Controversial Political Correctness

Political Correctness!

  • The world has come to its senses.

    Votes: 1 14.3%
  • The world has gone mad.

    Votes: 6 85.7%
  • I'm on the fence

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    7

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
The publishing company that's only publishing female authors in 2018


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42997068



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When author Kamila Shamsie challenged the book industry to publish only women in 2018 to help address a gender imbalance in literature, just one publisher took up the challenge - the Sheffield-based company And Other Stories.

It was almost three years ago that Shamsie suggested "a concerted campaign to redress the inequality" in publishing.

Arguing that there was a gender bias in book awards, reviews, top publishing jobs and prestige afforded to authors, she suggested that 2018, the centenary of women over 30 in Britain getting the vote, would make a good Year of Publishing Women.

Women would be prominent in review pages and blogs, shop windows, festival line-ups and prize shortlists, she predicted.

The response? A lively debate about opportunity in literature ensued, but only one person responded to the call to arms.

That was Stefan Tobler, founder of And Other Stories, which publishes a mixture of translated and English language authors. The company made its name with Deborah Levy's 2012 Booker Prize-shortlisted Swimming Home.


"We did look at what Kamila was saying and did think she was right, that the importance given to male writers was still more," Tobler says.

"They don't necessarily sell more books, they don't necessarily have more fans, but as far as prestige goes, there is still a difference there."

The gender imbalance is even more pronounced in translated fiction, where Tobler says 30% of books are by women because fewer women are given support in some countries where those books are sourced.

And Other Stories publishes about 12 books per year from an office in Sheffield Central Library - they relocated there from London in 2017.

Tobler says the Year of Publishing Women means they can get behind female authors they might not otherwise have had room for in their schedule.

"We're not publishing anything that we're not really, really excited by and it will start us off with some authors that we'll carry on publishing for many years," he says.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
'I'm fed up of living in a PC world!' Angry caller ROASTS PC brigade in Doctor Who tirade


AN ANGRY caller raged at the new appointment of Jodie Whittaker who is set to replace Peter Capaldi as the new Time Lord in BBC series Doctor Who. Jodie Whittaker will take on the role of the 13th Time Lord when the sci-fi series returns for a special episode at Christmas, becoming the show’s first woman Doctor.

One caller told BBC Radio 5 Live how angry he was with the appointment as he targeted political correctness during his rant.

He said: “For anyone else who rings up and tells me it’s time, why is it time? Tell me why it is time. “Because I’m 60 and I watched it since it started right, so I have probably got a different opinion to you and I respect your opinion, that’s fair enough. “The thing is, people my age and who have watched it and it’s been a bloke, a bloke, a bloke, this was coming because when Matt Smith was mentioned after [David] Tennant, there was ‘oh I wonder if they will have a woman’ and Matt Smith come. “Then it was ‘oh I wonder if they’ll get a woman’ and they get an old fella who looks as though he might be on his last legs and I think God almighty, what next. “I couldn’t be bothered to watch it, I watched one of them and the story was awful, he was awful and I just thought God almighty. Can you explain to me why it is time? For a character who has already been male to be female.”

The angry caller then turned onto the appointment of .. as the new Doctor, as he raged at political correctness. He continued: “Time Lord, not a Time Lady. A Lord is a male and a lady can’t become a Lord. “Even though I don’t watch it anymore, it is ridiculously PC. “It’s ridiculously PC. I am fed up of living in a PC world. “For the last 10 years or so it’s been PC this and PC that. I am just fed up with it like so many people, my age. “Political correctness went mad 10 years ago and it is going to continue going mad, ask any older people who ring you up what they think of political correctness. “It is the most ridiculous thing that has come into our existence in the last 10 years, it’s got to the stage where what else are they going to do? “What happens when this woman finishes, what’s it going to be next, a monkey?”

The caller then continued to call the host, Nicky Campbell “mischievous” as he moved the show on.

Following the announcement that Ms Whittaker would be the 13th Time Lord, she said it was "more than an honour" to become the Doctor. She added: “I'm beyond excited to begin this epic journey - with Chris and with every Whovian on this planet. “It's more than an honour to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can't wait.”



 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
they get an old fella who looks as though he might be on his last legs and I think God almighty, what next. “I couldn’t be bothered to watch it, I watched one of them and the story was awful, he was awful
I can quite believe that the story he watched was awful. But not Capaldi. I thought Capaldi was a brilliant choice for the Doctor. Let down badly by the writing.
 

Gavin

Member: Rank 6
VIP
they get an old fella who looks as though he might be on his last legs
For someone who's supposedly been watching since the beginning he doesn't seem to remember much. The show started with someone who looked as though he was on his last legs. Capaldi is fitter and healthier than Hartnell was during his time.

As for his comments about "I wonder if they'll get a woman" only coming after Tennant and Smith, he's forgotten that the idea of a female Doctor was first raised when Tom Baker was leaving. So its not as though the idea hasn't been around for a while.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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David Byrne: 'I Regret Not Hiring Women' for New Album



David Byrne: 'I Regret Not Hiring Women' for New Album David Byrne apologized on Monday for failing to incorporate female artists into his upcoming American Utopia album – a project that includes collaborations with some two dozen musicians and producers.



