Black hurricanes and green showers. Politically correct?

[Randwolf]

As best as I can tell, she was actually purporting to combat racism. It's not about "running out of names", it is about the type of name chosen. That's my point.

"There's discrimination and actually elected officials wandering around worried about the discrimination in the name of hurricanes. And hurricanes are destructive. You know nobody's very excited when a hurricane's heading their way, and yet here she is demanding that hurricanes be named after black people."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33896


This is not the first flap over hurricane names.

"You know it used to be that hurricanes were named only after women because they were destructive and unpredictable. And that's the reason. The feminists grew upset about that, demanded that hurricanes be named after men, and so now, the civil rights leaders are demanding black names for hurricanes"

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33896



Now it occurs to me to wonder who in their right mind would want a hurricane named after them? Furthermore, what kind of agenda would you be pursuing in order to convince people that this is desirable? Does changing the words around actually help anything? For example, replacing "cripple" with "handicapped". Doesn't the new word just pick up the same conotations as the old after a while? Do these vocabulary changes actually serve any purpose in real life? Or is it just posturing and political glad handing? I mean, "thought showers"? Who spends their time thinking of these things? I really don't know the answers...

 

[Asguard]

i agree with you. Would it surprise you to learn that most of these sort of actions come from the bigots themselves as a way to say "see we are not biggots, we would never call a homosexual a fag, so you can trust us that its not biggotry that makes us stop gay marrage"

 

[Randwolf]

i agree with you. Would it surprise you to learn that most of these sort of actions come from the bigots themselves as a way to say "see we are not biggots, we would never call a homosexual a fag, so you can trust us that its not biggotry that makes us stop gay marrage"

This would surprise me not at all. My best friend of 25 years is gay, my wife and I openly refer to him as "our faggot", he refers to himself the same way. Like anything else, there is a time and a place, and intent is important. But to your point, according to my friend, the most insiduous and pervasive discrimination comes from those that protest their "unbiased oulook" the loudest. Perhaps you are right, the hidden agenda behind the BS referred to in the OP may be mental masturbation on the part of the proponents of the changes. It makes them feel good and gives the appearance of combating discrimination but the groups supposedly offended by the practice in the first place couldn't give a shit.

 

[Tiassa]

On Political Correctness, Punch Lines, and Why Ignorant Whining Doesn't Work

One of the striking features of the constant conservative and libertarian complaint about political correctness is that so many people are willing to complain in a fashion intended to appeal to a comedy club audience while expecting to be taken seriously. One example is apparent in this thread's topic post, which plagiarizes a conservative website's exaggeration of Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee's remarks about hurricanes:

One of Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee's crusades in 2005 as a Representative of subtropical Gulf Coast Houston was to end what she called the government policy of giving hurricanes "lily white" names.

"All racial groups should be represented," she told The Hill Magazine, adding that she hoped the weather establishment in future "would try to be inclusive of African American names" such as "Keisha, Jamal and Deshawn."

From DiscoverTheNetworks.org:

One of Jackson Lee's crusades as a Representative of subtropical Gulf Coast Houston has been to end what she calls the government policy of giving hurricanes "lily white" names.

"All racial groups should be represented," she told The Hill Magazine, adding that she hoped the weather establishment in future "would try to be inclusive of African American names" such as "Keisha, Jamal and Deshawn."

We might also note, for the same consideration, our topic poster's reference to a chain e-mail:

Furthermore, according to a chain email I recently received (for about the 15th time):

She [Lee Jackson] would also like the weather reports to be broadcast in "language" that street people can understand, because one of the problems that happened in New Orleans was, that black people couldn't understand the seriousness of the situation due to the racially-biased language of the weather report.

So if the weather person says that the winds are going to blow at 140+ MPH, thats too hard to understand. I can hear it now: A weatherman in New Orleans says, "Wazzup, mutha-fukkas! Hehr-i-cane Chamiqua be headin 'fo' yo ass like Leroy on a crotch rocket! Bitch be a category fo' ! So, turn off dem chitlins,grab yo' chirren, leave yo crib, and head fo' denearest FEMA office fo yo FREE shit!"​

Isn't this just a bit over the top? Talk about offensive....

