I say this because of my experiences in this forum and others. When taken too far it stifles many discussions. I have been called mentally ill in this forum because of my failure to live up to some members notions of what is politically correct.
I sense that much of this is the result of my to a large degree having spent most of my life around working class people who do not concern themselves with political correctness.
I would go so far as to say that the sorts of things I have been critisized for saying would be the norm in say a working class bar. And that if a person tried to CORRECT me or anyone else in one of these establishments they would find themselves on the wrong end of the stick so to speak.
I just recently returned some business I had to take care of in UPSTATE NEW YORK. UPSTATE and New York City are totally different culturally. It`s communities are made up of almost entirely working class people. Lot`s of farmers, loggers, people like that. Deer hunting is a big deal in these areas for one thing. I am a vegetarian. So what you say. Well, I stay true to myself in any environment. I also drink mixed drinks and like martinis also. So, I am sitting in one of these establishments having a martini and this group of 5 or 6 hunters comes in and they all order beers. One of them looks over at me and notices that my drink is in the customary stemware glass martinis are served in. He kind of laughs and asks what is THAT I am drinking ? I inform him it is called a martini. He looks over at his buddies and they all exchange some KNOWING little smile amongst themselves. I am getting ready inside for whatever is about to happen. He asked me why do I drink these martinis, hee hee. I tell him because I LIKE THEM. IF YOU DON`T LIKE THEM DON`T DRINK THEM. I am pissed and I am letting them know it and I am not backing down. They look me over and decide I am not the sissy they figured me for. We all calm down and manage to have a more or less enjoyable conversation.
Out that way I am seen as a liberal. I tell them I am a Democrat if asked.
I get along fine with the women in these establishments and had a young 22 year old woman ask me to take her to the Marine Corps Ball which was to happen in 2 days. She is hugging and kissing me, just like that and I am taken by surprise and not sure what to make of it. She had arrived there with a young Marine all decked out in his dress blues and me and him had already shared a drink or two. So I really do not know what to make of it. It turns out they were not sure of what their relashionship was exactly. He had recently arrived back from Iraq and they hadn`t seen each other in more than a year and were not boyfriend and girlfriend yet. As much as I would have liked nothing better than to spend a night or 100 nights with her, she was a real beauty, I figured it would mean trouble for me if I pursued her offer and I very reluctantly declined assuring her she was definately the sort of woman I would like to spend some quality time with, but did not think it would be a good idea with the iffy situation with her and this Marine and there was yet some other sort of boyfriend that she had.
So, in some places I am seen as some sort of redneck and in others a liberal. I almost always manage to get along well with most people. Buy a few drinks for the ones I am with, things like that will almost always make things amicable and having been around as much and as long as I have ,I can almost always find some common ground to relate on.
So, what is politically correct in one venue can be incorrect in another. Who decides these things and for who ? And things change over time also. So don`t be so quick to judge me those of you that have. And to call me mentally ill for not adhering to your standards of political correctness is preposterous. Why is it OK for people to call me mentally ill ? I do not like it so stop doing it. It is not OK with me. ...Dr.Syntax