% a bay area business is marketing itself in a way that offends many people. >> i know that it stops you from seeking help. >> what's more important, the free market or free speech? straight ahead on this edition of equal time. >> from san jose state university and theh you are watching equal timexploring new issues each week. >> hello and welcome to san jose state university. this week's edition of equal time. i'm journalism professor bob

rut good. a business is drawing a wrath. it is called psych odonuts. here is journalism professor dian. about 100 demonstrators, many are mental health activists say they perpetwit the stigma. >> it is the fact that they are using the disability of other people to profit from. it is the reference to those disabilities that is the name of the donuts. >> this is the psycho donut, bipolar, serial killer. >> inside the shop workers wear

nurses outfits. >> i talked to the owner on several occasions and said we are not saying you shouldn't have a creative and themed restaurant. we are saying one of the things you are doing are extremely painful. they bring back memories to people. >> the shop's sitting area is called group therapy. customers can sit in a padded cell wearing a straight jacket. the owners later stopped the practice and put the jacket on the wall for a time and then removed it. the jackett was upsetting to kim who battled major depression. >> if you have been restrained or on a psychiatric ward against your will it is very scary especially the first time because you don't know what is

going to happen. maybe they think it is fun. let's do it under different terms. let's put you in hand cuffs in the back of a police car and take you to emergency psychiatric services and put you in a situation where it is for real. >> protesters object that the shop peers to be marketed towards children. >> the idea that this will be a friendly and fun place to bring kids to actually celebrate birthdays and welcome them in when a lot of times when you think about mental illness these things, if you notice recently we had a huge rash of suicides on the train tracks. this kind of stigma and these jokes about mental illnesses

prevents people from wanting to seek help. why are people not talking to their parents saying i don't feel like i want to be here. >> according to the national institute of mental health half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14 and there are long delays, sometimes decades between the on set of symptoms and when people seek treatment. >> i have bipolar disorder and ocd disorder. i was diagnosed about 24 years of age. i didn't seek treatment right away due to stigma. i know that it does stop you from seeking help. >> as protesters march they are surprised by the reaction by some passers by. >> as we walk through it is just donuts. what are you worried about?

maybe it is just donuts to them. whenever there is an economic problem in this state they go for that extra money and the extra money is in mental health services. it is because mental health is not a serious issue. people are not concerned about it. we see it in our legislature and now it is reflected in private business. >> the protests have not stood in the way of psycho donuts success. it has opened a second shop. >> when we come back we will give the other side equal time. >> i don't know when everybody became babies. >> we will talk with the shop owner. and we'll examine the issue of political correctness. why may some names be considered okay to some people even if others consider them

offensive? what is funny? protesters say a donut shop goes too far making fun of people with mental illness. now we will hear from the shop

owner. >> between keeping trays stocked jordan is one busy donut shop owner. >> our goal is to create a fun, over the top and unusual environment. we didn't want to be like any other donut shop. >> the protests have brought in business as a back lash. mental health activists are acting as pied pipers leading passers by to psycho donuts. >> i think it is kind of silly. people are just far too sensitive about things. >> i don't know when everybody became a baby that everything is offensive. >> why are they protesting? it is in good humor. it is not hurting anybody? >> i would mention to the folks out there who are concerned about what we are doing is that it is not our intent to harm

anyone. >> he insists he is not bowing to pressure. >> i'm not making any concessions. there is no compromise making. no one is forcing me to make changes. it is more about evolving. >> where is the dividing line between what is offensive and what is funny. we started with asking comedian. >> i don't think making fun of the hand copy or the homeless or people who are less fortunate than you, i don't think that they should be the object of our scorn and duration. >> certain subjects are off limits. lately it is president obama. >> it is hard to tell jokes about obama. part of it is racial, too. the fact that america was able to cast aside its prejudices and vote for a harvard law

graduate. he is a black guy but he is half black guy. how about we start with a half negro. baby steps. >> joe produces the longest running musical review in theater history in san francisco francisco. the show is a paraied of just about everything. but recently he pulled a routine exaggerating president obama's ears because of public outcry. >> that is the only complaint we have ever had. nothing else in 35 years. >> other presidents have been fair game for their physical

