How Totally Idiotic! Has Pc Behaviour Overtaken Common Sense?

[suzeanna]

They are talking on Jeremy Vine of a downs syndrome boy with a mental age of five who apparently called another teenager black face..and the police got involved. For heavens sake! from what I've seen of Downs syndrome people they don't have a nasty bone in their bodies, how could anyone take that seriously enough to call the police? He was just saying what he saw, a person who wasn't white, green red or blue so he called them black, surely?

[Kathyw]

That is one of the most ridiculous things ever.

 

As you say the child was just saying what he saw and to take offence from that is beyond understanding, how senstive can some be?

The police should know better than to get involved in this - ff what is this country coming to when an innocent child is investigated?

 

Whoever called the police should hang their head in shame.

[scotslass]

Just found this http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3761056.ece since I haven't been able to listen to the programme yet.

 

I see the case was dropped after the Procurator Fiscal investigated, but it shouldn't have got that far. I wonder how many Scots have written to ask the PF office why this was ever a police matter? I will , for a start. Sounds like someone was making mischief.

 

Liz

[ailsas mum]

I saw it on the local news at lunch time, it is p.c. gone mad .

 

B.B.C. Scotland, if you scroll down a bit there is a video link.

 

Terri

[meandmy4?]

I think the PC police ruined everything a long time ago last year when my son was just 4 he asked me and the nusery teacher if a black boy in his class was chocolate as he was chocolate coloured. I explanied to him and that was the end of it but if the police had turned up on my doorstep I know what they would of got. I hate the way things are going wish we had a PM with balls.

I am not PC at all until someone comes in my house and pays my bills I refuse to get into this PC Bull shite.

Edited April 17, 2008 by meandmy4?

[scotslass]

The thing is, though, the boy wasn't just charged with calling someone names; nor was he 4 years old and in the privacy of his own home where his mother could explain to him. He was charged with assault, albeit racially motivated - neither charge should have been brought, of course. He behaved like the 5 year old boy he is, mentally, and I believe the college took the right action by telling both kids to behave. It would be interesting to know who put the ad in the papers, looking for witnesses. Who were these witnesses likely to be? Other disabled children? Non-disabled ones who were passing by? Why would anyone go forward on the basis of an ad like that?

 

I think there's a bigger issue here though - just to make this even more controversial - we're always being told that mentally disabled youngsters like this lad have equal human rights - eg the right to a sexual relationship. Now, if this is the case (and I dispute it), how can we say on the one hand that Down's Sydrome children are adult enough to conduct a sexual relationship and on the other, that they are not adult enough to be responsible for their other actions?

 

I'm going to write to the PF office anyway, just to see what they say, reluctant though I am to waste even more of their time.

[elricc]

I too think this an absolute appaling waste of public money and a gross miscarriage etc

 

However, I suppose I am very PC, coming from a cultural minority who it is still totally acceptable to berate and stagmatise. It is very unpleasant still and as a child had me often in tears when people talked about pikeys or smelly gypsies etc etc I could go on and on, however today I can cope as I realise it tends to be very ignorant and ineffectual people who make these comments.

[scotslass]

but if the police had turned up on my doorstep I know what they would of got. I hate the way things are going wish we had a PM with balls.

I am not PC at all until someone comes in my house and pays my bills I refuse to get into this PC Bull shite.

 

But the police aren't going to turn up at your door for a remark made in his own home by a 4 year old.

 

I think the term 'political correctness' has had a bad press. My feeling is that common sense should prevail - but it's impossible for the law-makers to decide what common sense is, so there have to be rules. Let's not kid ourselves, there are people out there who despise other people for the colour of their skin, their racial origin or their religion. They're the real problem.

 

 

I too think this an absolute appaling waste of public money and a gross miscarriage etc

 

However, I suppose I am very PC, coming from a cultural minority who it is still totally acceptable to berate and stagmatise. It is very unpleasant still and as a child had me often in tears when people talked about pikeys or smelly gypsies etc etc I could go on and on, however today I can cope as I realise it tends to be very ignorant and ineffectual people who make these comments.

 

I agree. Insecurity - and fear of the unknown - often makes people say daft and cruel things.

 

 

 

Can I just add to my previous post that my concern is for the protection of those with Down's Syndrome. I can't see the reasoning which permits those of very limited mental capacity to vote (partly on the basis that democratically speaking, that's just an extra vote for parents) , to have sexual relationships, and to marry, when they are deemed to be - to all intents and purposes - children.

 

Finally, given the nature of government, it's likely that many politicians won't go out of their way to foster peaceful societes. When different social groups are in conflict, it's so much easier to manage them; something we should all remember.

[meandmy4?]

Well it should come down to the police having some sort of desrection when it comes to these matters, Oh knows quite alot of policeman and it does annoy them as much as us.

