Brits Outlaw "Bad" Phrases and Words

I'm reminded of George Carlin's bit about the 7 Words You Can't Say on TV. He made a point about how words themselves aren't bad - it's just the meanings that we attach to them. So what if you decide to attach a bad meaning to a word or phrase that doesn't offend the majority of the population? Well, obviously, you're correct, and the government needs to step in!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6806502.ece

Some of the things they're outlawing for being racist or sexist include:

whiter than white
gentleman’s agreement
black mark
right-hand man

Also, the Learning and Skills Council wants staff to “perfect” their brief rather than “master” it, while the Newcastle University has singled out the phrase “master bedroom” as being problematic.

You have to dig pretty deep on some of these to find the "problem".

However, the last paragraph of the story contains the voice of reason:

Marie Clair, spokeswoman for the Plain English Campaign, said: “Political correctness has good intentions but things can be taken to an extreme. What is really needed is a bit of common sense.”