It's political correctness gone mad - part 883, a Christmas Special

[Dave B]

Radio One has edited the word "faggot" from just about the only decent Christmas record ever, Fairytale of New York. (Linky) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7149525.stm)

They're probably scared after Chris Moyles got into trouble for calling a ringtone "gay" last year. What next? No White Christmas for fear of offending anybody black? Oh to be a Daily Mail headline writer - they must be having a field day!

It's political correctness... blah blah blah.

Still, Radio 2 are playing it in its entirety, and I heard it unedited in a hospital waiting room earlier today and nobody batted an eyelid.

:s anta:

[GridGirl]

But the song's been around for so long that people know the word is faggot and don't take the song to be offensive.

Being from the Black Country where faggots and Grey peas are a traditional dish it really annoys me. People don't go round saying I fancy *beep* and grey peas for tea tonight. :s

[Drew]

I saw some Pork Faggots today in Tescos, I demand they be taken off the shelves :angryfire

[Dave B]

Pork Faggots? Is that general advice? :p

[SEATFreak]

"You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it's our last"

I think theirs a lot more offensive words in that verse than the word "faggot".

What about the line about being an old slut on junk? If I were female I wouldn't take to kindly to being called an old slut on junk.

And the names "scumbag" and "maggot" won't be taken to kindly by any gender.

And I don't need to explain the image of you lying in a hospital bed dying with a drip half way up an artery. :eek:

Unless your watching the video you could swear Kirsty was talking to you.

Though Christmas is an arse I think we all agree. :)

[Drew]

Pork Faggots? Is that general advice? :p

What homosexualists do in their own time and property is none of my business, Dave. They're allowed to do what they want ;)

[slinkster]

I just heard on the radio that they'd decided to actually put the word back in. Apparantly it took them all day to decide on it. I agree that there are much worse phrases in that song than the word faggot.

[Magnus]

I read in a swesish paper that some organization in australia urges their santas not to say Ho ho ho since it is short for ***** or prostitute...
:s

[306 Cosworth]

Bo77ocks to Political Correctness, it's a joke! Bah Bah Black Sheep, ooo sorry you can't say that anymore, lock me up and throw away the key!

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Why can't they censor Shane McGowans mouth :mad:

http://www.flowerseast.com/Originals/PYKE/32224.jpg

[Hazell B]

I noticed most of the commercial TV music channels had silenced the word, too.

This is probably the one case of PC stepping in that I don't mind. The word is meant to be an insult, it isn't some comedy dig about meat based uglies. Some people are upset by it's use (mainly in the US, as that guy from Gray's Anatomy will tell you) so why not just chop it out? I mean, it's hardly ruined the song has it? We all know it's there after all these years. I'd noticed and didn't care either way, so don't mind.

Kirsty McColl's family have taken the silence as an insult - that's the only reason it's making headlines. They're still trying to get justice after her death, so any chance at headlines again is good for them and I can't bvlame them for using it.

[inimitablestoo]

As long as they censor the entirety of Ronan Keating's dismal cover version, that's OK by me :)

[MrJan]

Oh to be a Daily Mail headline writer - they must be having a field day!


Indeed. No doubt that this is proof that Radio 1 was involved in the killing of Lady Di. That should provide the mandatory Diana story of the day. Seriously though I think you can take a copy of the Mail on any day and find an article about Diana, think it's time they dropped it and started reporting some news.

[Camelopard]

Bo77ocks to Political Correctness, it's a joke! Bah Bah Black Sheep, ooo sorry you can't say that anymore, lock me up and throw away the key!

Yep and another thing is the expression 'Happy Holidays'. This really annoys me, It's Merry Christmas for heavens sake.

[MrJan]

I think that's a reasonable one, I can see how people from other religions can be offended by that.

[jso1985]

I think that's a reasonable one, I can see how people from other religions can be offended by that.

how? as far as I know Chritstmas doesn't mean "Christians rock! other religions suck"

and I don't see Ramadan being called holiday to not ofend non-muslims

[Camelopard]

how? as far as I know Chritstmas doesn't mean "Christians rock! other religions suck"

and I don't see Ramadan being called holiday to not ofend non-muslims

Exactly, after all it IS a Christian Celebration/Festival.

Using P.C. logic shouldn't we come up with a different name for Easter as well?

[Drew]

Cadburys chocolate holiday?

[Camelopard]

Cadburys chocolate holiday?

Hmmmmmmm, chocolate, good reason to have a holiday :) .

[BDunnell]

I noticed most of the commercial TV music channels had silenced the word, too.

This is probably the one case of PC stepping in that I don't mind. The word is meant to be an insult, it isn't some comedy dig about meat based uglies. Some people are upset by it's use (mainly in the US, as that guy from Gray's Anatomy will tell you) so why not just chop it out? I mean, it's hardly ruined the song has it? We all know it's there after all these years. I'd noticed and didn't care either way, so don't mind.

Kirsty McColl's family have taken the silence as an insult - that's the only reason it's making headlines. They're still trying to get justice after her death, so any chance at headlines again is good for them and I can't bvlame them for using it.

