Oct 2013 | News
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2478822/Female-circumcision-campaigner-horrified-shoppers-sign-pro-cutting-petition--theyre-scared-culturally-insensitive.html

/// During the 30-minute experiment, 19 people signed the petition and just one refused - a result Hussein blamed on the all-pervading culture of political correctness. ///

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I think a lot of people don't "get" it - and assume it's as culturally acceptable as circumcision is.

A sad outcome nevertheless.
Is This Proof At Last, That Political Correctness Has Gone Too Far?

Nope.
I think a lot of people don't really listen when asked to sign a petition, they just sign it and get on their way.
It may have proved that most people sign petitions without thinking about it.
Gah...pressed 'Submit' too early.

Nope.

It's a sign of cultural ignorance.

I bet if you asked 1,000 people what they thought female circumcision (as it used to be referred to until very recently), a surprisingly high number of people would think of it as some kind of genital 'tidy up'...no worse than ear-piercing.

But bravo to the Daily Mail for highlighting this story, and bravo to you for bringing it to AB.

There really is way too much ignorance on this subject.
Absolutely agree, sp.

The trouble is there are remarkably high levels of ignorance among the UK population on all manner of topics. Many people, particularly the young, seem to have no inclination to acquire knowledge, have no enquiring minds and just seem to blunder along through life in their own bubble. Many subjects are completely closed books to them and anybody demonstrating even a tiny level of general knowledge are considered anything between “big heads”, “smart arses”, “boffins” and much, much worse. Having a little knowledge is a dirty word among some sectors of the population.
I also suspect it's mainly ignorance or just signing because they've been asked to. I'm not sure of the percentage, but remember seeing a fake petition televised to "end women's suffrage". More people signed it than not.
… but they've all got the same number of votes (i.e.1) as those of us who show an interest and awareness of a wide number of subjects. That's what's scary IMO.
-- answer removed --
Why is this "proof at last".

One could argue that this also is a good example of PC gone mad.

A logo that looks a little bit like a swastika (but not a lot) causes a row

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-24691368
I agree with previous posters who conclude that people simply don't read or listen to what they are being asked to sign in this situation.

If the lady had shown a picture of this vile practise being carried out, she would have obtained less signatures, but still some, because people do not see what they are looking at half the time.

I think that AOG's assertion that people understand what they are signing, but are frightened of being seen as racist, or culturally out of step, is a stretch too far.
It was an ill thought out experiment and the results mean nothing.

When I am out shopping I tend to growl at anyone who approaches me with a collecting tin or a clip board. Asking people for an opinion on such a important subject whilst they are out shopping (and in my case with my brain switched off) is not going to result in any interesting data.

Female circumcision is horrific - how women can do this to young girls is beyond me.

Until such time as girls and boys are given the same educational opportunities all over the planet I don't think that this, and other barbaric acts against women, will stop.
Another point - and I may be wrong, but I can see this practice dying out as successive generations grow up in the UK.

When I was growing up, I lived in a very culturally/racially mixed area, and many of the older Africans living around our estate had tribal markings on their faces, which I believe were cut into their faces when they were kids. They actually left scars like in the pictures in the link below:

http://www.nigeriafilms.com/news/11612/21/tribal-marks-now-its-the-turn-of-tattoos.html

Now, it seems as if the practice has all but died out. You just don't see it any more. With greater education, the hope is that FGM will go the same way.

Also, I have doubts that the results of this survey really do demonstrate PC attitudes. Perhaps it's more a sign that some people will just sign up to anything, even if they don't understand it.

Remember the drugs episode of 'Brass Eye' with all those celebs making public information films about the new drug craze called 'cake'?

Seems we still haven't learned...
As SP said, I don't think this has anything to do with political correctness. It's partly ignorance, and partly just people being willing to sign anything thrust under their nose if the person argues enough.

For another example of much the same thing, Penn & Teller once visited some public gathering in the States and were able to get dozens (it may even have gone into triple figures) of people to sign a petition for banning "dihydrogen monoxide" as a threat to the environment.
Everyone I am sure would hope that this barbaric practice dies out as soon as possible.

I fear that one of the reasons why it passes on through generations is the notion that a mother has had it done to her as a child, and thinks that her own daughter should endure the same agony as a 'rite of passage'.

Ideally, with education, people can be educated that mutilating children is simply wrong and cannot be allowed, what ever cultural history is involved.
kromovaracun

Oh...got it (thanks to Wikipedia).
People were presented with a leading question, one that suggests an answer. People are ignorant of what female circumcision really is. They may never have heard of it; I certainly hadn't until a couple of years ago. The name suggests something harmless; you could say that male circumcision is part of the culture of Jews and is "just mutilation" ( note the word "just")
Yes, as many have said, it's just plain ignorance. Thanks to the Mail for bringing the program and issue to our attention. Shame they can't resist putting their spin on it to make it about something it isn't.
No, it is not proof at last. That has been obtained many times over in the past!
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ludwig

/// Yes, as many have said, it's just plain ignorance. Thanks to the Mail for bringing the program and issue to our attention. Shame they can't resist putting their spin on it to make it about something it isn't. ///

And what spin might that be, tell me if I am wrong, but wasn't it Leyla Hussein who put the political correctness spin on it?

And I quote:

*** It’s time for everyone to stop worrying about being seen as racist or stepping on "cultural eggshells", when in reality, doing nothing to protect girls at risk of FGM is what is actually racist.' ***

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