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Post by the light works on Jun 12, 2015 15:28:09 GMT
I'd have to agree with that. I don't know why it seems so patronizing, but it really does. Sometimes, political correctness and the need to be sanitize our language forces us to use terms that are more offensive or even incorrect. Being PC has gotten us into the habit of referring to black people as 'African American', which is not correct a lot of the time. Some are African American, but others could be Haitian or Jamaican or Brazilian or Arubian or, even, French in heritage. See what we did there...by trying to not use one term, we've started calling people the wrong thing altogther. Everyone with a Spanish accent can be referred to as Spanish or Latino/a. When, in reality, he/she may be Spanish or Central American or Chilean or Brazilian or Mexican or Puerto Rican or Cuban or Hispanic (from Hispanola)...you get the idea. Being PC has actually gotten into the habit of classifying peoples with broad strokes rather than acknowledging their individuality. Fat people are 'overweight'. Skinny people are 'underweight'. Short people are 'little people'. The disabled are 'physically (or mentally) challenged'*. Smart people are 'academically gifted' - while average or less than average students are 'academically challenged'. See how versatile we are. *I know multiple disabled persons who find the PC term to be greatly offensive and refer to themselves as disabled. one of the formative moments in my upbringing was when my grandfather commented (referring to a black person) "I don't like him on account of he's got a better suntan than I do." - in a tone of voice that was consistent with making a social commentary. |
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Post by OziRiS on Jun 12, 2015 16:56:04 GMT
I'd have to agree with that. I don't know why it seems so patronizing, but it really does. Sometimes, political correctness and the need to be sanitize our language forces us to use terms that are more offensive or even incorrect. Being PC has gotten us into the habit of referring to black people as 'African American', which is not correct a lot of the time. Some are African American, but others could be Haitian or Jamaican or Brazilian or Arubian or, even, French in heritage. See what we did there...by trying to not use one term, we've started calling people the wrong thing altogther. Everyone with a Spanish accent can be referred to as Spanish or Latino/a. When, in reality, he/she may be Spanish or Central American or Chilean or Brazilian or Mexican or Puerto Rican or Cuban or Hispanic (from Hispanola)...you get the idea. Being PC has actually gotten into the habit of classifying peoples with broad strokes rather than acknowledging their individuality. Fat people are 'overweight'. Skinny people are 'underweight'. Short people are 'little people'. The disabled are 'physically (or mentally) challenged'*. Smart people are 'academically gifted' - while average or less than average students are 'academically challenged'. See how versatile we are. *I know multiple disabled persons who find the PC term to be greatly offensive and refer to themselves as disabled. And whatever happened to the term "handicapped"? As far as I can find out from around the web, "handicapped" and "disabled" mean the exact same thing; that you're somehow at a disadvantage compared to the norm. Is it not obvious that someone who has lost the function of his legs is at a disadvantage compared to people whose legs work fine? Well, not in a game of chess, but certainly in a foot race. Language is meant to serve as an intellectual discriptor of the world around us, giving us the possibility of having conversations about things and people that aren't close enough for us to point at. Why do we have to keep putting restrictions on what we can and can't describe and how? If the PC police should end up winning one day, effectively killing every description of race, height, body shape and even gender we commonly use today to talk about the world around us and the people in it, the actual police will certainly have their work cut out for them! Officer: "Can you describe the person who stole your car?" Victim: "Sure. It was a human." |
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Post by GTCGreg on Jun 12, 2015 19:04:23 GMT
If the PC police should end up winning one day, effectively killing every description of race, height, body shape and even gender we commonly use today to talk about the world around us and the people in it, the actual police will certainly have their work cut out for them! Officer: "Can you describe the person who stole your car?" Victim: "Sure. It was a human." Or maybe not, if the animal rights activists have their way. www.wired.com/2015/05/chimpanzee-rights-get-day-court/ |
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Post by OziRiS on Jun 12, 2015 20:20:19 GMT