Snopes.com explains:

This racist take on a Congresswoman's actual comments began circulating on the Internet in September 2005, possibly as a reaction in kind to widespread negative characterizations of African-Americans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina ....

In July 2003, Texas representative Sheila Jackson Lee (a member of the NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus, and an ardent supporter of the current civil-rights leadership) criticized the weather establishment for its selection of names with which to christen hurricanes, stating that "All racial groups should be represented." Her comment was prompted by the 2003 list of hurricane names, which for the first time included French and Spanish appellations (derived from languages spoken in areas that border the Atlantic Ocean, where such storms occur), and she expressed the hope that in the future such lists "would try to be inclusive of African American names" as well.

The National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center publishes the yearly list of names to be used for identifying storms. The lists compiled for use through 2010 do not appear to include any distinctly African-American monikers.

(Snopes.com)

A "crusade"? Oh, heavens, let's make sure to accommodate the European minority in the region, but overlook the blacks. Making the point that multiculturalism should be truly multicultural doesn't seem much of a crusade, does it?

And, indeed, the hateful aspect of the chain e-mail prompted Cobb County Georgia to fire a contract employee for using the county's publicly-financed computer system to forward the message. A Texas mayor, in 2007, asked for the resignation of one of the city's councilmen for distributing the e-mail to city employees. The councilman admitted to making a stupid mistake, but did not, as of Snopes' writing in August of last year, step down.

Furthermore, while Rep. Jackson Lee's alleged complaint about the terminology in weather reports can be found at various websites, none offer any real attribution by which anyone might investigate the context of the remarks.

So how are we supposed to receive a complaint about political correctness that is in itself dishonest and constructed to foster a punch line? Well, we might take it for exactly what it is—a pathetic joke.

And while "thought showers" is, in itself, a term worthy of a chuckle, the effort to misrepresent the situation does the complainers no good. Looking to the three year-old article that spawned the recollection of what happened "recently in Ireland", we find that,

.... A spokeswoman said: 'The DETI does not use the term brainstorming on its training courses on the grounds that it may be deemed pejorative.'

Sources inside the department said there was concern that the term would cause offence to people with epilepsy as well those with brain tumours or brain injuries.

(McDonald)

When we consider "brain disorders" (topic post) in the context of epilepsy—as well as tumors or injuries that might cause seizures—DETI's sense of caution becomes a little more clear. If anything qualifies as a storm within the brain a seizure would seem to be it. Indeed, Merriam-Webster still refers to a brainstorm by its nineteenth-century definition: "a violent transient fit of insanity"; it also means either "a sudden bright idea" or "a harebrained idea". Brainstorming, as a committee-thinking technique, dates to 1953, and while Merriam-Webster offers no etymology for the term, it would seem to be more aesthetic than functional, possibly hearkening back to the days of barnstorming, a practice that reached legendary proportions by 1975, when Robert Redford starred as The Great Waldo Pepper.

And let's face it: a "storm of thoughts" is a bit of a misnomer. Consider the havoc wrought by genuine meteorological storms in the midwestern United States. With sewage polluting floodwaters, we might hope for a better result than ruinous, toxic chaos from groupthink. After all, isn't that sort of the general criticism of committee thought? And isn't that a bit incongruous to the intended context of "brainstorming"?

While DETI might be perhaps a bit oversensitive, and "thought showers" more than a little ridiculous, the suggestion of hidden agendas—ludicrous enough in itself—only reminds of the disingenuous façade constructed by the complainers in lieu of any proper context. Political correctness becomes a punch-line for them do not understand—and do not want to understand—the actual reasons behind the constant modification of common vernacular in pursuit of civility. And, for some of them, certainly, the pursuit of civility is in and of itself offensive.