attributes. >> like reagan. remember reagan had the hair that didn't move. i thought it was reflective of his political philosophies. so i use that. and the neck that waved in the breeze. his hair wasn't moving but his neck was flapping. >> we were able to pardee him but not after 911. we didn't put him lack in for two more years. we had to wait the proper amount of time. we are pretty cautious of what we put in the show and what we don't put into the show. >> and the times constantly change in terms of political comedy or what is politically

correct ♪ [music] ♪ the time has come to turn things around ♪ [music] ♪ a tropical heat wave. got the nobel prize you better get wise ♪ [music] ♪ >> people are much less politically correct 35 years ago than they are today. you have to be so careful today. >> times may change but though protesting outside psycho donuts would argue it is never okay to make fun of people with mental illness. >> although i think that the majority of the people are okay with what i'm doing i am well aware of people's concerns. >> we will look at words in the

english language that used to be completely acceptable. how far do we go before political correctness becomes ridiculous? stay with us.  % welcome back to the campus of san jose state university. and our topic today on equal time political correctness. we have a group of people here you are going to want to meet.

>> my name is mar ketoa bird. i am a faculty member here. >> i am in the department of language development here at san jose state. >> larry. i'm an attorney and lecturer in first amendment issues at san jose state. >> i'm a local hip hop artist here. >> we were talking about rap music and its impact on political correctness. are we going nuts about this concept? are we getting too crazy about political correctness? >> i think that political correctness is something that is necessary for a civil society. but we can take anything to a point of absurdityu and then it becomeathize opposite of what it should have been. i think we still have enough people who are not conscious of

the way they talk to people. >> so many people get this feeling that i better not say a word because i don't want to offend anyone. >> i think some people have that and a lot of people don't think about it at all and that is the reason that we have political correctness because people don't have sensitivity. it is important to educate and instruct. it is important to be sensitive all the time. >> larry, freedom of speech. we have that in this country but some people think maybe these politicians should not have so much freedom to speak. what do you think about that? >> it is part of a democracy we have to have political speech and talk about our government and how we want things to go. that means just about anything can be said. we have the right to shout back or complain if somebody says something we don't like.

>> this generation is low key and would rather do things on facebook than to talk to people one on one. >> facebook is a big epidemic. everybody is on it. my mom continuously messages me on there. we have a mouth. we have lungs. we have vocals. we should be able to say what we want to say and not be worried aboutt the consequences. i am a rapper. of course my lyrics is expressed. i should have a right to express myself. i'm not saying that everything people have to say is right. you can't get mad at them for speaking what is on their mind. why hold it in? >> whether it is psycho donuts or rap music or anything else isn't there a line of decency we shouldn't cross? >> don't we need people to

express themselves with their words or through music rather than with fists? this is a way for people to let off steam. if we don't like it at least we have a chance to come back to them and tell them what they are thinking. >> i'm saying something different. >> i'm thinking that one of the reasons that people may feel constrained by political correctness is being politically correct means you have to think about what you are saying and phrase it in ways that are not damaging. that takes energy. it takes energy to think and phrase what you areu talking about in the heat of a conversation and a lot of people don't want to do the work. there are a number of people who never had to pay attention to how they talk. people who cover the oppressed have always had to be conscious of how they phrase things.

it is putting that kind of pressure on everyone to make us think of what we are saying and the impact. >> feel free to take issue with me on this next one. i talk about this one in class. when we use certain words like the n word whether in music. i argue from a generation that word cannot be changed. you cannot say anything in lyrics that will take away the hurt, the pain, the sting, the sorrow and loss. why do you fling it? >> i don't know. i'm not going to say that us using it now is going to take away the pain during the oppressed days. it is how we say hello. i'm not saying it is right. it is how we say hello.

it is how we greet friends. >> does it make it right? is that how we should be thinking in a society where we are trying to get along? if we are using words that the community knows has a history? >> are you saying we should ban that word? >> i'm not oppose today it but i don't see the value of that word. >> i'm saying that if somebody says it and you think it is inappropriate then you tell them it is inappropriate. we shouldn't prevent anyone from saying words. and maybe because it is a generational thing it has a different meaning. how are we going to control what people are saying in different generations. you have a right to say what it means to you. >> the n word has significant history. the b word against women.