[ranirottie]

totally ridiculous and a complete waste of time,money and resources. People with mental disabilities of any sort tend to say exactly what they think because their brain does not recognise tact,discretion,racism or any other fine tuning expected of other people. The lad just said what he saw and it should never have been counted as racism. If he had called another child fat or mentioned someones glasses would it have had the same reaction? It is a disabled child for god sake!x

[BilRed]

But the police aren't going to turn up at your door for a remark made in his own home by a 4 year old.

 

I think the term 'political correctness' has had a bad press. My feeling is that common sense should prevail - but it's impossible for the law-makers to decide what common sense is, so there have to be rules. Let's not kid ourselves, there are people out there who despise other people for the colour of their skin, their racial origin or their religion. They're the real problem.

 

 

 

 

I agree. Insecurity - and fear of the unknown - often makes people say daft and cruel things.

 

 

 

Can I just add to my previous post that my concern is for the protection of those with Down's Syndrome. I can't see the reasoning which permits those of very limited mental capacity to vote (partly on the basis that democratically speaking, that's just an extra vote for parents) , to have sexual relationships, and to marry, when they are deemed to be - to all intents and purposes - children.

 

Finally, given the nature of government, it's likely that many politicians won't go out of their way to foster peaceful societes. When different social groups are in conflict, it's so much easier to manage them; something we should all remember.

 

 

Excellent post Scots Lass!

 

It is very difficult to be fair to all, at least in this country we try.

[Alison]

I get so fed up with the whole PC thing, particularly in terms of what I regard as my right to free speech.

 

I'm sick of treading on eggshells, having to run everything past the censor in my mind's ear before it leaves my lips. For those who only "know" me here in writing, I can appreciate that I might not seem particularly diplomatic but I promise you that in real life I actually am and in general it's something that comes quite easily to me.

 

However ( ) why the f*ck should I fret about such things as calling Bombay "Bombay" because I've forgotten that it's now Mumbai - the bloody map of the world changes daily as far as I can tell. How am I supposed to keep up? How long before I offend someone by using yesterday's country name and not the new one as of this morning? It irritated me beyond belief that the second it sunk in that Burma had become Myanmar and I started calling it that, it was Burma again

 

Quite how a lad with Down's Syndrome (are we still allowed to call it that? Is it not "differently chromosomally abled" or something nowadays? If not, I'm surprised), unable to tie his own shoelaces or go to the toilet unassisted is supposed to navigate his way through the minefield of political correctness I do not know. Absolutely disgusting that he and his family should have been subjected to this pointless and stupid ordeal and a ridiculous waste of public money.

 

Friends of mine in the police force have some really stupid rules to live with. I'm not going to think about it too deeply as I get so angry but one of the things is how anyone they stop and search has to choose their own ethnic nomenclature. I've seen the list of choices and it's mind boggling. To cut a long story short, I have every right to decide that I'm "Black Somali" (e.g.) then complain that being stopped and searched was motivated by institutional racism in that force.

 

I don't know who comes up with this bleeding heart do-goody liberal shite but can't they see that it is not helping anyone (least of all the minorities it is supposed to protect)? My place of work is referred to by everyone employed there as The United Nations, East Midlands Branch - seriously cosmopolitan and it's like a haven away from the world of political correctness. Poking fun at each other's racial stereotypes is something we giggle at an awful lot and I come in for it as much, if not more and worse than anyone (lone Brit and female). I am frequently referred to with genuine pity as being "only an English woman" and I find it hysterically funny. We're all in the poo once we lose the ability to tell and hear it like it is and laugh I think, although that is a world away from malicious taunts which are a different matter entirely.

 

My colleagues from eastern Europe (yep, another name that's probably non-PC now) dread hearing the latest helpful PR brainwave campaign that whatever it is racial thingy board has come up with. They say that it highlights their differentness in the community that they've previously rubbed along well with and causes resentment against them.

 

This morning I realised what a hyprocrite I am though. Radio 4 news came on while I was getting ready to go out and I was really shocked to hear the headline that: "John Prescott has admitted to suffering from the illness bulimia". As a politician I loathe that man with a passion (whilst I wouldn't be sorry if his head dropped off, I wouldn't wish illness on anyone) but since when did it become OK for the BBC to report someone "admitting" to suffering from an illness? That implies shame and I can't see why anyone should be ashamed of having an illness. I don't know anyone with bulimia so have no particular axe to grind but it just struck me that nobody would say that someone had admitted to having cancer or heart failure.

 

But there's the rub - that reporter has every bit as much right to freedom of speech as I have. It's just that I didn't like this as other people have the right not to like what I think is perfectly OK to say.

 

Edited to correct punctuation - which in all likelihood is still dreadful nonetheless

Edited April 20, 2008 by Alison

[BillyMalc]

For once I'll keep it short and just agree with everything you said above Alison

[sanrossscot]

For once I'll keep it short and just agree with everything you said above Alison

 

Me too!

[Fee]

Good post, Alison, and well said

 

But.... I hope it's not too politically correct of me to mention that most people with Downs are well able to go to the toilet and tie their shoelaces. In fact many of the Downs people I've worked with are very able to care for themselves, cook, shop, can read and write and have jobs.

 

Not that it detracts from your point in the least.