Political Correctness News

A UN report titled, Cyber Violence Against Women and Girls has been published by members of the Working Group on Broadband and Gender with editorial inputs by teams from UN Women, UNDP and ITU.

It is very manipulative report, starting by discussing internationally reprehensible online behaviour such as making death threats. It then defines these as 'cyber violence' and establishes that such behaviour should not be allowed on the internet, presumably assuming concurrence by readers.

Then it pulls a fast one by defining a long list of other things as a 'a form of cyber violence', many of which are nothing to do with violence, but are just a wish list of things that feminists do not like. This list includes the adult consensual sex trade and inevitably, your bog standard porn. The authors claim:

Research reveals that 88.2% of top rated porn scenes contain aggressive acts and 94% of the time the act is directed towards a woman

Hence porn should be banned as 'cyber violence against women'.

Update: Cybersexism? Yet another feminist panic

2nd October 2015. See article from spiked-online.com by Ella Whelan

The UN's report on cybersexism is shrill and illiberal.

A Mexican restaurant has been banned from handing out free sombreros to students because the publicity stunt was branded racist by union officials spouting PC nonsense.

Pedro's Tex-Mex Cantina, a Norwich restaurant, gave the hats to University of East Anglia students at a freshers' fair in the city in a bid to drum up business from the student population.

But officials at the students' union took the sombreros from students and ordered the restaurant to stop giving them out because they thought it was offensive for non-Mexicans to wear them.

One first-year student told student newspaper The Tab:

It's ridiculous -- it's a comedy hat, not some sort of sacred religious dress. Who is going to get offended? Speedy Gonzales?

Campaigns and Democracy officer Chris Jarvis, not quite understanding how silly he sounded, tried to justify the action:

We know that when it comes to cultural appropriation the issues can sometimes be difficult to understand and many don't realise that they may be about to cause offence or break a policy.

The British Mexican Society backed the Tex-Mex eatery for giving away the free hats. Chairman Richard Maudslay said today:

I would applaud any business of any nationality for doing anything to try to drum up business in a legitimate way, which this seems.

A TV presenter has faced a ludicrous PC overreaction to a jokey reference to a film about 9/11.

The ITV gaming show Jackpot 24/7 was being presented by Emma Lee who opened with the line:

Thank you so much for coming in for an emergency landing with us tonight. Brace yourselves, it's going to be good. We hope you enjoyed the movie there on ITV. It's time for you to sit tight.

She was referencing the film United 93 which had been playing previously on the channel. The film depicts the 33 passengers and crew who overpowered terrorists who hijacked their plane during the September 11 attacks, sacrificing themselves but saving potential victims on the ground.

The Sun reported that she was told to 'back reference' a film about a plane which was playing before the show aired, however she was not told much about the film or its theme.

A few viewers took to social media to voice their 'outrage' at the reference via Twitter:

@ITV - Straight after #United93 aired on Sep 12th. How disgustingly insensitive can you get @Jackpot247 ?!

ITV -- the twit woman on #jackpot247 just made a terrible joke regarding the film #united93 -- was NOT funny! Those people lost their lives!

Jackpot 24/7 said they will be holding an investigation into the incident, and have apologised for the comments.

Charlie Hebdo has inevitably focused on the migrant crisis and published bad taste jokes about the images of the drowned Syrian child that had become an icon for the cause.

A cover cartoon had the child face down on the beach in front of an advertising hoarding for McDonald's reading: Two children's meals for the price of one . The cartoon carries the caption: So close to his goal...

Another has a title: Proof that Europe is Christian , with a Jesus like figure walking on the sea past the drowned child saying: Christians walk on water while muslim children sink.

The Daily Mail has sought out some protesting voices.

Barrister Peter Herbert, Chair of the Society of Black Lawyers and former vice chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, was among many who said Charlie Hebdo had overstepped the mark. He said on Twitter: '

Charlie Hebdo is a purely racist, xenophobic and ideologically bankrupt publication that represents the moral decay of France.