While I don't agree with you about this particular case, because I do think it's pretty ridiculous, I am glad that someone has put across the basic point that not everybody is not offended by such things. I, for instance, find the use of the word 'gay' in the way that Chris Moyles and Jeremy Clarkson have been criticised for doing rather tiresome, because, as such, it is probably derogatory. It's not the worst thing in the world, but there are plenty of other perfectly decent words to use in that case.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

While I don't agree with you about this particular case, because I do think it's pretty ridiculous, I am glad that someone has put across the basic point that not everybody is not offended by such things. I, for instance, find the use of the word 'gay' in the way that Chris Moyles and Jeremy Clarkson have been criticised for doing rather tiresome, because, as such, it is probably derogatory. It's not the worst thing in the world, but there are plenty of other perfectly decent words to use in that case.

I put it down to the evolution of language. 'Gay' hasn't always mean homosexual and more recently more people are using 'gay' as a word for describing something they don't like. I don't think they are trying to offend homsexuals (particularly in the Chris Moyles case when he called a ringtone gay).

[BDunnell]

I put it down to the evolution of language. 'Gay' hasn't always mean homosexual

Very fair point.


I don't think they are trying to offend homsexuals (particularly in the Chris Moyles case when he called a ringtone gay).

It certainly does depend on the context. With Chris Moyles, I suppose my view of him as a boorish, loudmouthed, unfunny idiot clouds my judgment a little...

[Robinho]

i particularly enjoyed the Radio One news leading with the story all day and the newsreaders putting extra emphasis on the word "Faggot". i'm assuming that they didn't agree with the decision and were taking the chance to rebel a little, and it ended up with not one sung word every couple of days, but "faggot" being said every hour, several times! Brilliant

[BDunnell]

i particularly enjoyed the Radio One news leading with the story all day and the newsreaders putting extra emphasis on the word "Faggot". i'm assuming that they didn't agree with the decision and were taking the chance to rebel a little, and it ended up with not one sung word every couple of days, but "faggot" being said every hour, several times! Brilliant

'Faggot' is the German word for clarinet. There is a detailed German website about clarinets that I found recently while looking for something else. ;)

[Dave B]

Well I suppose you do put a clarinet in your.... on second thoughts, I'll stop there. :p

[jim mcglinchey]

who else has an ad for a gay dating agency at the bottom of this thread?

[MrJan]

how? as far as I know Chritstmas doesn't mean "Christians rock! other religions suck"

and I don't see Ramadan being called holiday to not ofend non-muslims

Maybe but I don't see Ramadan in the shops for a quarter of the year, in fact no one has ever said 'Happy Ramadan' to me whereas Christmas is forced in the face of everyone. It's not the religious holiday that offends it's peoples automatic assumption that everyone cares. Hell, take away the presents and half the people that celebrate so much wouldn't give a ****.


who else has an ad for a gay dating agency at the bottom of this thread?

Not me, must just be you ;) :p :

[306 Cosworth]

Here's one for you, should Black Pudding be called something else as that could quite easily offend someone, if they have an IQ of 10 and aren't from planet earth that is.

[inimitablestoo]

who else has an ad for a gay dating agency at the bottom of this thread?

I've got mine on top, if you'll pardon the expression ;)

[Dr. Krogshöj]

http://cagle.msnbc.com/working/051205/lester.gif

[jso1985]

who else has an ad for a gay dating agency at the bottom of this thread?

mine has Christian nutters propaganda :p :

[jim mcglinchey]

[


Not me, must just be you ;) :p :[/QUOTE]

Mmm....they obviously know something about me that I've long suspected.

[tintin]

who else has an ad for a gay dating agency at the bottom of this thread?

Not unless there's something I wasn't anticipating in the "Thruxton Driving Experience"...

[Captain VXR]

So we cannot use the word black anymore for anything. I would like some noire pudding

[BDunnell]

So we cannot use the word black anymore for anything.

In reality, we can, of course.

[Daniel]

It's always funny how people overstate the political correctness problem. I've never seen black pudding labelled as anything else. I hear you can't even by black cars anymore.

[BDunnell]

It's always funny how people overstate the political correctness problem. I've never seen black pudding labelled as anything else. I hear you can't even by black cars anymore.

People believe what they read in the papers. Most of the recurring stories are either recycled or untrue.

[Daniel]

I heard the red arrows aren't going to be allowed to fly at the olympics :p

[BDunnell]

Yeah, and we're about to celebrate something we all have to call Winterval.

[Daniel]

<aussie accent>that's a bloody outrage!</aussie accent>

[BDunnell]

<aussie accent>that's a bloody outrage!</aussie accent>

Don't say 'bloody'. That really does offend some people! ;)

[Daniel]

It's a bit unrelated but on bbc three they just described the Daily Mail as Fascism with oven gloves on. Classic. Point taken btw :p

[Daniel]

Ooh Diana is the 87th most irritating person in the country!

[Roamy]

I saw some Pork Faggots today in Tescos, I demand they be taken off the shelves :angryfire

YEA the obese sonofabitches should stand in the isles like other shoppers !!

[Dave B]

Ooh Diana is the 87th most irritating person in the country!
Oi! She does a lot of work for charity, you know. Spearheading the drink-driving campaign, for example...

[Hazell B]

Spearheading the drink-driving campaign, for example...

I still say she took that one a bit too far, but then again you can't knock her enthusiasm.

87th most annoying? No way is that right. 7th perhaps. :mark:

[BDunnell]

Oi! She does a lot of work for charity, you know. Spearheading the drink-driving campaign, for example...

And appearing in the range of Merc ads that was appearing around that time, with the slogan: 'Mercedes-Benz. Engineered to move the human spirit.'