Quote:
Originally Posted by Stare At The Sun
Calling someone a "retard" is just cutting down the term "mental retardation". It is not a "good" thing that PC has totally run amok. If you don't like what I say DON'T LISTEN. Simple as that. And no, its not humankind, its MANKIND. Terms that have existed for THOUSANDS of years should not be changed because of some Fem-nazi bitch that gets offended.
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionar...ankind&x=0&y=0
"1 /'man-'kInd, -"kInd/ : the human race : the totality of human beings
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the term "mankind" explicitly excludes women, and therefore it is inappropriate. I am not saying people should be prevented by law from saying it if they want, but in the education system, in state literature and so on, the appropriate terms should be used.
Free speech is all well and good, but people also have a right to be protected from offensive speech.
It is not unreasonable for women to be offended by a term that implies that humanity is male - this devalues the contributions of women to the human race, and portrays women as secondary to men.
It is unreasonable to be offended by someone asking for a "black coffee"
Like I said, you will always find people who's opinions are onm either margin... I think the common sense of the people can find a sensible middle ground, and there is a general consensus about what is politically incorrect and what is not.
Out of interest, why do you find it difficult to use the term "humankind", or to call first years "freshpeople". Surely being inclusive is a good thing?