Re: [Callers] Politically Correct?

Hey Rich: Several replies are of the "it's OK in context" or "that's how things were back then" variety. Perhaps. To use that as the sole argument, however, leads me to a cute little rhyme my friends and I would sing out when we were about 5 years old and playing in the yard out on the west coast. It began, "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe..." I hope no one would suggest that the rhyme in question is fine in this day, "if only it is put in context." Granted, your example is a little tamer (in my eyes, but others may find it equally offensive to the rhyme mentioned; I don't know). Maybe there are other arguments for retaining the original that stand up better to true scrutiny. It would be a shame to retain, in common usage (thereby prolonging the insult), cultural relics that would be unacceptable in civilized society today. It would also be a shame to lose past cultural joys. What about those pop songs that get altered to remove a "derogatory term for a homosexual" here (Dire Straits) or a "medication usually prescribed by a physician" there (Meatloaf)? Where does one draw the line? Adapt to current mores or die, Relic! Good luck with that, Rich! :) Ken Panton ps. We have just recently had pass in parliament a change to our national anthem, to make it gender-neutral, from "in all our sons command" to "in all of us command". Wasn't THAT a challenge! Then some smart guy pointed out: "FYI: The original lyric to the 1908 version of “O Canada” was “Thou dost in us command.” Was changed to “All Thy Sons” in 1914. So for you traditionalists, Robert Stanley Weir’s original lyric was, in fact, gender-neutral."