This month I would like to talk a little about this whole 'political correctness' movement, which has become so popular during the latest years. As always this page only reflects my own personal opinions, and now that this is said, I would like to ask: Since when has a hammer ceased being a hammer?
When political correctness first was introduced, it was in an effort to remove words that were quite derogatory. It may have been the way a majority was speaking of a minority (homosexuals, refugees and so on), and this was all very well and fine.
But now it has gone too far!

In very puritan parts of the World - for instance parts of USA or very religious communities - these new political correct terms are greeted and found completely reasonable. But many other places, people are either becoming increasingly frustrated or just shaking their heads in plain disbelief. "Sudden death" is now "Golden goal". People who used to be "mentally handicapped" are now "mentally challenged" (and what a challenge that must be), and the same fate has happened to a lot of other words. You can no longer call a person anything that could be just the slightest offensive (even though it would be completely true about this person), because it would not be political correct. I mean, people are handling each other with wadded gloves in order to not offend anybody, even though the words, people are now avoiding, really aren't offensive, and have become everyday words used everywhere.
We have returned to the fifties! Soon we will be addressing each other 'Mr.', 'Mrs.', and 'miss'. Not at all bad, but we will no longer be allowed to speak our minds openly - we will no longer be allowed to tell the truth - because the truth will not be political correct. The truth and life itself is not always political correct! Many of the things the youth of the sixties were fighting for are now being distorted completely out of proportion - by the same people! During the sixties they were fighting for equal rights and freedom of choice. Now they are forcing equal treatment and definitions on us, thus denying us our freedom to choose to call a hammer... a hammer!
If I see a neonazi denying history and calling Hitler a hero, I will reserve the right to call that person a jerk or even an ignorant stupid arse. If I see a politician ignoring every promise he made before election day, now that he has been elected, I will reserve the right to call him a lying opportunist and a kisser of children. I refuse calling these people "a slightly misinformed young person" and "a perhaps not completely trustworthy person, who just might prove to be all right is we give him another chance". What has the World come to?!

Perhaps the worst promoters of political correctness are the mass media. They think that people would stop buying/viewing their media, if they used words that are no longer political correct. And they can't afford a lawsuit (especially not in USA, where they have the most silly lawsuits in the World: "Your Honour. He called me stupid because I walked right out in front of his car, even though we all know that I was just 'preoccupied with mental contemplation'. I demand 4.5 billion dollars!").
The mass media have been reduced to teethless puppies and are now serving the state instead of criticising the wrongs done by the state or citizens. This is wrong. This is not how the media should work! And people are responding to this as well. Political incorrect shows have become huge successes, especially amongst young people. Shows like 'Beavis & Butthead', 'The Simpsons' and 'Southpark' have achieved cult status, because they describe things the way things are, and they are doing this using everyday language.

It has come so far that even words have been outlawed! Let me ask you this: When will they be lighting up the fires and start burning political incorrect books?
MTV, the biggest international music television network, has a little list with words they do not allow. You cannot say 'shit' or 'fuck' on MTV. Even though a term like 'What the fuck?' has nothing to do with anything sexual, but is just a normal way of expressing surprise using vulgar language... you still can't say 'fuck' on MTV. What makes this situation almost pathetic is when a word has been forgotten, and now a song with lyrics like 'I'm horny. Horny, horny, horny' (Mousse T - Horny '98) is being broadcast everyday on MTV.
And it's not only words. Even pictures are being censored. MTV has removed female breasts from a number of videos, including videos by Janet Jackson and Garbage. They have even removed a cartoon head sticking out of a man's stomach in a video by Radiohead. Airlines are censoring in flight movies, and a lot of television stations are removing movie parts they consider to be too offensive or violent - in stead of just warning the viewers prior to the movie being broadcast. We are being treated like stupid animals! Somewhere a small group of people are deciding what we can or can not see!
This is not right!