 
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McQualude

Member: Rank 3
The difference between the past and now is that in the past women recognized that if they needed men to "allow" them to be equal, it means they are not equal. These days if a minority or protected class is not portrayed as equal, it's the fault of WASPM. No one "lets" you be equal; you assert yourself equally.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Jordan Puts Inclusion Rider On New Films


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“Black Panther” and “Creed” actor Michael B. Jordan has announced he will add an inclusion rider to all projects produced by his company Outlier Society Productions.

The announcement follows in the wake of Frances McDorrmand’s Best Actress Oscar speech which ended with the line: “I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider.” The comment has sparked interest and support for the term, a contractual clause to enforce equitable casting and hiring, with financial penalties for failure to comply.

Dr Stacy Smith, the founder of the USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, and Washington lawyer Kalpana Kotagal came up with inclusion riders which are being seen as a solution to get more under-represented demographics in front of and behind the camera on film sets.

The aim would be to have film casts and crews better reflecting the actual demographics of society – namely a 50% men/50% women split, 40% being people of colour, 20% being people with some sort of disability and around 5% being of LGBTQ status. Jordan says in a statement:

“In support of the women and men who are leading this fight, I will be adopting the Inclusion Rider for all projects produced by my company Outlier Society. I’ve been privileged to work with powerful woman and persons of color throughout my career and it’s Outlier’s mission to continue to create for talented individuals going forward.”

Jordan launched his production company in 2016 with both HBO’s “Fahrenheit 451” and the “Creed” sequel coming out this year. Jordan stars in both.
 

PF4Eva

Member: Rank 3
I'm a liberal Democrat and I don't know about the whole PC thing. I think some of it's gone too far, like:

1. The whole #MeToo / #TimesUp thing (which turned into an anti-man witch hunt the minute it dragged Kevin Spacey [whom I believe is innocent] into it). Since then, I am immediately skeptical unless I already don't like the accused person. If a favorite is accused, I am highly skeptical. Kevin Spacey would never do that. Al Franken would never do that. Tambor. Hoffman. In fact, Melanie Martinez's accuser was outed as a liar. Anyone can just say, "Tom Hanks did this to me," but can you prove it? I call BS.

2. I didn't even notice that all the Oscar nominees were white until #OscarsSoWhite pointed it out to me.

3. Shut up about whitewashing. It would be cool to see more Asian actors in Hollywood, but I don't see what's so bad about Scarlet Johansson playing Motoko Kusinagi in Ghost in the Shell. You can barely tell Anime characters are Japanese anyway. If they cast a white dude to play Spike Spiegel in a live action Bebop, I don't want to hear about whitewashing. For one thing, it's the most "American" Anime I can think of. And two, Spike is technically a Martian, so by your logic, all we need to do is cast an actual Martian. Um yeah, good luck with that.

I initially had reservations about the race-switching that took place in Lionsgate's Power Rangers movie. In 2007, I laid out my own ideas for a Power Rangers reboot, so my feelings were a bit strong concerning anything that deviated from that. In the end, though, I'm satisfied with the film, it's close enough to what I would have done.

I think it's time for an increase in minimum wage and equal pay.

There's things about PC I agree with and things I don't. Ridiculous is ridiculous no matter which side you're on.
 

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
Kevin Spacey [whom I believe is innocent]
I dunno. I was a huge fan of Spacey's for years, but I had heard so many stories about the man for a while, and none of them were good. I had heard that he's basically the opposite of the guy he presents himself as in interviews. Nasty to crew and co-workers, obnoxious to fans, and I had heard several times that he is every bit the creeper that he was accused of being.

That being said (another liberal Democrat here), the accusing is getting crazy. If the accused are, indeed, guilty, then by all means, they need to be ousted and put out of work. But they are all being tried in the media before anything is even proven, which is dangerous. I applaud the Me Too movement, but we do need to verify that the accused are, indeed, guilty.

I also am pissed at the hypocrisy. So many men are getting fired for the accusations, and yet, Victor Salva is allowed to keep making movies, and is praised by horror fans, even though he's a monster.
 

Simian Jack

Member: Rank 1
Cultural appropriation. I dunno, I get the affront in some cases...having one's culture misrepresented can be infuriating, not that I've ever known what that feels like personally. Thing is, most of it is human nature. Experimentation with cuisine, with fashion, etc...it's how cultures evolve. People experience something new and are moved by it, excited, they want to incorporate it into their own look/art/cooking, etc. Not only do I not see anything wrong with this, I have to argue that it can't be prevented. People get upset when someone Western starts wearing Saris (random example) or when a pop star has a new look riffing on something from a culture not their own.