Indeed, there are limits to the utility and propriety of political correctness, but ignorant whining in the form of amateur hour does not inspire any serious exploration of the issue. Having endured years of indignant, crass complaint, many people simply are not inclined to give such selfish ignorance the benefit of the doubt.
______________________

Notes:

Discover the Networks. "Sheila Jackson Lee". Viewed June 28, 2008. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=981

Mikkelson, Barbara. "They Call the Wind M'Ry-ah". Snopes.com. Updated August 28, 2007. http://www.snopes.com/racial/language/hurricane.asp

McDonald, Henry. "Now brainstorms are off the agenda". The Observer. June 26, 2005. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2005/jun/26/uk.politicalnews

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. http://www.m-w.com

See Also:

Onkst, David H. "Barnstormers". U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission. Viewed June 28, 2008. http://www.centennialofflight.gov/e..._Setters_and_Daredevils/barnstormers/EX12.htm

Wikipedia. "The Great Waldo Pepper". Updated June 14, 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Waldo_Pepper

Gillam, Carey. "Missouri levee breaks as U.S. flooding continues". International Herald Tribune (Reuters). June 27, 2008. http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/06/27/america/OUKWD-UK-USA-FLOODING.php

 

[Randwolf]

First of all, thank you Tiassa, for the counterpoint. I was looking for an explanation of this phenomenom specifically from you when I created the thread.

A couple of points...

One of the striking features of the constant conservative and libertarian complaint about political correctness is that so many people are willing to complain in a fashion intended to appeal to a comedy club audience while expecting to be taken seriously. One example is apparent in this thread's topic post, which plagiarizes a conservative website's exaggeration of Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee's remarks about hurricanes:

From DiscoverTheNetworks.org:

Actually I plagiarized this site: http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=DAA44227-D7E1-486A-B995-87BEF867F6E7 However, if you google you can find the same quote repeated at http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35762 and at http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2006/04/ and at http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/03_07_20_corner-archive.asp and at etc... As I mentioned this thread was prompted by a chain email. Before posting, you can bet I checked to make sure of the truth. This does not imply an intent to "plagiarize', and you didn't even get my source right. Maybe DiscoverTheNetworks.org plagiarized the content from frontpagemag.com, hmmm, Tiassa? Why the ad hom here? I started this thread in good faith, not that I will ever convince you. Fine, I am still getting answers to the underlying question, "does anyone actually believe in this sort of thing?" I really wasn't sure, because as you pointed out most people only see it as a joke. This is the way I felt years ago when I first heard about it. However, it occurred to me to wonder what was really going on here, because I doubt the Congresswoman intended it as a joke.

A "crusade"? Oh, heavens, let's make sure to accommodate the European minority in the region, but overlook the blacks. Making the point that multiculturalism should be truly multicultural doesn't seem much of a crusade, does it?

Tiassa, you are absolutely right. Crusade is too strong a word, and is not politically correct. Perhaps you prefer "campaign" or "appeal"? I couldn't care less, I am more interested in the motivation behind this request than I am in vilifying Jackson Lee. I just want to know how this sort of thing can be considered helpful to an oppressed group. Are people really envious of hurricane naming?

And, indeed, the hateful aspect of the chain e-mail prompted Cobb County Georgia to fire a contract employee for using the county's publicly-financed computer system to forward the message. A Texas mayor, in 2007, asked for the resignation of one of the city's councilmen for distributing the e-mail to city employees. The councilman admitted to making a stupid mistake, but did not, as of Snopes' writing in August of last year, step down.

I believe it, and this councilman is an idiot. The email is blatantly offensive, at least I consider it so, and I pointed this out in my previous post.

Furthermore, while Rep. Jackson Lee's alleged complaint about the terminology in weather reports can be found at various websites, none offer any real attribution by which anyone might investigate the context of the remarks.

From what I can gather, the remark originally appeared in The Hill newspaper in Washington, D.C., but I can not find a link to the article.

So how are we supposed to receive a complaint about political correctness that is in itself dishonest and constructed to foster a punch line? Well, we might take it for exactly what it is—a pathetic joke.

It wasn't a complaint so much as a question, Tiassa. Why don't you trying taking the post in the spirit it was intended: curiousity. And what's wrong with humour, if there is any in this topic? The question is not really about these specific examples, so much as the general trend to change the language around on the pretense of "civility".