The Society of Black Lawyers will consider reporting this as incitement to hate crime & persecution before the International Criminal Court.

Numerous other 'outraged' tweets attacked the disgusting cartoons , while others said it was an example of how Hebdo attacked the powerless rather than the powerful .

Offsite Comment: Charlie Hebdo's cartoon is exactly what free speech looks like

16th September 2015. See  article from independent.co.uk by Sunny Hundal

The magazine can be criticised for being tasteless, but it would be ridiculous to read its take on the refugee crisis at face value.

...Read the full article from independent.co.uk

Pick-up artist Daryush Valizadeh, known as Roosh V, is at the centre of another internet storm as feminists get offended by his books and claim that they are pro rape in a change.org petition calling for the books to be banned on Amazon.

Amazon currently stocks 22 books written by the writer, from Washington, who identifies himself as a champion of neomasculinity .

About 200,000 people having signed the peitition.

The petition was launched three weeks by London-based activist Caroline Charles. Her starts with the warning line: This petition contains details about sexual assault. She cites a passage:

While walking to my place, I realized how drunk she was. In America, having sex with her would have been rape, since she legally couldn't give her consent. It didn't help matters that I was sober, but I can't say I cared or even hesitated. I won't rationalize my actions, but having sex is what I do.

Valizadeh has penned a series of books in his Bang series, which all detail similar subjects and stories from countries around the world including Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland.

Inevitably Charles ludicrously claims she does not believe in censorship:

To those who'll cry 'censorship - back off,'. He's entitled to write and think and say what he likes. He's not, however, protected from the backlash against his output, or removal of platform. This isn't about banning books ...[BUT]... it's about ensuring he, and Amazon, can't profit from rape.

About 7,000 people have signed a petition calling on British craft beer company, BrewDog, to remove a humorous advert which the petitioners claims is transphobic.

The video named Don't Make Us Do This asks fans of the company to become investors while reiterating their mission statement - Equity For Punks .

The petition claims the advert is: Mocking trans women, sex workers and homeless people and that by doing so - is not punk or ethical.

During the three minute advertisement, co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickie ask viewers not to force them into any humiliating experiences. Watt and Dickie are then shown in a series of embarrassing scenarios, which includes begging for money on the streets and in a window dressed in women's clothes as sex workers.

In a statement, James Watt, Co-Founder of BrewDog told the Huffington Post UK:

The video we created was to launch the CrowdCube aspect of Equity for Punks and was made in the spirit of fun and sending ourselves up, it's a shame that some people have taken offence where none was intended. We have a history of supporting and championing the LGBT community, and will continue doing so. watch this space.

ITV has apologised after a poll on Loose Women about rape 'offended' political correct viewers. The show foolishly dared to ask whether rape was ever a woman's fault.

The poll followed on from comments The Pretenders' singer Chrissie Hynde had made in the Sunday Times.

The Loose Women poll drew criticism on Twitter, with one viewer Rebecca Gill calling it off the scale of acceptability .

Rape Crisis for England and Wales tweeted that it was

Not an appropriate opinion poll; legally and morally the answer is a resounding 'no'

Katie Russell the national spokesperson for Rape Crisis England & Wales added:

A programme like Loose Women could choose to use its high profile to raise awareness and understanding of rape, its impacts and prevalence, and to support and encourage survivors to seek services like those Rape Crisis offers; instead, they've reinforced myths and stereotypes with this ill-considered, insensitive and insulting poll.

In a statement issued to The Guardian an ITV spokesperson said:

We always want to know what our viewers think about topical issues, however, we accept that the wording of the online poll was misjudged and we apologise for any offence caused.

TV censor Ofcom said it had received 53 complaints about the poll. i

Update: Ofcom inevitably not interested

17th September 2015. See  article from imediaethics.org

Ofcom has announced that it will not be investigating 73 complaints relating to the PC gaff by the Loose Women programme makers. An OfCom spokesperson told iMediaEthics:

We carefully considered a number of complaints that it was offensive for this programme to ask the audience 'are women ever to blame' in cases of rape.