If the PC police should end up winning one day, effectively killing every description of race, height, body shape and even gender we commonly use today to talk about the world around us and the people in it, the actual police will certainly have their work cut out for them! Officer: "Can you describe the person who stole your car?" Victim: "Sure. It was a human." Or maybe not, if the animal rights activists have their way. www.wired.com/2015/05/chimpanzee-rights-get-day-court/ The stupidity of these people... Do chimps deserve human rights? Well, they're not human, so they're kinda disqualified before the question is even asked! And talk about a judge trying to make a name for herself! The lawsuit has already been dropped by two other judges. Wonder why... |
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Post by the light works on Jun 13, 2015 0:26:52 GMT
Sometimes, political correctness and the need to be sanitize our language forces us to use terms that are more offensive or even incorrect. Being PC has gotten us into the habit of referring to black people as 'African American', which is not correct a lot of the time. Some are African American, but others could be Haitian or Jamaican or Brazilian or Arubian or, even, French in heritage. See what we did there...by trying to not use one term, we've started calling people the wrong thing altogther. Everyone with a Spanish accent can be referred to as Spanish or Latino/a. When, in reality, he/she may be Spanish or Central American or Chilean or Brazilian or Mexican or Puerto Rican or Cuban or Hispanic (from Hispanola)...you get the idea. Being PC has actually gotten into the habit of classifying peoples with broad strokes rather than acknowledging their individuality. Fat people are 'overweight'. Skinny people are 'underweight'. Short people are 'little people'. The disabled are 'physically (or mentally) challenged'*. Smart people are 'academically gifted' - while average or less than average students are 'academically challenged'. See how versatile we are. *I know multiple disabled persons who find the PC term to be greatly offensive and refer to themselves as disabled. And whatever happened to the term "handicapped"? As far as I can find out from around the web, "handicapped" and "disabled" mean the exact same thing; that you're somehow at a disadvantage compared to the norm. Is it not obvious that someone who has lost the function of his legs is at a disadvantage compared to people whose legs work fine? Well, not in a game of chess, but certainly in a foot race. Language is meant to serve as an intellectual discriptor of the world around us, giving us the possibility of having conversations about things and people that aren't close enough for us to point at. Why do we have to keep putting restrictions on what we can and can't describe and how? If the PC police should end up winning one day, effectively killing every description of race, height, body shape and even gender we commonly use today to talk about the world around us and the people in it, the actual police will certainly have their work cut out for them! Officer: "Can you describe the person who stole your car?" Victim: "Sure. It was a human." "I'm sorry, no - anything that might be distinctive is not an appropriate thing to say" |
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Post by the light works on Jun 13, 2015 0:32:59 GMT
today I learned that welding with gas is much like riding a bicycle. when you're older, it takes more effort, you get more tired, and if you fall down people laugh at you.
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Post by GTCGreg on Jun 13, 2015 1:40:34 GMT
today I learned that welding with gas is much like riding a bicycle. when you're older, it takes more effort, you get more tired, and if you fall down people laugh at you. Riding a bicycle with gas can be very painful. For that reason, I avoid cretin foods before I plan a bike ride. And yes, passing gas while on a bicycle will make people laugh at you unless you can convince them it's really a motorcycle making that noise. |
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Post by the light works on Jun 13, 2015 2:05:51 GMT
today I learned that welding with gas is much like riding a bicycle. when you're older, it takes more effort, you get more tired, and if you fall down people laugh at you. Riding a bicycle with gas can be very painful. For that reason, I avoid cretin foods before I plan a bike ride. And yes, passing gas while on a bicycle will make people laugh at you unless you can convince them it's really a motorcycle making that noise. some years back, I had it on good authority that Yoga is very good for getting intestinal gas out of the intestines. the bad thing is that it leaves in the traditional manner. |
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Post by OziRiS on Jun 13, 2015 6:15:56 GMT
Riding a bicycle with gas can be very painful. For that reason, I avoid cretin foods before I plan a bike ride. And yes, passing gas while on a bicycle will make people laugh at you unless you can convince them it's really a motorcycle making that noise. some years back, I had it on good authority that Yoga is very good for getting intestinal gas out of the intestines. the bad thing is that it leaves in the traditional manner. And that's why girls in yoga pants are really only interesting in pictures and video  |
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Post by OziRiS on Jun 14, 2015 0:10:02 GMT
Today I learned that when my entire body starts to signal that it's time for bed, I should really listen to it!
