Political correctness

[Carolina]

I wish FamilyTreeDNA (MyOrigins) would use B.C. (Before Christ) instead of BCE, and A.D. (Anno Domini) instead of CE! Stop the political correctness. Everyone knows that in the West we count what year it is starting from Christ's birth (even if some think we are off about 4 years) - why deny it by introducing a new way? It's ridiculous.

[DaveInGreece]

This calendar system has been widely adopted internationally including by countries with no tradition of Christianity. Even "in the West" there are many non-Christians of other faiths and also growing numbers of atheists who dislike the reference to Christianity. In much of Europe, atheism is now more common than religion and the majority of people avoid "Before Christ" not out of political correctness, but out of a dislike of using religious terms in a secular world.

[John McCoy]

Change is inevitable, perfectly good terminology is subject to fashion. Also, due to the prevailing academic norms of "publish or perish", there is a strong incentive for academics to advocate change even of things that don't really need it. Nobody would publish a research paper that says the status quo is correct, so our esteemed professors have to find some novelty to publish, and if nothing else comes to mind, terminology and taxonomic nomenclature are fair game.

[Carpathian]

Change is inevitable, perfectly good terminology is subject to fashion. Also, due to the prevailing academic norms of "publish or perish", there is a strong incentive for academics to advocate change even of things that don't really need it. Nobody would publish a research paper that says the status quo is correct, so our esteemed professors have to find some novelty to publish, and if nothing else comes to mind, terminology and taxonomic nomenclature are fair game.

It's revisionism. Those who control the terms of the debate control the debate.

That's in the nature of politics and manipulation. The goal is cultural change. It's done through through psychological influence, with the imposition of new terms as revision of traditional terms.

[Turtleygoodness]

Political Correctness

At one time, using BC and AD were politically correct. Political correctness doesn't just apply to changes that involve inclusion and not offending other people, but also using your own religion and values as the standard. Many people were forced to convert to Christianity after it was widely adopted by European royalty and forced to change their own calendars, etc. Now we're using terms more acceptable to a wider range of people.

Revisionism, true, but in a way that less people find offensive. Only a person who think that their religion, ideas, traditions and culture should be preeminent over everyone else's would be offended.

[Naughtius]

Given that JC was probably born in the BC, they are pretty pointless terms.

[MMaddi]

Revisionism, true, but in a way that less people find offensive. Only a person who think that their religion, ideas, traditions and culture should be preeminent over everyone else's would be offended.

Amen to that - pun intended.

[AFH]

I wish FamilyTreeDNA (MyOrigins) would use B.C. (Before Christ) instead of BCE, and A.D. (Anno Domini) instead of CE! Stop the political correctness. Everyone knows that in the West we count what year it is starting from Christ's birth (even if some think we are off about 4 years) - why deny it by introducing a new way? It's ridiculous.

I prefer BCE it's and it's their decision to make. Why do you feel like you have the right to impose your beliefs and culture on others?

[lgmayka]

Note that BCE and CE can be interpreted as

Before the Christian Era
(in) the Christian Era

This interpretation explicitly acknowledges the origin of our dating system without actually using the personal terms Christ and Lord.

By analogy, use of the Islamic calendar in the Roman alphabet is typically expressed as

BH = Before the Hijira
AH = Anno (in the year) of the Hijira

The Hijira is a religious event but not a person. Those who object to religious dating will need to think up new abbreviations for publication in Muslim countries.

Similarly, those who publish in Israel will need to think up a new abbreviation, because the usual

AM = Anno Mundi (in the year of the world)

refers to a literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis.

[Carpathian]

Revisionism, true, but in a way that less people find offensive. Only a person who think that their religion, ideas, traditions and culture should be preeminent over everyone else's would be offended.

This is what mob rule and social revisionism have in common: both appeal to a politically and socially motivated minority, one that pretends to be and aspires to become a majority through relentless vociferous debate, by continually challenging, rejecting and redefining cultural terms and saying they are "offended" by words and traditional terms. The more people who can be enlisted by their movement and proclaim to be "offended", the greater they hope their numbers will grow, such that they might become the majority. This is the goal of the new culture of victimhood.

This is what perpetual adolescents and revolutionaries do: they rebel against the social order, hoping to become dominant themselves. Then, if they ever do become the dominant majority, they will have become that which they supposedly rejected, initially.

Only those who rebel against predominant ideas, traditions and culture in a free and liberal society are "offended" by it. Those are the same "ideas, traditions and culture" that allow their dissent.

"Revisionism, true..."

Yes, your admission is correct. The revisionist strategy is exposed and revealed.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/the-rise-of-victimhood-culture/404794/

It's a politically motivated diversion. Even if this temporal strategy were eventually to succeed in trying to diminish and eradicate two thousand years of Western civilization and history, the result might be disruptive, but would not be permanent.

"This too shall pass."

[MMaddi]

Gee, I thought this was a board to discuss genetic genealogy. I must have taken a wrong turn somehow and ended up on a board where hot button political issues are debated.

I'm very active politically and I try to be tolerant of everyone's personal views. But I don't come on this board to debate them. There must be some other place online where people who get worked up about this issue - on both sides of it - can go to try to tear each other down.

[MoberlyDrake]

Actually, I prefer to stick with B.C. and A.D. not because of any political correctness or vice versa, but simply because it's been in use so long and occurs in hundreds of years of documents and publications. Change it and generations to come will have to learn them as obsolete terms.

[Yde]

Year 0

It is about The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

About an enemy.

In those circles they don't like to be reminded of some.

Therefore they use the term ybp, years before present, so we have to make a new calculation every year - of a MRCA born 50 ybp.

[Carpathian]

Actually, I prefer to stick with B.C. and A.D. not because of any political correctness or vice versa, but simply because it's been in use so long and occurs in hundreds of years of documents and publications. Change it and generations to come will have to learn them as obsolete terms.

I agree. But for terms to become obsolete there is a motive or agenda for making them obsolete. As with revisionist history, over time there will arise a realization that there was an element of imposition involved. Eventually the obsolete ideas or terms will be rediscovered. Everything old will be new again.

[keigh]

Personally the use of BCE or CE doesn't bother me. It simply reflects the fact that the majority of the world doesn't use the same calendar dating that was imposed by Western or European Christians on other populations. To 2/3rd of the world's population the year isn't AD or anno Domini. And FTDNA is a world wide company and, therefore, needs to use term accepted in a world wide system.