A spokeswoman for City of York Council, who are responsible for the Sure Start mother and toddler group in Acomb, York, denied it was a case of political correctness, insisting it was more "a sensible decision taken to prevent deaf children or deaf parents being offended by the use of the gesture".And just why was it ‘offensive’?
She added that staff at the Sure Start group had been on a sign language course at which they were advised that the "star" gesture was very similar to the sign used for female genitalia.Whoops! I wonder what they told the kiddiewinks?
And I've got a gesture for the politically correct idiots at Acomb Sure Start:
You cu'nt make it up!
ReplyDeleteThe suggestion that it would be 'offensive' rather than merely indelicate, say, or misleading (though undoubtedly adding a certain je ne sais quoi to the simile*), implies that the sign is in valid use for that purpose.
ReplyDeleteHow convenient, then, that the Mail saw fit to include a handy illustration for anyone wishing to add to their repertoire of unspoken insults.
Incidentally, I can't remember whose blog I saw this story at - apologies - but the issue has surfaced before:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=178778
*and, coincidentally providing a perfect primer for impeccably PC poet Maya Angelou's hymn to black American womanhood:
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
(Still I rise)
Presumably Acomb Sure Start were offended because they thought the kids were describing the leaders of Acomb Sure Start.
ReplyDeleteI for one support any initiative to teach our youngsters how to identify complete twats from a very early age.
"staff at the Sure Start group had been on a sign language course at which they were advised that the "star" gesture was very similar to the sign used for female genitalia" ..
ReplyDeleteWhat a complete bunch of cunstellations !
...the sign used for female genitalia.
ReplyDeleteCould come in useful when chatting up a 'hard of hearing' girl. One way of getting straight to the point...
Oh great, there's more!
ReplyDeleteNot only do I have to never utter those 'banned' words (well at least banned to us white male heterosexual able-bodied types), or any words which may sound a bit like them, or any words which might be misunderstood to be indicating something vaguely in the region of one of those banned words, or any words which someone somewhere might take offence at.....
Now I have to watch my gestures too?
I googled (am I allowed to still say that?) and found:
http://www.ooze.com/finger/html/foriegn.html
I'll just gag myself, lock myself in my room and wear mittens - and I bet I still manage to offend someone.
"I'll just gag myself, lock myself in my room and wear mittens - and I bet I still manage to offend someone" ...
ReplyDeleteOh, the mittens are a dead cert for offending the webbed-fingered in-breds .. ;)
For me, the best part of this whole load of old toss, is this ..
ReplyDelete"Signing experts said those who use Makaton or British Sign Language would not misinterpret the meaning because it depended on context" ..
Lynn Delfosse, of the charity Action on Hearing Loss, said: "The signs alone can have more than one meaning, as with any language, and need to be contextualised in terms of grammar and of the situation in which they are used" ...
Now, I can't quite decide whether someone is telling mahoosive porkies ..
Or whether I can hear the sound of frantic rowing for the shore, in order to distance themselves from this ..
>PC poet Maya Angelou
ReplyDelete"Does my sexiness offend you?'
Not especially, but I'd rather make love to a kebab from the shop next to the station. It will be more tightly wrapped, smell less offensive and write better poetry to boot.
As for the spokeswoman for the City of York Council, I am trying to sign 'facerape', which I cannot really do very well because my spine is not flexible enough and the old chap sadly isn't 20" long.
When referring to her girlie bits, she can simply stretch her mouth from either end using her middle fingers, and alternately gnash and suck noisily, pausing only to gush forth the usual spin that she sprays from her Bartholin's glands to mark her territory as spokeswoman for City of York Council.
"You cu'nt make it up!"
ReplyDelete/applause
"How convenient, then, that the Mail saw fit to include a handy illustration for anyone wishing to add to their repertoire of unspoken insults."
Ahhh, bless, they're good at that!
"Presumably Acomb Sure Start were offended because they thought the kids were describing the leaders of Acomb Sure Start."
*chuckle*
"Or whether I can hear the sound of frantic rowing for the shore, in order to distance themselves from this .."
I wonder if this is yet another instance of the PC Warriors taking offence 'on behalf of' people who'd never be offended themselves?