Here are some examples of the weird questions my mind can come up with if I stay up later than I should have:
When an undertaker dies, has he finally graduated? And if he believes in reincarnation, is death then just a form of higher education?
Can a person get high tech nails? If not, there must be an awful lot of unemplyed nail technicians.
Is a mouse pad a house for single, male rodents?
Shouldn't a Tupperware salesman be able to put a lid on it?
And on that note, shouldn't a shoe salesman be able to put a sock in it?
If you want to swat fireflies, do you need a wet newspaper?
Is plastic surgery performed with surgical instruments from Fisher Price?
Does Iron Man use underwear made of steel wool...?
If you're a homosexual working at Ikea, will you ever come out of the closet?
If you don't like loud music, can you get lowspeakers?
When is a strawberry too tall for a shortcake?
Is a concussion a fake discussion?
If a female police officer is tired of being single, does she initiate a manhunt? And does that qualify her for overtime while she's on dates?
If a Wiccan decides to go live in the desert, does that make her a sandwich?
Does a stable live up to its name during an earthquake?
If stars run on real fusion, do nuclear power plants run on confusion?
If you're mentally disabled and you're born between July 23rd and August 23rd, does that make you a leotard?
Does nailing a pizza to the wall make it a staple food?
Do pediatricians give pedicures?
Does leaving your sunroof open during a severe rainstorm leave you with a carpool?
Is the aspiration to have gender reassignment surgery called a transmission?
And the last one: If you were a butler working for a man named Bates, would you ever call him "Master"?
It's obviously time for bed!
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Post by silverdragon on Jun 14, 2015 10:01:36 GMT
Today I learned just how much I miss my old keyboard.
And just how much that interferes with how I type.
For a few weeks now I have been having problems with the bloody thing, so I have had to use my Wireless keyboard.
It only has half the buttons, because this one is a full three inch wider, and deeper, because it has an extra row of function keys I have programmed.
Simple things, like bringing up the calculator, swinging Firefox into action, screen grab, print, volume control, mute, ... Page up/down/home/end backspace and delete on different keys, and four position arrow keys to move cursor around...
I miss them.
So I unplugged this old thing, and hovered off the dust...
Intending to find out why it suddenly stopped working.
At one point, I dropped it.
Oh Cr-P.
So I immediately pug it back in....
I am NOT a fan of the thinking, if in doubt, give it a clout, but, I dunno, the thing is working just fine now?...
And even better, because I already prised off the caps lock key, I dont mistakenly WRITE A WHOLE LINE IN CAPITALS before I realise what I did.....
So I got my keyboard back.
Wo Hooo.....
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Post by silverdragon on Jun 14, 2015 10:04:50 GMT
I have had to tell a customer in the bar that playing the fruit machine is not one of his "Five a day".
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Post by the light works on Jun 14, 2015 14:10:19 GMT
today I learned that Indian men apparently do not have shoulders that flex forward like caucasian men do. the four shirts Mrs TLW bought online from india fit okay until I reach forward for something. I guess next week I will find out if they are returnable or not.
this is also why I don't buy clothes from wal-mart - besides not agreeing with their business model.
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Post by the light works on Jun 14, 2015 21:29:40 GMT
I also learned that model numbers mean nothing if you're buying a Nutone product. they will cheerfully completely redesign a product so it is nothing like it was, and then have the same model number on it.
