Request for member withdrawal

Thu Jan 21 15:49:04 UTC 2010

In response to Jonathan, let me say what I mean by PC, and at the same time
take back my peevish swipe, in an earlier post, at university professors,
which I heedlessly thought I could get away with, having spent 10 years as
one.  I must say that the educators who participate in this list have been
very courteous and helpful to me, espcially you, Jonathan, in helping me,
inter alia, grasp the finer points of prescriptive vs. descriptive.

I don't have any exotic notions about politial correctness, other than it
seems to be the notion that no form of expression may contain a scintilla of
anything that any racial or ethnic group, culture, or nationality might find
offensive or discomforting....often taken to ridiculous (to me) extremes.

A few examples:

General George Casey, chief of staff of the U.S. Army saying, after 13 of
his soldiers were murdered, that the Fort Hood incident was a tragedy, but
it would be a greater tragedy for the Army to lose its diversity program, on
account of the incident.  It astounds me that the CSA could find anything
more tragic than the murder of his soldiers.

The town of Cary NC no longer has a Christmas Tree in December...it is now a
"Community Tree", so I 'm guessing Christmas is now everybody's and nobodys.

The reaction to Sen Reid's use of the word "negro" in referring to the
president.

The need for so many to demonstrate their finely honed racial sensitivity
and cultural awareness, by trying to slay the Tom Z dragon.

Bill Palmer

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan Lighter" <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 9:52 AM
Subject: Re: Request for member withdrawal

> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Request for member withdrawal
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> If Tom has violated our anti-troll ground rules, that should be that.
>
> Like the first Amendment, though, I reject censorship unless the
> words threaten a lot more than feelings. Public safety, for example, or
> national security. Tom doesn't have that power. I read Tom's posts as
> meant
> to deride changes in terminological fashion and not persons - except,
> perhaps, persons who are simply better informed than he is.
>
> Use of the delete button will solve the problem. It would avoid the
> precedent of making satire alone a ground for banishment. To me,
> that precedent would be the far more disagreeable choice.
>
> I'm tempted to reply to Bill's question of whether "this is...[about] PC,"
> but I don't know what that means.
>
> Sure, I know the word. I just don't know what Bill (or anybody else)
> necessarily means by it.
>
>
> JL
>
>
> On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 5:54 AM, Bill Palmer
> <w_a_palmer at bellsouth.net>wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at BELLSOUTH.NET>
>> Subject:      Re: Request for member withdrawal
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Hey!  Why all the piling on?
>>
>> Tom's comments reflect Tom's views. How could they possibly degrade
>> anyone
>> else? Is this the PC which everyone (except university professors) seems
>> to
>> be so upset about?
>>
>> Bill Palmer
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Jocelyn Limpert" <jocelyn.limpert at GMAIL.COM>
>> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:07 PM
>> Subject: Re: Request for member withdrawal
>>
>>
>> > ---------------------- Information from the mail
>> > header -----------------------
>> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> > Poster:       Jocelyn Limpert <jocelyn.limpert at GMAIL.COM>
>> > Subject:      Re: Request for member withdrawal
>> >
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> > I support both Judy and Benjamin. I have found Tom Z's comments to be
>> very
>> > inappropriate.
>> >
>> > Jocelyn Limpert
>> > Washington, DC
>> >
>> > On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 10:47 PM, Benjamin Barrett
>> > <gogaku at ix.netcom.com>wrote:
>> >
>> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> >> -----------------------
>> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> >> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
>> >> Subject:      Request for member withdrawal
>> >>
>> >>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >>
>> >> I second this call.
>> >>
>> >> Benjamin Barrett
>> >> Seattle, WA
>> >>
>> >> On Jan 19, 2010, at 7:31 PM, Judy Prince wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > Sali's being infinitely patient and courteous, Tom.
>> >> >
>> >> > I agree with his last sentence to you:  "I think it's pretty
>> >> > insensitive
>> >> and
>> >> > colonial of you to be so stubborn on a subject matter that everybody
>> >> > has
>> >> > politely proved you to be mistaken."
>> >> >
>> >> > You go beyond insensitivity.
>> >> >
>> >> > Your obvious, extreme, persistent racism is not appropriate for this
>> >> public
>> >> > list.  You degrade me, my family, my friends, my colleagues, and
>> >> > these
>> >> > listmembers with what you seem to regard as humorous jibes at
>> >> > blacks.
>> >> > My
>> >> > view is that you are an incorrigible racist.
>> >> >
>> >> > I call for the listmanager to ask for your withdrawing from the
>> >> > list,
>> >> > and
>> >> if
>> >> > you do not withdraw, then I will expect the listmanager to withdraw
>> >> > you.
>> >> >
>> >> > Judy
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > 2010/1/19 Tom Zurinskas <truespel at hotmail.com>
>> >> >
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Put together you got watu-eusi or in short watusi?  ~waattuesee
>> >> >> This is the name of a tall slender African tribe, an African
>> >> >> long-horned
>> >> >> cow, and a dance in the 60's.
>> >> >> I think we can watusi off as a nice name for black people.
>> >> >> Watusi's
>> >> >> the
>> >> >> dance made for romance.
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >>
>> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> >>
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
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>> 01/19/10
>> 07:34:00
>>
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>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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