Skysim / TeamSDB Political Correctness?

[SkippyBing]

the word nigger is derived from the latin word niger meaning black and has nothing whatsoever to do with race.

Try saying it in South Central LA, they may technically be wrong but you'll probably actually be dead.

[hobby]

OFF TOPIC - But I feel so angry about a lot of this nonsense.

I feel that all this so called 'political correctness' in the UK is mostly a load of absolute rubbish brought about by the ever increasing numbers of people who 'suffer endlessly on behalf of others' - most of whom are not suffering or feeling insulted in any way.

I believe that this PC nonsense may be an attempt to replace what most of our forum members of 45yrs + and many who are younger, knew as politeness and good manners - now seemingly rapidly disappearing. Most of my generation were brought up to respect older people, females and to take care of tiny children by keeping them out of danger and coming to their aid when they skinned their knees.

Of course UK society has changed in the last 50 yrs but I recall as a Scout wearing, in public places, a sheath knife on one hip and an sheathed axe on the other, I also had a clasp knife in my rucksack. No one at that time ever dreamt such items would be used to injure any other person and we were never stopped or searched by policemen.

A neighbours' son is a cub master and last evening set his pack to build some nest boxes for sale next year. My neighbours went along but could not enter the Scout hut because they had not been cleared as OK by the police even though one of the cubs was a grandchild. So 'gran' could not make drinks for her son and the boys and her husband was unable to guide the cubs in the best way to measure and mark out the materials for the bird boxes. Result = lots of fun and help cut off!!

Similarly the CO of the local ATC Sqdn told me last week that he has to do a risk assessment prior to taking his cadets by coach anywhere and another set of RAs for almost every other activity upon arrival. Sending a cadet on a course for gliding wings is an absolute nightmare these days. I asked if there was any fun in the Corps these days -"not much for COs" was his reply. No wonder there a waiting lists for membership of youth organisations caused by lack of volunteer leaders who after a day at work really do not want to spend half their evenings as admnistrators before imparting knowledge and skills to teenagers.

[Quixoticish]

Plenty of valid points hobby, but you appear to be confusing political correctness with both the health and safety culture and excessive legislation.

[Garry Russell]

Political correctness has spurrned a lot of excessive legislation

This is about common sense and anyone who see's this as more than the name of the dog/mission target success codeword would seem to be lacking that atribute.

I, like many here, live in a real world with real problems and this daft practice of creating a problem where one doesn't really exist shows that perhaps some people have nothing better to do to be honest.

Garry

[hobby]

For Chris H:

No I am not confusing PC with H&S.

I was trying to point out as an past ATC CO who really was in great need of potential Sqdn staff (civvies to start with) to help set up a brand new unit in 1970, I had to push on for many months as a solo, as hard as it was then it is even harder now for all youth organisations to attract suitable, dependable adults today.

Additionally some so called PC & some H&S admin just puts adults off. The ATC motto is "Venture Adventure" - you can't do that without good instructors and supervision and agreat deal of 'common sense.

I think that had better be my last comment on PC etc.

[SkippyBing]

Hobby,

You do appear to be mistaking H&S and child protection for PC, nothing in your first post was brought about by PC, it was brought about by people misinterpreting H&S guidelines and treating every adult as a potential paedophile. Not to be confused with PC which involves not insulting people needlessly because you're from Yorkshire* and believe using language from 50 years ago is still appropriate.
Overzealous interpretation of H&S guidelines is a problem, I know I'm in the middle of two risk assessments which if you were paranoid about covering your back you'd sign off as unfeasible, not being a civil servant I'm willing to treat adults as adults and don't see any of it as a problem. Hell, not using the N word isn't even being PC, it's being a gentleman the definition of one, according to Oscar Wilde, being 'One who does not cause offence, unintentionally'.

*I've been to Yorkshire, can't see what all the fuss is about.

[DaveB]

Ah.. someone from a similar world to the one I live in ;-)

Nicely put Skip

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[emfrat]

I think 'hobby' put his finger right on it - the whole sorry mess is caused by the same muddled thinking.
It is one thing to use one's authority to create a safe environment for the people you are managing - all managers have that duty whether they are managing a family, a squadron, a crew or a business; it is quite another to invent rules so that people can be punished for breaking them - that's what bosses and bureaucrats do.
But speaking as a gentleman - who is never rude unintentionally - I have to say that I now believe Guy Gibson quite deliberately chose that name for his dog because it would give offence to people some sixty-odd years after Guy gave his life for his country. Apparently it is no longer polite to believe anything else.
As my late ex-RNVR Dad used to say "Pah! toochle!!"
MikeW