And while "thought showers" is, in itself, a term worthy of a chuckle, the effort to misrepresent the situation does the complainers no good. Looking to the three year-old article that spawned the recollection of what happened "recently in Ireland", we find that,

My apologies, Tiassa. I just learned of it and was unable to immediately find a date. I probably just overlooked it, but when it happened is not really germaine to my question, unless you are alleging that this sort of thing no longer occurs. I do not know how to find out, but I want to know how representatives of the groups in question feel about these issues. Do blacks really want hurricanes named after them? Accept for Jackson Lee, of course, if we assume that the remark is correct and in the intended context. Are epileptics truly offended by the use of the term "brainstorm"? I think that the people pushing for this sort of thing are simply trying to rabble rouse and gain political goodwill. Or maybe, in the case of DETI, they are simply playing CYA. "DETI's sense of caution becomes a little more clear" - (Tiassa) I assume you meant this in the context of trying to be sensitive to people with epilepsy or other brain disorders, but I'm thinking that they just don't want to get sued.

And let's face it: a "storm of thoughts" is a bit of a misnomer. Consider the havoc wrought by genuine meteorological storms in the midwestern United States. With sewage polluting floodwaters, we might hope for a better result than ruinous, toxic chaos from groupthink. After all, isn't that sort of the general criticism of committee thought? And isn't that a bit incongruous to the intended context of "brainstorming"?

It seems that you are arguing the validity of "thought showers" as logically a better choice than "brainstorming". I have no problem with that. Makes sense. I do have a problem with people pretending to advocate the change to combat "discrimination".

While DETI might be perhaps a bit oversensitive, and "thought showers" more than a little ridiculous, the suggestion of hidden agendas—ludicrous enough in itself—only reminds of the disingenuous façade constructed by the complainers in lieu of any proper context. Political correctness becomes a punch-line for them do not understand—and do not want to understand—the actual reasons behind the constant modification of common vernacular in pursuit of civility.

Tiassa, you are not that naive. you know very well that people operate on hidden agendas. You are trying to accuse me of having one here, so unless you have a special place in your heart just for me, you must admit that others might be operating on hidden agendas. I have persaonally seen this sort of thing occur in large corporations. The board members sit around sniggering about using "administrative assistant" instead of "secretary", all the while covering their asses by sending out memos with the new correct-speak. You don't find it at least possible that politicians might have hidden motives in their support for this sort of thing?


To recap, I am really just inquiring as to how strong the sentiment runs amongst the members of these groups. The particular example is irrelevant. Mailman, Mailperson this I can understand. Are black people actually offended that there aren't more "black" names for hurricanes? What is a "black" name anyway?

Another example, from an admittedly conservative website:

Imagine being told that if you use the words "mom" and "dad" to address a mother and father, you might be terminated from employment? Claptrap, you say? Well, in Merry Ol' England a government agency is doing just that: prohibiting nurses from using the terms "mum," "dad," "wife," "husband," or "married."

As part of Britain's National Health Service's new, politically correct policy guide, use of the above terms is considered homophobic and therefore requires "anti-homophobic" rules for their health care workers. Therefore, words such as mum and dad are banned

...

"Many remarks made by people that appear to be harmless or throwaway may assume only opposite-sex relationships are valid. This is demeaning for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people and they may fear a negative reaction if the assumptions are challenged ... LGBT people can and do have children -- sexual orientation or gender identity has nothing to do with good parenting or good child care."

http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/21537.html


I did not verify the accuracy of this report, nor check its context. Even if this particular example is not true, this sort of thing does occur. Assuming for the moment that there is some truth to it, my question would be, are "LGBT people" actually offended by "mum"? The "LGBT people" that I have asked LOL at the idea. However, I know that my friends are not necessarily representative, so I wanted to consult a "sensitivity expert". Your name came to mind immediately, Tiassa...

 

[visceral_instinct]

When we consider "brain disorders" (topic post) in the context of epilepsy—as well as tumors or injuries that might cause seizures—DETI's sense of caution becomes a little more clear. If anything qualifies as a storm within the brain a seizure would seem to be it...And let's face it: a "storm of thoughts" is a bit of a misnomer. Consider the havoc wrought by genuine meteorological storms in the midwestern United States. With sewage polluting floodwaters, we might hope for a better result than ruinous, toxic chaos from groupthink. After all, isn't that sort of the general criticism of committee thought?

Yeah, but the word storm is not an exclusively negative one. You can use it abstractly to mean any kind of turbulent or intense activity. Therefore generating many streams of thought could quite reasonably be termed brainstorming.