We noted the panel did not say that rape victims were in any way responsible for the behaviour of their attackers; and the audience strongly concurred with the sentiment 'no means no' expressed by many on the panel.

We found the panel discussion and references to an online poll were in line with audience expectations for this live panel programme, which often covers difficult topics. Therefore, we are not taking the matter forward for investigation.

The US rapper Tyler, the Creator says he has been banned from the UK because of the nature of his lyrics. The Odd Future co-founder recently cancelled four dates including an appearance at Reading/Leeds and tweeted that it was because the authorities were unhappy with his subject matter.

His manager, Christian Clancy, went into more detail on his Tumblr, saying

Tyler has been banned from entering the UK for somewhere between 3 to 5 years per a letter from the secretary of state for the home department of the UK. The letter specifically cites lyrics he wrote 6-7 years ago for his albums Bastard and Goblin , the type of lyrics he hasn't written since. Highlights from the letter include that his work encourages violence and intolerance of homosexuality and fosters hatred with views that seek to provoke others to terrorist acts.

Earlier this month Tyler cancelled the Australian leg of his world tour after a feminist group launched a petition to have him denied a visa to enter the country. The group, Collective Shout, cited objections to lyrics that include references to rape and violence against women, as well as historic behaviour on earlier tours.

Complaints about Tyler seem to stem largely from songs on his self-produced 2009 mixtape Bastard, which includes lines such as you call this shit rape but I think that rape's fun as well as references to raping Goldilocks and committing suicide. Most of that record was written when Tyler was a teenager and he has since written about how he's moved on from the sentiments expressed on it.

Comment: Once you start banning rappers like Tyler, the Creator, where do you stop

See  article from  theguardian.com

A charity fun run that invited men to dress up as women is being investigated by police after a complaints from a miserable transgender campaign group who ludicrously claimed the dress code somehow constitutes a hate crime.

Money from sponsorship of the run supports a hospice that looks after sick and terminally ill children.

Chrysalis Transsexual Support Groups claims the five kilometre run, organised by Derian House Children's Hospice, in Chorley, Lancashire, is dehumanising . The group is now attempting to get the run banned before it is due to take place in October. Steph Holmes, of Chrysalis, said:

We get enough confusion with the word transgender, which mixes us up with transvestites. Transvestites certainly don't dress for comic purposes and I don't get up in the morning and think 'what can I put on today to give people a laugh?' This race pokes fun at cross-dressing and, by association, us, reducing us to objects to be laughed at. Dehumanising us this way gives carte blanche to those that would do us physical harm, much like the gay bashers of old.

It's a small step from ridicule to persecution. The current stats suggest a 34 per cent chance of beaten up, raped or killed for being trans. We do not need to give the bigots any more ammunition.

One can't help feeling this accusation of a hate crime has done absolutely nothing to further the group's cause.

Derian House said they were shocked to receive a complaint about the event and did not intend to cause any upset or offence. A spokesperson for the charity said:

Dames on the Run was conceived as a fun event, drawing on the much-loved Pantomime Dame character that is part of our theatrical heritage and supported by hundreds of thousands of people in every year.

It was intended appeal to the fathers of desperately sick children, who do so much to hold their family together in the face of their child's devastating illness and who ask for very little support in return. We wanted to provide an opportunity for them to participate in a fun-packed event and encourage other men to show their support and raise vitally needed funds for the hospice.

We were shocked to receive a complaint, and our chief executive wrote immediately to apologise for any offence caused and assure her that none was intended.

Update: Wrongly attributed

27th August 2015. See  article from  gaystarnews.com

Gay Star News has now reported that the complaint to the police was wrongly attributed to Steph Holmes. Gay Star News reports:

Holmes told GSN before the story broke that neither she nor Chrysalis had raised this matter with the police.

She did not believe the proposed race was a hate crime. Instead she thought it was just insensitive and wanted to ask Derian House to do a different race theme.

It seems a Facebook conversation about the run, including Chrysalis members, was leaked to the press. And an individual who holds no formal position in Chrysalis referred the run to Lancashire Police.

