Unaware normies, seeking to be polite and accommodating in a spirit of good faith, go along with it. Fools.

That one was debunked almost immediately.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/01/10/no-new-study-does-not-link-gas-stoves-with-asthma-in-children/

The mocking took a little longer, but has momentum.
https://notthebee.com/article/biden-admin-is-considering-banning-gas-stoves-in-your-kitchen-to-keep-you-safe

You can have my gas stove when you pry the skillet from my cold dead fingers.

The J thing is much earlier than 2 decades. Back before i went in the Army in 1966, I was taking a class, and in discussing the battle of Midway used the “Jap” abbreviation in a presentation, I was just copying Samuel Eliot Morison ‘s “History of the United States Naval Operations in World War II” usage. But in the short time between 1945 and 1965 the J word had become seen as pejorative, not to be used. Actually in WWII, there was hatred of the “Japs”. So in the 50’s when we needed them as allies, it was smart to not use what had been a pejorative.

Political correctness is very old. The left has used words for a long time as weapons. 1984 was written in 1948. So “new speak” is an old game. This is just a way to push propaganda. A tool to fight the mostly peaceful current civil war. The left, like most totalitarian systems needs to energize their supporters, by demonizing those who oppose them. To “other” them, so when the line is crossed, people want to kill the other.

He sees three interlocking Bad Ideas explaining Gen-Z’s political responses:

(1) Damage is always permanent and can’t make you stronger.
(2) Always trust your feelings
(3) Life is a battle between good people and evil people.

–Jonathan Haidt, “3 great untruths to stop telling kids—and ourselves” (6m long)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzGH97DQzA4

In the longer talk below to a university audience Haidt says the same thing and supports it with data:

–Jonathan Haidt, “The Three Terrible Ideas Weakening Gen Z and Damaging Universities and Democracies”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5IGyHNvr7E

I’m persuaded Haidt has put his finger on a big piece of the puzzle.

Thanks for finding the Bloom County cartoon, for me.

I can use it as a handy reference. 🙂 🙂

Well, it would mean a lot if you’re Jeffrey Toobin.

😛

I would argue it is almost always this. Hence the constant change in the “proper” term for black people — “colored” is bad, negroes is good… negroes is bad, black is good… black is bad, African-American is good… and so on. It keeps you off-base and on the defensive all the time, responding to whatever slight they decide you have made and get you fearing them and walking on eggshells.

There are other similar things. Some jackwad gave me crap about 2 decades ago for referring to someone as a Jap. Not in a vaguely pejorative way, just as a shorthand for “Japanese”. I asked him what the Japanese word for “foreigner” was. “Gaijin”. I asked him what other things it translated to. “Barbarian”. So anyone who is NOT Japanese is being insulted de rigueur in the Japanese language. Chinese is even worse. To the Chinese, “foreigner” translates to “devil”. You are not only from somewhere else, you’re EVIL. I will never use any of the actual pejorative words, but this crap is waaaaay over the top in every way.

It’s a means to keep people — especially white people — off balance and defensive. Because if it was really, really offensive to hear, then they’d stop using the “N” word amongst each other, as well.

P.S., this is particularly clear when it comes to the names of Sports Teams. Sports Team names are NEVER meant as an insult or derogatory manner to anyone involved.

Look at the names — other than a few exceptions (Akron Zips, the UCSC Banana Slugs) derived from 60s collegiate disapproval of “collegiate sports”, no team is named in a derogatory manner — the typical team name is always in some manner a name meant to inspire — fear and wariness is typical — Tigers, Lions, Bears. “Owls” does both — they are raptors also associated with wisdom.

Even some of the more “silly” ones — Beavers, Golden Gophers — are meant to suggest industriousness or a determined work ethic.

No one ever named any team the “Nashville N*****” because you don’t do that. Period..

Q effin’ E effin’ D… Any team named “The Redskins” or “The Chiefs” or anything like that is because of the depiction of Indians as fierce warriors worthy of respect and consideration when facing them. It’s not a freaking slur, and never ever was, in that context. Not for a moment.

SMH.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cd/af/ca/cdafca88e59f5dd62fc35f4141dc6e88.jpg

Says it’s from 1982, which seems likely because Opus changed notably after the early years, and that’s closer to his “early look” in the first panel.

If you just search on “bloom county offensensitivity” and click on “images” there is usually a color and a B&W version of it in the first one or two.

And yeah, I’ve used it to accompany social media posts many many times.

“…The first time coworkers commented on how unpronounceable they found my “exotic” name, I couldn’t quite put my finger on why I felt uncomfortable. They insisted it was a compliment.

“Microaggressions” finally captured the essence of how I was feeling. I did feel slighted, but the real issue was the cumulative effects of hearing something about my difference as a woman of color called out every day, in seemingly benign ways.”

I know this doesn’t answer a fundamental question, why the person internalizes any perceived slight. In the case of the author’s uneasiness when co-workers found her name unpronounceable, she could have just as easily transferred the question as a form of cultural stupidity on the questioner.

There is also the distinct possibility that the example is just a form of status and power seeking in the workplace. In some instances, it’s a convenient way to pass the blame/emotion onto the other person, which is a technique that also goes back to the Garden.

It’s possibly a self-reinforcing attribute, where we don’t want to offend others, and when called out for some offense without clear understanding of what’s permissible and what’s not, we become more sensitive. Great psychological tool for intimidation/control.

https://hbr.org/2022/03/we-need-to-retire-the-term-microaggressions