Good times...
...My boyfriend came over
Great times...
...He walked in on my mother in the bath
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Political Correctness Is Out Of Control
Today’s society is so incredibly afraid of the ‘racist’ or ‘sexist’ label it’s prepared to alter all cultural customs: language, historical and religious traditions, and even those individual human aspects that make us unique. All are suffering elimination in order to avoid causing offence.
In 2005, Ikea was attacked for not featuring women in the instruction manuals. To be quite frank, I'm sure no one – even women who can change a light bulb – could care less whether men, women or gingerbread style people illustrate instructions. There are more pressing matters.
Colleges even going as far as having “de-gendered” toilets: “toilets” replaced “Ladies”, “Gentlemen” renamed to “toilets with urinals”. Who else would use urinals if not men?? It seems it is no longer acceptable to distinguish between those obvious variations that befall all human beings.
Forget gingerbread men; recently, bakeries have advertised “gingerbread persons”. Grinning gingerbread men have been in our lives for over 200 years. Why should society’s latest craze result in a break of tradition? In this case, “discrimination” is not a valid excuse. You can’t discriminate against a biscuit!
Straightforward descriptions have been changed to more “technical” language, to avoid causing offence. One is no longer alive; one is ‘Temporarily Metabolically Abled’, a corpse: ‘Metabolically Challenged’. Someone bordering death may be biologically challenged, not someone who has already fallen off the fence! ‘Short’ people state that one can only be shorter; ‘Vertically Challenged’ implies some difficulty about being short. Taken too far, Political Correctness obscures meaning, introducing ambiguity. The term could, indeed, refer to someone so drunk they cannot stand straight. Finally, a cowardly person is now ‘Challenge Challenged’. Imagine that in a sentence!
And Worst of all, as far as there ridiculous PC terms extend regarding everything else, they do not exist regarding society’s youth. Oh yes, some have labelled us ASBOs, ‘unruly teenagers’ or the like. According to Andrew Brown, a delightful gentleman from Islington who wrote a column for the London Paper, 2nd September 2009, the ‘increasingly anti-social, violent and feral youths’ should be ‘expelled to the shires’. In this way ‘Teenage crime would vanish overnight! The backs of bendy buses would be safe again.’ Two issues…
Firstly, I think our dear man is exaggerating. I’m a teenager. I sit at the back of the bus. It’s a subjective comment but…I don’t bully fellow passengers! The back of the bus is great, many adults and children alike sit in that distant row of seats. During the day, it’s safe. Maybe Andrew Brown should stop taking public transport during the early hours, at which time drunk old men also take residence on a deserted bus. He can’t just blame teenagers.
Secondly, ‘teenage crime would vanish’. Fine. Granted. It’s true. However, women could say the same: Hear, hear to a world without men! (Let me finish, boys…) Apparently prison populations would fall by 95%, road deaths would decrease by 70% and No Wars. But are men banished, exterminated? No. Because We Aren’t Generalising! Society doesn’t say All men are violent criminals, paedophiles, etc, yet Mr Brown suggests All teenagers are pests and should be ex-communicated. Nice!
The funny thing is that we complain about this inconsiderate stereotyping now. Imagine 20, 40, 60 years ahead. Most probably, we’ll all be saying Exactly The Same Thing.
In 2005, Ikea was attacked for not featuring women in the instruction manuals. To be quite frank, I'm sure no one – even women who can change a light bulb – could care less whether men, women or gingerbread style people illustrate instructions. There are more pressing matters.
Colleges even going as far as having “de-gendered” toilets: “toilets” replaced “Ladies”, “Gentlemen” renamed to “toilets with urinals”. Who else would use urinals if not men?? It seems it is no longer acceptable to distinguish between those obvious variations that befall all human beings.
Forget gingerbread men; recently, bakeries have advertised “gingerbread persons”. Grinning gingerbread men have been in our lives for over 200 years. Why should society’s latest craze result in a break of tradition? In this case, “discrimination” is not a valid excuse. You can’t discriminate against a biscuit!
Straightforward descriptions have been changed to more “technical” language, to avoid causing offence. One is no longer alive; one is ‘Temporarily Metabolically Abled’, a corpse: ‘Metabolically Challenged’. Someone bordering death may be biologically challenged, not someone who has already fallen off the fence! ‘Short’ people state that one can only be shorter; ‘Vertically Challenged’ implies some difficulty about being short. Taken too far, Political Correctness obscures meaning, introducing ambiguity. The term could, indeed, refer to someone so drunk they cannot stand straight. Finally, a cowardly person is now ‘Challenge Challenged’. Imagine that in a sentence!
And Worst of all, as far as there ridiculous PC terms extend regarding everything else, they do not exist regarding society’s youth. Oh yes, some have labelled us ASBOs, ‘unruly teenagers’ or the like. According to Andrew Brown, a delightful gentleman from Islington who wrote a column for the London Paper, 2nd September 2009, the ‘increasingly anti-social, violent and feral youths’ should be ‘expelled to the shires’. In this way ‘Teenage crime would vanish overnight! The backs of bendy buses would be safe again.’ Two issues…
Firstly, I think our dear man is exaggerating. I’m a teenager. I sit at the back of the bus. It’s a subjective comment but…I don’t bully fellow passengers! The back of the bus is great, many adults and children alike sit in that distant row of seats. During the day, it’s safe. Maybe Andrew Brown should stop taking public transport during the early hours, at which time drunk old men also take residence on a deserted bus. He can’t just blame teenagers.
Secondly, ‘teenage crime would vanish’. Fine. Granted. It’s true. However, women could say the same: Hear, hear to a world without men! (Let me finish, boys…) Apparently prison populations would fall by 95%, road deaths would decrease by 70% and No Wars. But are men banished, exterminated? No. Because We Aren’t Generalising! Society doesn’t say All men are violent criminals, paedophiles, etc, yet Mr Brown suggests All teenagers are pests and should be ex-communicated. Nice!
The funny thing is that we complain about this inconsiderate stereotyping now. Imagine 20, 40, 60 years ahead. Most probably, we’ll all be saying Exactly The Same Thing.
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Attraction to Songs
What is it about songs that makes us so emotional? It doesn't even have to be intentionally written that way! Look at any music video on youtube and someone will have written "I love this song" or "this song is so great", "it makes me happy" or "it always brings a tear to my eye".
What makes one person like a song when another person refuses to listen to it again? Something in a song corresponds to something within the individual: lyrics, rhythm, melody, pitch, artist
...I haven't quite worked out why.
It's understandable when a voice, the lyrics or tune reminds someone of a friend, lover, family member, deceased or alive, leading to those youtube messages "I LOVE YOU...TONY" or "This reminds me of my granddad. I miss you" What about when someone is over the top regarding a song and doesn't know why. What is it about the tune that just...gets us?
Maybe I'll post a response to my own questions when the answer dawns.
*~ xXx ~*
What makes one person like a song when another person refuses to listen to it again? Something in a song corresponds to something within the individual: lyrics, rhythm, melody, pitch, artist
...I haven't quite worked out why.
It's understandable when a voice, the lyrics or tune reminds someone of a friend, lover, family member, deceased or alive, leading to those youtube messages "I LOVE YOU...TONY" or "This reminds me of my granddad. I miss you" What about when someone is over the top regarding a song and doesn't know why. What is it about the tune that just...gets us?
Maybe I'll post a response to my own questions when the answer dawns.
*~ xXx ~*
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