The BBC has suspended a radio DJ who said breastfeeding in public was unnatural and must be stopped .

Radio Solent DJ Alex Dyke said during a phone-in on his Wednesday morning show that only librarian-type, moustachioed women breastfed in public and men who were not repelled by breastfeeding were wimps . He also said yummie mummies wouldn't feed their children in public because they know it is not a good look and formula milk is just as good . He went on to say:

My point was fat chavvy mums with their boobs out on buses isn't a good look. A classy discreet mum is absolutely fine. It was ok in the stone age when we knew no better, when people didn't have their own teeth, but now I just think a public area is not the place for it and fellas don't like it.

A BBC spokesperson said:

Following unacceptable comments made on air yesterday, Alex Dyke has been suspended pending an investigation, so he will not be on air tomorrow.

The BBC has also removed the show from iPlayer. It is not yet  clear whether Dyke has been sacked or suspended, but given the ranking of offence on the PC list of serious crimes, then surely he will be sacked.

During his Thursday morning show, Dyke issued an apology:

Yesterday on the show I spoke about breastfeeding. The comments I made during the broadcast were unacceptable and I would like to apologise for any offence caused.

But apologies are never enough these days, and the PC lynch mob always bays for extreme sanctions. A petition calling for Dyke to be taken off air received about 6,000 signatures, whilst the Telegraph reported that Dyke's show had received hundreds of comments on social media and on parenting forums.

TV and radio censor Ofcom said it had received 14 complaints and had requested a recording of the show to assess whether to investigate. The BBC declined to say how many complaints it had received, citing a policy to withhold numbers when it suspects lobbying or media coverage has encouraged people to complain.

Update: The official BBC response

15th August 2015.  See  article from  bbc.co.uk

Alex Dyke, BBC Radio Solent, 12 August 2015 BBC Logo

Complaint

We received complaints from listeners who were unhappy with comments Alex Dyke made during a phone-in on breastfeeding on his programme.

Response

It has been made clear to Alex Dyke that comments he made during a phone-in on breastfeeding on his BBC Radio Solent show this Wednesday 12 th August were unacceptable. He has since made the below on-air apology on Thursday 13 th August, and has not been on air today: Yesterday on the show I spoke about breastfeeding. The comments I made during the programme were unacceptable and I would like to apologise for any offence caused.

The author Anne Rice has been debating the subject of book censorship on Facebook. She concluded with the following telling post:

I want to leave you with this thought: I think we are facing a new era of censorship, in the name of political correctness. There are forces at work in the book world that want to control fiction writing in terms of who has a right to write about what. Some even advocate the out and out censorship of older works using words we now deem wholly unacceptable. Some are critical of novels involving rape. Some argue that white novelists have no right to write about people of color; and Christians should not write novels involving Jews or topics involving Jews.

I think all this is dangerous. I think we have to stand up for the freedom of fiction writers to write what they want to write, no matter how offensive it might be to some one else. We must stand up for fiction as a place where transgressive behavior and ideas can be explored.

We must stand up for freedom in the arts. I think we have to be willing to stand up for the despised. It is always a matter of personal choice whether one buys or reads a book. No one can make you do it. But internet campaigns to destroy authors accused of inappropriate subject matter or attitudes are dangerous to us all. That's my take on it. Ignore what you find offensive. Or talk about it in a substantive way. But don't set out to censor it, or destroy the career of the offending author.

Labour's Tessa Jowell has put political correctness at the heart of her political campaign seeking election as the Mayor of London. She says she'll ban adverts that she considers 'sexist' from the tube.

She said Transport for London would be made to draw up tougher guidelines than at present:

Women ought to be able to travel in an environment which doesn't constantly demean them or present an unrealistic image of women's bodies.

Budget retailer TK Maxx has withdrawn a t-shirt from its stores after a customer was 'outraged' that it somehow made light of the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

The black t-shirt emblazoned with the words Je Suis Over It was spotted by a shopper at the store's branch in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol.

