Could somebody PLEASE . . .

[LewPaper]

start a political party, pressure group, anything - to claim back common sense, allow political incorrectness and bring some sanity back into our lives?

I'm sure I can't be the only one who now expects the end of free speech for fear of offending someone, the immasculation of the English language eg 'chair' instead of chair (dare I write it?) man, the banning of the nursery rhyme 'Ba Ba Black Sheep' etc?

I'd do it myself but sadly I'm not a chief, only a very sincere indian. (Can i still say that?)

[boxtops]

Most of us agree with you, I still am Chairman of a group I sit on (and I'm not a bloke), we still do gollywogs and Black Sheep - most ordinary people don't allow the madness to take over in daily life.

[LewPaper]

Hiya boxtops. I'm so glad to hear that. But I think that's the trouble; only a few namby-pamby sociology drop-outs may express these new 'fairer' opinions but they have an influence far beyond their importance. Andy Gray, for example, was expressing what blokes would normally say and it would be instantly forgotten in the knock-about banter we usually relish, enjoy and take part in but not these days - he's lost his livelihood. For Pete's sake can't we all just lighten up?

[factor-fiction]

I'm happy to consider proof to the contrary but I seem to remember that the banning of Baa Baa Black Sheep was an urban myth (or maybe I'm thinking of black bin liners)

[LewPaper]

I think you were:

http://women.timesonl...ies/article738220.ece

[boxtops]

That article's five years old though - I hope we've moved on.

[LewPaper]

We certainly have. Things are a lot worse now. Mustn't even mention the word moslem in case it incites riots. No other religion's followers are so touchy. The children have taken over the schools because of lack of discipline, invited to be on the panel for teachers' interviews.

[grasscarp]

You are so right LewPaper. We need a party that will tell it like it should be told. I want to be able to say "Blackboard", Spokesman, and anything we ever did say without updating it to fit any new dictats.
I want people to leave our children alone at four years old - no celebrating gay values etc in the classroom as has been suggested this week.
I want any families in the UK to be able to go to any playgroup they like, and not be turned away as "too English" or whatever it was this week.
I want us to be able to say Christmas and not "winter festival".
I don't want to be asked to show my passport in the bank to prove who I am, while the person draped head to toe in black next to me is not (yes this has happened to me!). I want to be allowed to celebrate whatever I like in the country I was born in without fear of upsetting anybody who has chosen to come here.
Unfortunately I go to work everyday so I dont really have the time to start a party or a pressure group, but if there is any party that is not frightened to put its head above the parapet, then I will be supporting them every step of the way.
And if my views upset anyone on here tonight. Tough!

[LewPaper]

grasscarp, you put it all so well and I couldn't agree more. There's still hope if there's any more like you out there.

[jake-the-peg]

Oh oh another victim of gutter journalism.

I don't think I've seen so many urban myths in one place in such a long time

Lets just settle for snuffing out the winterval one shall we (Not that I think that this will stop you repeating it because judging by your other posts I have a sneaking suspicion you like feeling that you are resisting persecution)

http://tabloid-watch....al-stories-begin.html

[wildwood]

I think you'll find that there are heaps of people who are sick of PC and foreign infiltration dictating Society on what is acceptable. I have occasionally offended people in the last couple of year (which is quite out of character, honestly!) by calling a misguided juvenile appreciator a pedophile and If something is white, I call it white and if something is black, I call it black.

Ofcourse there is some genuine discrimination, and there always will be. There is no cure for stupidity.

[woofgang]

well I am not a man, therefore not a chair man, neither am I am item of furniture, so I am not a chair...what is wrong with chair woman?

[jake-the-peg]

A man who calls a spade a spade should be compelled to use one, it's all he's good for - Oscar Wilde

[WELSHYORKIE]

I'm with grasscarp on this one. We seem to pander to all sorts of people who choose to seek exile in the UK whatever colour, religion etc but put the shoe on the other foot - would the regime in Iran, for example, bend over backwards for our western culture? You bet your sweet bippy they wouldn't!!

[jake-the-peg]

And as a consequence we are a leading world nation with significant standing and influence in the world whilst Iran is an international pariah.

Are you suggesting we should take Iran as a role model??!!?

Would you like to phone a friend on that one?

[naomi24]

Jake, I have a sneaking suspicion that you suffer symptoms of denial when something doesn't suit your agenda.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/210672.stm

[WELSHYORKIE]

Jake, you are missing my point completely. What I am saying is that we shouldn't be bending over backwards for these people to the detriment of our own.

[marval]

Can I join your party? I remember having a golliwog when I was a child, and singing Baa Baa Balck Sheep. I never got told off for either, I have nothing against other cultures, but please don't make me change the things I do and say. This is my country if you want to come here please except us and don't expect us to change. Although It is not the ordinary people who demand silly change, it is the politicians and the PC brigade.

[LewPaper]

Jake: When you say "Lets just settle for snuffing out the winterval one shall we (Not that I think that this will stop you repeating it because judging by your other posts I have a sneaking suspicion you like feeling that you are resisting persecution)" I can only assume you've as much understanding of the question as I have about your answer. It wasn't in fact I who said it at all, and woofgang: what's so wrong with chairman? It's a word, only a word. Certainly it has the three letters m, a and n at the end but so what so? Must we immasculate every word in which a gender is mentioned? How about 'hyersterectomy'. 'womanhole', - it's a very slippery slope. ? The whole thing's rediculous.

[chakka35]

Though I am as contemptuous of most PC as the next person and usually ignore its strictures myself, I have to point out that the term 'blackboard' was not dropped because of PC but because modern chalkboards are not black! They are usually blue or green. Whiteboards are, of course, something else.

[rowanwitch]

Factor 30 re black bags my ex husband worked for the socialist republic of islington in the1980s he had an order for black bags returned with a note saying he should order grey refuse sacks as the term black bags could be deemed offensive by some of the domestic staff...
The items were tubes of plastic, sealed at one end and black not grey he sent a new requisition with the definitions from the OED i.e black + bag no more was said