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Comment by DanBC | Hacker News Reader

> Maybe gender related jokes don't have a place at conferences and work places

> I mean, where does this political correctness stop

It seems really obvious to me. At work, at a conference, you don't tell racist, sexist, ableist etc jokes. What you do outside work is up to you. (But, if you do it outside work and in public it may complicate things if you have a work related discrimination problem.)

> political correctness

"Political correctness" is often a buzzword used to dismiss people who want to discuss this. Other, better, words exist. "Politeness" is one.

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>"Political correctness" is often a buzzword used to dismiss people who want to discuss this. Other, better, words exist. "Politeness" is one.

"Freedom of expression" is another, though.

"Freedom of expression" (or freedom of speech) is not "Freedom from criticism or consequences", though.

I'm sorry you feel that the rules of basic human decency are trampling on your first amendment rights.

And the cliches and Prudishness of one specific society do not universal "basic human decency" constitute.

Just wanted to highlight this response from coldtea below because it's spot on.

"I'm sorry you feel that the rules of basic human decency are trampling on your first amendment rights."

I don't have first amendment rights, as I'm not American. And the cliches and Prudishness of one specific society do not universal "basic human decency" constitute.

Or, as Bernard Shaw put it: "Pardon him, Theodotus. He is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature."

I never understood why "political correctness" has to be political. Almost all of the words that aren't PC, are must more entrenched in the social, societal sphere than in politics. If a politician says something non-PC, they get in much more trouble than a lay person. A person who is an expert at being PC...will probably succeed as a politician, tip-toeing strategic thinker...

>I never understood why "political correctness" has to be political. Almost all of the words that aren't PC, are must more entrenched in the social, societal sphere than in politics.

It's not about "politics" as in the narrow sphere of political affairs (democrats, republicans, voting etc).

It's about "political" in the wider sense (that is "trying to be tactful", not to annoy various sides, etc).

> It's about "political" in the wider sense (that is "trying to be tactful", not to annoy various sides, etc).

No, that's a false etymology. The term "politically correct" in its modern usage came from leftist movements in the 70s to describe politics (not in the broad sense of "tact"). Think of it as a synonym for "ideologically sound". The civil rights movement was definitely about politics, not tact. The term "politically correct" was then appropriated by the same leftist movements and used sarcastically to parody themselves.

Afterwards, it entered the general lexicon.

>No, that's a false etymology.

It's not about etymology. It's about usage. The term has a long history and differing uses. The etymology does not matter (it rarely does, and if it does it's mostly for historical reasons).

It's the use of the word that matters.

We're not talking about criminalizing the behavior, so freedom of speech doesn't enter into the matter. The author is trying to change the market response to the behavior, by pointing out that it has a destructive aspect that many people (particularly men, who dominate the tech industry) may not be conscious of. One reason that we have freedom of speech is that it permits challenges to orthodoxy, and in this case the orthodox position being challenged is that sexist jokes are OK at professional conferences.

I'd say "freedom of expression" serves kind of the same purpose as "political correct" on this one though.

This is not "freedom of expression" being under attack. It is, at most, about let's maybe not so much invite guys like that to talk at conferences.

I'm not sure that understand that freedom of expression is about gov't censorship, and not about professional conduct. You aren't going to be arrested for "political incorrectness."

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