Tom Young claimed the garment mocked the Je Suis Charlie slogan, which became a sign of unity and defiance in the aftermath of the murderous terror attack on the offices of French newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Young spouted:

It's appalling that a global brand has allowed a t-shirt like this to be produced and sold in store. Even if the message did not intend to cause upset in relation to the tragic event, I am adamant it should be taken down from stores immediately.

A spokesprat from T K Maxx responded:

We take product matters very seriously and appreciate that this t-shirt has been brought to our attention. As soon as we became aware of the offensive t-shirt message, we initiated the process to remove this item from our stores and are internally reviewing how we inadvertently purchased the item. We would like to apologise to our customers for any concern this may have caused.

New Zealand has imposed some of the world's strictest blasphemy laws by stealth, a humanist group says.

The new Harmful Digital Communications Act could have the effect of landing a person in jail for two years for committing blasphemy, the New Zealand Humanist Society president Mark Honeychurch:

This legislation not only flies in the face of human rights, but the introduction of yet another law that gives special privileges to religions is unfair, unpopular and unrepresentative of our society, where over 40 per cent of New Zealanders identify as not religious, making this our country's largest single belief group.

The society said the act stated digital communications should not denigrate an individual by reason of his or her colour, race, ethnic or national origins, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability .

Honeychurch said the law would effectively impose some of the world's strictest penalties - including fines of up to $50,000 - on people found guilty of blaspheming, or insulting religion. He added:

We want to increase social cohesion and understanding, and by awarding privileges and protecting groups from critique we are closing the door on free speech, free inquiry and public debate. New Zealand has to abolish its blasphemy laws before they are used to censor, suppress, and silence public debate

Last month, lawyers cited in The Law Report said another possible unintended consequence of the law would be the establishment of a new legal avenue for recipients of defamatory digital content.

Justice Minister Amy Adams defended the censorship law claiming it would take a lot for someone to be charged under the act:

Not only must the perpetrator be responsible for posting the communication, they must intend to harm another person and that harm must actually occur. The offence is targeted at the very worst online behaviours, and will not censor, suppress or silence public debate.

Parents of children with disabilities are planning to protest against a performance in west Belfast later by the Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle.

They claim it is inappropriate the show is taking place as part of the Féile an Phobail community festival because of politically incorrect jokes Boyle has made in the past about disabled people.

Last month, festival organisers said they were deeply sorry for any hurt or offence that had been caused by Boyle's appearance. They said they would put in place measures to avoid such a situation arising in the future .

However in a world where PC lynch mobs seem to hold sway, those that refuse to kowtow to political correctness are treated as folk heroes. From Jeremy Clarkson to Donald Trump, all capture the heart of ordinary folk, and Frankie Boyle is no exception.  Féile an Phobail reports that the Frankie Boyle show has been the fastest-selling comedy gig it has ever put on.

Travellers have complained about Ofcom's decision to clear the BBC after Jeremy Clarkson was shown on an episode of Top Gear with a sign reading Pikey's Peak .

The Traveller Movement are 'outraged' that the communications regulator has green-lit the use of the word pikey and claim it is a victory for racist bullies .

A Traveller Movement spokesman told the Guardian:

We are appalled that Ofcom have followed the BBC Trust's line and have green-lit the use of 'pikey' on Top Gear.

Their decision that this particular use has no reference to Gypsies and Travellers is bankrupt.

The viewing public are not that stupid and Ofcom need to give them more credit. The decision is a victory for racist bullies and we will be meeting with our solicitors, Howe & Co, to consider our options.

An Ofcom spokesman said:

Following thorough investigation we found this programme did not break broadcasting rules by showing a placard which said 'Pikey's Peak'.

We found that, while some in the audience would perceive the word pikey as a derogatory term for Gypsies and Travellers, on balance there was sufficient context in the way the word was used to minimise offence.

However, we have advised broadcasters this doesn't mean the use of the word is acceptable in any programme in any context and that it is capable of causing significant offence in certain contexts.

Ofcom did not rely on the BBC Trust's findings in reaching its decision. As the UK's broadcast regulator, our team investigated this programme completely afresh and reached an independent decision.

