Politically Incorrect !

Poetry Professor Barry Spurr has been suspended from his job and barred from entering the grounds of Sydney University because his language has been deemed "politically incorrect " in emails he sent to other people.  It seems that he referred to Nelson Mandela as "a Darkie "and accused Prime Minister Tony Abbott of being an "Abo lover "!

This sensitivity to all references of skin colour seems to be ever tightening.  In Victoria, the children's nursery rhyme - "Baa Baa Black Sheep " has undergone the metamorphosis to "Rainbow "replacing "Black ".  It seems that in many people's minds there is a need to banish the word "black " from the English language.

It is certainly true that "black " conjours up a negative impression in many people's minds.   We talk of slow payment incurring a "black mark "on people's credit ratings and the government is always trying to reign in the "black economy ", but there seems no such resentment to use of the opposite description to "black ".    We blithely refer to the early days as the time of  "White Australia" and our Indigenous brethren often refer to the law as "Whitey's law ".

The new obstacle to accurately describing a person seems to hinge on both colour - and race.  There seems to be growing opposition to describing a person sought by the police as  "of Middle Eastern appearance " and a similar sensitivity applies to "Asian ".  Yet both are a valid way of describing the appearance of the person sought.  The media now seem uncomfortable using "Indigenous "or "Aboriginal " when putting together a news story.

That ugly word "Racism "seems to rear it's head now on the sporting field.   Barracking from the sidelines has seen offenders who shout a slur against a players ancestry or sexual preference marched from the stand and ejected from the stadium.  On field remarks between players often results in a brawl and all the sporting codes now have a code of conduct that delivers punishment for racial infringements.

There seems to be an ever widening chasm between the language of what occurs between ordinary people - and the lexicon used by anyone holding higher office.  Professor Barry Spurr crossed that dividing line because of his position at the University - and while his remarks may have been made in jest to a friend - the fact that he said them has brought his tenure into question.

The same applies in politics.   Every politician chooses his words carefully.  Political enemies are ever ready to pounce on any slip of the tongue, and even remarks made decades earlier - in a more forgiving age - can come back to haunt them at reelection time.

Now there are tendencies to bring anything that may cause offense to another person within the scope of the law.  This runs counter to our cherished notion of "Freedom of Speech " and opens the can of worms of trying to codify precisely what terms are legal - and precisely which may see us hauled before a court and punished.

The politicians would be well advised to leave that alone.   The reaction of public opinion is a far better judge of what is - and what is not acceptable - and it quickly delivers it's verdict by the way it reacts to anything it finds offensive.   The offender gets the message - and that message is commensurate with the level of the offense.

There are some things that are better left in the hands of ordinary people to sort out - and this is one of them !