Courting Controversy
Over on The Outfit, there's a spirited discussion about Political Correctness. Most of you know by now exactly how I feel about that topic.
I'd never deliberately offend anyone, but I'm a writer. I need to be able to choose from all the words in the English language. On the flip side, I'll take the consequences and apologize if I do offend somebody.
I'm particularly appalled at the way colleges and universities censor their students for, basically, not being liberal enough. I thought colleges and universities were supposed to encourage debate, not stifle it.
I'm a good old-fashioned unreconstructed New Deal Liberal Democrat. I also have a rather colorful vocabulary. Everyone who has ever met me has known all of this within 15 seconds. I'm more liberal than many of those so-called liberal professors running around censoring students. As a bonus, I've actually, you know, worked in politics, where none of us are the least bit PC (even the liberals). My point: If I opened my mouth, I'd probably be fired by any college that would hire me in the first place.
That college and university political correctness is seeping over into other communities, particularly the writing community. I've seen it rear its head several times recently.
Back to The Outfit for a minute. They're a bunch of Chicago writers. My high school buddy Kevin Guilfoile is one of the bloggers. Joe Konrath first pointed me in their direction. Seems that Marcus Sakey, writing about one of his author friends, called her a hottie.
That got a couple of feminists up in arms, which sparked a spirited debate on the blog. Apparently, when a male author labels his female author friend a hottie, that's an insult to all women. The female author friend in question, by the way, wrote that Sakey had made her day.
I'm not saying I'd ever comment on another woman's appearance, though what Sakey did was blatantly, obviously, humorous, innocent, and fun, and any rational reader could only interpret his comments that way. Plus, the target of his comment loved it.
But... Might I state something obvious, just for the record? The Saint is a hottie. A funny, smart, sizzling, smoking, gorgeous knockout of a hottie. And I tell her that every day.
I must be a pig.
Enough said.
Adam
I'd never deliberately offend anyone, but I'm a writer. I need to be able to choose from all the words in the English language. On the flip side, I'll take the consequences and apologize if I do offend somebody.
I'm particularly appalled at the way colleges and universities censor their students for, basically, not being liberal enough. I thought colleges and universities were supposed to encourage debate, not stifle it.
I'm a good old-fashioned unreconstructed New Deal Liberal Democrat. I also have a rather colorful vocabulary. Everyone who has ever met me has known all of this within 15 seconds. I'm more liberal than many of those so-called liberal professors running around censoring students. As a bonus, I've actually, you know, worked in politics, where none of us are the least bit PC (even the liberals). My point: If I opened my mouth, I'd probably be fired by any college that would hire me in the first place.
That college and university political correctness is seeping over into other communities, particularly the writing community. I've seen it rear its head several times recently.
Back to The Outfit for a minute. They're a bunch of Chicago writers. My high school buddy Kevin Guilfoile is one of the bloggers. Joe Konrath first pointed me in their direction. Seems that Marcus Sakey, writing about one of his author friends, called her a hottie.
That got a couple of feminists up in arms, which sparked a spirited debate on the blog. Apparently, when a male author labels his female author friend a hottie, that's an insult to all women. The female author friend in question, by the way, wrote that Sakey had made her day.
I'm not saying I'd ever comment on another woman's appearance, though what Sakey did was blatantly, obviously, humorous, innocent, and fun, and any rational reader could only interpret his comments that way. Plus, the target of his comment loved it.
But... Might I state something obvious, just for the record? The Saint is a hottie. A funny, smart, sizzling, smoking, gorgeous knockout of a hottie. And I tell her that every day.
I must be a pig.
Enough said.
Adam
Labels: J.A. Konrath, Kevin Guilfoile, Political Correctness, The Saint
posted by Adam Hurtubise at 11:55 AM
1 Comments:
You know my position on PC. And it ain't very PC.
Going after college PC codes, wow, for a minute there I almost mistook you for a member of the GOP. Welcome aboard!
Words dont offend me, and they shouldn't bother anyone else. There's a bit of wisdom in an old schoolyard taunt that I think applies--stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
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