It is Ofcom's view that the broadcaster ensured there was sufficient context in the way the word was used to minimise offence and therefore that the use of the word in the context of this programme was not in breach of [...] the Code.

Topshop is at the centre of hoo-hah over body image after a photograph of the thin model went viral.

Becky Hopper photographed the mannequin and later told The Independent:

I was shocked. I'd never seen one so skinny before. I genuinely haven't ever seen anyone that size.

Ms Hopper said she had been overwhelmed by the response with the post receiving more than 5,000 retweets.

US retailer Target has refused to stop selling an ironic T-shirt which alludes to women as trophies with a spokesperson explaining that women of all ages love the controversial item.

A few PC bullies have been flooding social media with threats to boycott the store via the inevitable Change.org petition. User Amanda R. from Milwaukee, Wisconsin started the petition last month for Target to Stop Selling Sexist "Trophy" Shirt That Demeans Women , claiming that the shirt's message encourages rape culture.  The petition has been signed by about 11,500 people and moans:

The word trophy should not refer to any person, man or woman, because we are not THINGS - we are human beings. Labeling any person as a "Trophy" is demeaning their humanity and objectifying them as a tangible object that can be bought, used, and disposed of.

Target have responded in statement to USA Today:

It is never our intention to offend anyone and we always appreciate receiving feedback from our guests,  The shirt you're describing is part of a collection of engagement and wedding shirts that are available in our women's and plus size departments.

The collection also included shirts that say "Team Bride", "Mrs" and "Bride". These shirts are intended as a fun wink and we have received an overwhelmingly positive response from our guests.

As noted in the recently published Annual Report, the BBFC are adjudicating on appeals against unfair website blocking by mobile service providers.

There's a few interesting decisions mainly in areas of age classifications for PC sensitive website themes.

For instance one of the early decisions was about banter on a sports forum featuring a 'rape gallery' highlighting attractive girls. The feature seems to have been deleted from the current forums on offer.

The BBFC reports:

A member of the public was concerned about several chat forum threads on not606.com which were available on an operator's mobile service, ranging from jokes about the Bin Laden family, to images with a sexual element, and a thread encouraging members to post pictures of people they would rape, described as a 'Rape Gallery', alongside written comments about raping these individuals.

Adjudication

The BBFC reviewed the content on 5th November 2013.

We partially upheld the complaint. Much of the humorous content was aimed at adolescents and was suitable, under BBFC Guidelines, for 15 year olds and above. This content therefore did not require restriction to adults only. However, we took the view that, while the Rape Gallery might have been intended to be funny, many would not find it so, and, moreover, that it posed a non-trivial harm risk by presenting women as rape targets.

We concluded that it would be classified at least 18 or R18, and might potentially be refused classification.

Test Match Special is well known for easy going banter, but the BBFC threw a hissy fit when Geoff Boycott joked that England cricketer Stuart Broad wasn't smacked enough by his mother when he was little.

This ludicrously prompted an inquiry by the BBC Trust after a listener complained that it somehow condoned physical abuse of children.

Boycott was joking to Henry Blofeld about Chris Broad's tendency to think he is always right when being quick to use up limited reviews of umpiring decisions. Boycott said:

His mum didn't smack him enough when he was little, I reckon. See I grew up in that [era]. No political correctness then. You got a little clip from your mum. That sorted you out.

A listener, who also could have done with a few more parental smacks,  complained after the broadcast it had condoned the physical abuse of children and said the comments were insensitive and inappropriate .

The complaint was rejected by the BBC's editorial complaints unit, saying Blofeld and Boycott were very well known to the audience and had well-established characters .

The complaint was later escalated to the BBC Trust, but trustees ruled out an appeal saying it had little chance of success. It acknowledged the seriousness of protection of children but said the audience would have understood that there was no serious intent behind the remark . It said it was clear that the remarks were made in the context of criticising the behaviour of the player who appealed to the umpire that a cricketer was out in circumstances when it was evident he was wrong .