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Post by GTCGreg on Jun 14, 2015 23:00:06 GMT
I also learned that model numbers mean nothing if you're buying a Nutone product. they will cheerfully completely redesign a product so it is nothing like it was, and then have the same model number on it. Model 1, Rev 9,836,760,237,663.1 But consider cars. How is the Chevy Impala of 1958 anywhere close to a 2015 Impala? About all they have in common is both have 4 wheels. |
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Post by the light works on Jun 15, 2015 4:45:54 GMT
I also learned that model numbers mean nothing if you're buying a Nutone product. they will cheerfully completely redesign a product so it is nothing like it was, and then have the same model number on it. Model 1, Rev 9,836,760,237,663.1 But consider cars. How is the Chevy Impala of 1958 anywhere close to a 2015 Impala? About all they have in common is both have 4 wheels. ah, but two 1958 impalas will be able to interchange parts... and in cars, the model year is part of the model identification. |
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Post by silverdragon on Jun 15, 2015 6:49:29 GMT
Model 1, Rev 9,836,760,237,663.1 But consider cars. How is the Chevy Impala of 1958 anywhere close to a 2015 Impala? About all they have in common is both have 4 wheels. ah, but two 1958 impalas will be able to interchange parts... and in cars, the model year is part of the model identification. Check out Avensis, Toyota. The windscreen washer pump on all three models is "different", much to my annoyance... But then so are the heater/ac controls, in fact, theres hardly a single part that is the same. Except of course the nut holding the steering wheel.Which is always several shades loose?... Getting spares for a car that hardly ever breaks down is difficult, having to know what bloody year it was manufactured (not sold) is even harder. |
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Post by OziRiS on Jun 15, 2015 8:34:27 GMT
Getting spares for a car that hardly ever breaks down is difficult, having to know what bloody year it was manufactured (not sold) is even harder. Couldn't you get that information from the manufacturer if you just give them the VIN number? |
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Post by silverdragon on Jun 15, 2015 11:20:00 GMT
Yes.
Do you know where it is?..
(It took me a while to find it as well...)
However, they now do things by the registration number.
Which gives them knowledge of who owns the car....
I aint prepared to share that info with them.
Especially when I know the part number of the part I want, but they want to "Register" me as a customer.
...As in, sell my details to mass marketing sharks.....
I just want THIS part.... here, the number is on the old one in my hand....
I also know its fitted to other vehicles as well.
But no, they want my inside leg measurements and the size of my postbox to work out just how much they can "Sell" me that I dont want?....
However, I have a likkle friend, called Ebay, and it will send me the part, with guarantees of NO marketing, for half the price of what that store wants....
Good innit?...
Plus I can see the part before I order it to compare the thing against the old one.
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Post by GTCGreg on Jun 15, 2015 13:29:36 GMT
Yes. Do you know where it is?.. (It took me a while to find it as well...) However, they now do things by the registration number. Which gives them knowledge of who owns the car.... I aint prepared to share that info with them. Especially when I know the part number of the part I want, but they want to "Register" me as a customer. ...As in, sell my details to mass marketing sharks..... I just want THIS part.... here, the number is on the old one in my hand.... I also know its fitted to other vehicles as well. But no, they want my inside leg measurements and the size of my postbox to work out just how much they can "Sell" me that I dont want?.... However, I have a likkle friend, called Ebay, and it will send me the part, with guarantees of NO marketing, for half the price of what that store wants.... Good innit?... Plus I can see the part before I order it to compare the thing against the old one. A number of years ago, my Ford E-150 van broke down about 150 miles from home. The air injector pump froze up. I rented a car to get home and figured I'd return the next day with a new pump, do a road repair, drop off the rental car and drive the van home. When I went to the parts store to get a new pump, I gave them the model, year and engine size and then they asked me if the old pump had 3 or 4 bolts holding it on. They said different pumps were used on that engine and they were not interchangeable. When I told them the problem, they gave me both pumps and said when I got back, just return the one I didn't need and pay for the one I used. They didn't even ask for a deposit. Nice folks at Advanced Auto. |
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