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Political correctness - again

Is it fair to refer to special needs children by that term?

I ask because someone posted on a story we wrote this week about funding for special needs children: "Special Needs Children"?? Really? Surely a journalist should be aware of how to use language in an acceptable and up to date way." Oh dear, was my first thought. It's difficult to keep up with the ever-changing terms for minority groups (or even find out who decides what is the proper term) and I thought I might have missed something. Sadly, our reader doesn't say what is an acceptable term. The Guardian agonises more than most over politcal correctness and its style guide has no problem with special needs. Indeed it is a specific diagnostic and legal term so on some stories it would have to be used. A quick tour of Google shows it is still an acceptable term to most people. There are some who advise "putting the people first" so you should say children with special needs instead of special needs children. That's nonsense in my book. You don't put young people or other minorities first by just remembering to label them correctly, you do it by treating them as individuals not pigeon-holed groups. The guideline for Whitehaven News' journalists is: only mention a person's disability if it's relevant. And if you're not sure whether to call them disabled, differently-abled or similar, then ask them how they want to be known.
 

By Alan Cleaver
Published: January 7, 2011

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The phenomenon known as "political correctness" is a strategy used as part of wider ranging policies in Marxism which aim to increase the total dependance on the State of vulnerable minorities.In other words the State aims to marginalise the silent majority, especially Christians, whilst protecting what it perceives to be vulnerable minority groups. The more dependent upon the State that these groups become the more likely they are to continually vote for the same State.It's a kind of subjugation.Right now,the State is marginalising Christianity because it sees it as a threat. There are many votes out there amongst non Christian groups that would be lost if the State were to protect Christianity.It's all highly Orwellian. Anyway, it's where the political correctness your referring to reference the harmless term "Special Needs" comes from. The Frankfurt Institute is a school of Marxism trying to push Marxism through subtly because it failed within Communism. Philip Milliband the father of David and Ed was one of Britain's leading proponents of Marxism when he lectured at the London School of Economics.The Frankfurt School philosophy of Marxism is what drove the principles upon which New Labour built itself that's why there was so much "political correctness" going on during the past Government's time in office.

Posted by The Caretaker on 18 January 2011 at 18:51

Does the child live what we would consider a "Normal" life? No. They need help more than your average child. Then they are a "Special Needs Child". What's the issue here?

Posted by Mikey on 7 January 2011 at 22:51

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