People come to Portland Oregon from all over for our food carts, which are all over the city. We offer foods from all over the world, most of it authentic and made by the people (or descendants) who grew up with them. We also get plenty of fusion. Cultural appropriation is a topic among the pods (collectives of carts in a single location). General consensus is that appropriation is not as big a deal as some people amke it - just don't promote the cuisine as something it isn't. If you took a week's vacation to India and loved the biryani, don't pass yourself off as a expert steeped in Indian cooking. Hire chefs who are if you want to open an Indian food cart, let them guide you Or learn the cuisine and let it inspire you to come up with your own dishes - and don't try to sell them as Indian food.

Cultures a;ways influence each other. Trying to enforce boundaries of strict non-appropriation is, to me, crazy and impossible. Hostile, even.

Mostly I'm liberal. MeToo: I agree with PF4Eva's concern over false allegations, yet I'm stoked that the movement's momentum and weight this time. I hope it reaches critical mass and makes a real difference this time.

Doctor Who. Honestly, I can't even remember if I was for or against a female Doctor when the idea broke surface in the 80s. Maybe I was against it. Somewhere around Tennant's tenure, I started to hope they'd really do it just to see Whovians in hysterics over it. When it finally happened it was too late to feel anything about it one way or another. (shrug)
 

Gavin

Member: Rank 6
VIP
I also am pissed at the hypocrisy. So many men are getting fired for the accusations, and yet, Victor Salva is allowed to keep making movies, and is praised by horror fans, even though he's a monster.
I agree that the idea of firing people based on allegations is unreasonable, however I suspect that, given the nature of many of the allegations, the studios must have had some awareness of what was happening and been involved in cover-ups and they're only reacting now because it's become public knowledge. So there are good odds that these people aren't being fired because of "allegations" but because those involved know its true. If that's not the case then people like Kevin Spacey would have good grounds for a wrongful dismissal lawsuit (although I'm not completely aware of the legal applications for this in the US).

As for Victor Salva, I agree with you, but at least in his case it could be argued that he has served his sentence and been punished for his crime (as a general rule I believe that once someone has served their sentence they should be given an opportunity to continue with their life). And because it is public knowledge there would (or should) be processes in place to ensure he can't be left alone with children on any movie he is working on.
 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
I agree that the idea of firing people based on allegations is unreasonable, however I suspect that, given the nature of many of the allegations, the studios must have had some awareness of what was happening and been involved in cover-ups and they're only reacting now because it's become public knowledge. So there are good odds that these people aren't being fired because of "allegations" but because those involved know its true. If that's not the case then people like Kevin Spacey would have good grounds for a wrongful dismissal lawsuit (although I'm not completely aware of the legal applications for this in the US).

As for Victor Salva, I agree with you, but at least in his case it could be argued that he has served his sentence and been punished for his crime (as a general rule I believe that once someone has served their sentence they should be given an opportunity to continue with their life). And because it is public knowledge there would (or should) be processes in place to ensure he can't be left alone with children on any movie he is working on.
I agree...

What's the point of having a justice system if you're going to condemn an individual for life, even beyond the point where they've paid back their debt to society? Some crimes are certainly worse than others - and just because you forgive that doesn't mean you should forget - but if you intend to condemn someone for the rest of their life regardless, you might as well just shoot them in the back of the head the moment they're found guilty.
 

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
As for Victor Salva, I agree with you, but at least in his case it could be argued that he has served his sentence and been punished for his crime (as a general rule I believe that once someone has served their sentence they should be given an opportunity to continue with their life). And because it is public knowledge there would (or should) be processes in place to ensure he can't be left alone with children on any movie he is working on.
What's the point of having a justice system if you're going to condemn an individual for life, even beyond the point where they've paid back their debt to society?
I know I'm overly sensitive to a lot of this, but in Salva's case, I can't separate the art from the "artist", and can't find it in me to support him in any way. I have had friends and family who have suffered for years with the trauma brought on by sexual abuse, and how it has made their lives worse. And knowing that he didn't even serve his entire sentence, I guess...
you might as well just shoot them in the back of the head the moment they're found guilty.
Hmmmm....well played, Herr Ant-Mac.
 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
I know I'm overly sensitive to a lot of this, but in Salva's case, I can't separate the art from the "artist", and can't find it in me to support him in any way. I have had friends and family who have suffered for years with the trauma brought on by sexual abuse, and how it has made their lives worse. And knowing that he didn't even serve his entire sentence, I guess...
I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to support him, but neither would I go out of my way to condemn him once he's served his punishment. I'd just make sure he didn't have the opportunity to suffer a "relapse".

However, for the record, despite my dislike in general for child molesters, when I was a parent to a young child, I wouldn't have opposed a convicted child molester living on the same street as us. After all, he or she is a known quantity and measures could've been taken to ensure my child's safety.

It's the child molesters that you don't know about yet that are the real danger... and most of then aren't strangers.
 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
It looks like this trend will have to run it's increasingly silly, seemingly reactionary course. Hopefully some balance will be restored eventually.

I suspect that not many male heroes will be left standing though. At least not with their meat and two veg intact! :emoji_head_bandage:
 
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