Re: Amerind an offensive term (was: Early Amerind assimilation

Stephen Barnard (steve@megafauna.com)
Tue, 13 Aug 1996 21:41:29 -0800

Joel and Lynn Gazis-Sax wrote:
>
> I think it is time to ask Ms. Cockcroft, in all fairness, to explain
> what she meant by this:
>
> > > > Toby Cockcroft wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Furthermore, I don't see this as an isolated instance of naming. Blacks,
> > > > > women and the disabled (probably all politically incorrect terms) have all
> > > > > fought for control and escape from anglo male culture.
> > > >
>
> But it is clear to me that Mr. Barnard doesn't understand any humor which is
> not racist in nature.

This is what passes for humor here? It's just too subtle for me, but then I'm a
card-carrying redneck racist, right?

> The term politically correct began as a bit of self-humor
> among Leftists who caricaturized themselves for their occassional boycotts
> and attentativeness to wording. In rereading this yet again, I see Ms. Cockcroft
> echoing the same insider's joke, a dangerous thing because there are plenty of
> humorless, agenda-laden people who happilly convert this into a conspiracy of
> some kind.
>

So you're *not* agenda laden? Yuck yuck. Is that some more "humor"?

> I didn't see Ms. Cockcroft's original post either, so I suspect that Mr. Barnard
> has done some careful re-editing to make his position seem reasonable.

Your suspicions are unfounded. I quoted her verbatim, and apparently you didn't
even read the quote before diving for the keyboard as soon as you saw the words
"politically incorrect".

>
> I never accused you of bringing up politically incorrect.

Oh, come on! Other people can actually read, you know. Here's what you wrote:

"Scoundrel bells always go off in my mind when I see the term 'politically
correct'"

Were the "scoundrel bells" tolling for me or for Ms Cockcroft?

And then:

"But to return to Mr. Barnard: I have found that 'politically correct' is most
often invoked by persons who believe that freedom of speech also means freedom
from rebuke."

So who feels freedom from rebuke, Ms Cockcroft or I? I think it's *you*.

Steve Barnard