Category Archives: quotes

The Catte

The catte is a beaste of uncerten heare and colour;
for some catte is white, some rede, some blacke,
some skewed and speckled in the fete and in the face and in the eares.
And he is … in youth slythe, plyaunte, and mery,
and lepeth and reseth on all thynge that is to-fore him;
and is led by a strawe and playeth therwith.
And is a right hevy beaste in age, and ful slepy,
and lieth slily in wait for myce …
and when he taketh a mous he playeth therwith,
and eateth him after play …
And he maketh a ruthefull noyse and gastfull when one
proffereth to fyghte with another …

[Bartholomew the Englishman; Of the Nature of Things; 1398.
Translated John de Trevista]

The Bureaucratic Mind Gone Crazy

Bystander at The Magistrate’s Blog today blogs about a Department for Constitutional Affairs guide for its staff called Eliminating Inappropriate Language in the Workplace. This is so horrific that I just have to quote here the passage given by Bystander on expressions deemed “not acceptable” in the workplace, including:

Old, middle-aged, young, girl, young lady, boy, lad, young man, part-timer, the disabled, the blind, the deaf, black mark, black sheep, black list, black look, Black Monday, coloured, half-caste, West Indian, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese (used as a catch-all phrase), British (referring to whites), immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, gypsies (used negatively), Gyppos, Ethnics, Jesus Christ (used as a curse), Jesus freak, bible basher, Jewish (acceptable to some), gay (as a noun), manning the phones, manpower, policeman, chairman, spokesman, fireman, foreman, workmen, lady doctor, woman judge, male nurse, male secretary, love, pet, dear (used in a derogatory way).

Frankly this is bollox. Yes, of course all these words can be used derogatorily, as can many, many others and that is not acceptable to many people, just as the F-word isn’t acceptable. But for heaven’s sake; this is PCness gone absolutely stark, raving lunatic. The wholesale banning of such words is censorship and a denial of freedom of speech of the most insidious kind.

OK, I personally dislike neologistic euphemisms like “gay”. But it’s about time people grew up and accepted that they should be described as they are — factually! Like “deaf” if they can’t hear?! “Black”, if that’s what they are!? An “immigrant” if they are one!? Get a life; you’re a big boy now.

I for one have absolutely no intention of taking any notice of this drivel. I shall continue to describe things factually as they are. Besides what am I supposed to call an 18-year old female who is about to leave Cheltenham Ladies or Bennenden except a “young lady”?

Quote: Roman Worship

The various modes of worship which prevailed in the Roman world, were all considered by the people, as equally true; by the philosopher; as equally false; and by the magistrate, as equally useful.

[Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]