the f word for gay and lesbian people. >> i think the whole conflict between or a mischaracterization between freedom of speech and political correctness. freedom of speech makes it illegal for the government to control anyone's speech or establishment of religion. that is totally different from private citizens or private people saying the things that they want to say. everyone agrees that the government should not curtail our freedom of speech. this is the second point in terms of how people speak with each other or language or words and in culture. that has everything to do with context. context is everything. and so the kind of things that allow aaron to use the n word in rap music or for anyone to use the n word in rap music

that does make it more acceptable in certain circles just the way it makes it unacceptable for me to use that word in this form right here. >> let me ask about another word. it was used before a certain person had it. after the 20th century most people would never think about naming your children hitler. we know that is a toxic name. >> there are toxic words. i want to jump in and say it is not just his generation. when i grew up i used the n word in my community. you used it for a lot of things. i might talk about african american people in conversation with someone and use that word. i might say about the man that i'm dating that is my n word. i remember in college i had a group of african american girls that we hung with and there

were two white girls that were with us all the time. one day i walked in the room and i said hey ns and they were there and everybody responded, the white girls and the black girls. >> so times are changing? >> well, i did not want to stop using it but i did stop using it at the cost of political controversy and i don't want white people saying it to me. therefore i stopped using it. >> so when someone uses the n word, when you hear somebody use the n word do you think they are ignorant? if i said the n word would you think i am ignorant? >> i listen to rap music. >> people my age just hanging, chilling whatever and we are talking to each other and i'm like what's up my n word would

you guys think i'm stupid? >> no. >> i would tell you this. i have talked to a lot of companies out here that hire our students for internships and they do worry about that. a few of them are friends and they say that kind of language is not acceptable at the work place. >> there is a lot of language that is not acceptable. i can go up to one of my co workers and be like what's up sweet thing? there is a time and a place for everything. if i'm with my friends on my porch hanging out i should be able to use that word how i feel fit. >> you have the right to use that word. you asked a very important question. does someone come across as poorly educated or ignorant if they use words that are considered politically incorrect? >> sure. i have to agree with you on

that. >> you think they do? >> right. we would have to find out in what context. >> they hear it and they go i know where you are coming from. >> i think a lot of people understand what contexts are. i was on the bus in san francisco and african american kids were using the n word. at one point someone took him to task for it. and the kid said what if i used that word and they said you can't because you're white. >> does it matter to you as history? >> i was never there. i wasn't born during that time. i can only speak for myself and motis going on right now. right now the n word with the a at the end with atmosphere you are saying it with a smile on

your face there is a different. if you are saying it to be disrespectful or to come at me as far as my people or my culture it makes a difference. >> we are talking about political correctness. in all aspects if we do feel that there are certain words that are uncomfortable for people is it political correct to say let's talk about the issues behind those words? >> usually it comes up so quickly that i find that all you have to do is say i don't feel that is an appropriate use of the word. >> in most contexts people will refrain from using it. i have been at all african american groups and some will say i don't like that word and i won't use it because they are saying it is offensive and i won't use offensive language

with anyone. language rules are contextual based. that has to do with where you are, who you are with. >> what about the pain? words can sting. words can hurt. in journalism we teach our kids that. why don't we want to look at the factor that it could have deep emotional impact on people? >> no one here is saying we don't take those things into consideration. that is what context means. in certain context words can sting. take it to the psycho donuts it is obvious that people are hurt by that situation. and then also understand the limits of sensitivity. >> we saw on the report about psycho donuts that they were going after terms that people in the mental health industry felt uncomfortable with. isn't there something to be said about that argument?

>> they have a right to express their argument and to tell people how much it bothers them. a lot of people think that is funny and a lot of people are going to go to the store because of the controversy they are creating by drawing more attention to it. it is really a question by how much they want to push the issue. >> i love playing devil's advocate in the classroom. on this one i ask the question, this is a sensitive topic, mental illness, why make fun of it? >> i think they have a right to use the terms and i have a right to not buy their donuts. >> if we say we can't talk about them and use certain phrases and we don't have the conversations about things that people are thinking and talking about all the time. >> i would be more worried about shutting down conversation or communication. i may have a problem with certain words but i still want

to hear from certain cultures. can we get more people more motivated to understand the meaning of certain behaviors, certain words and certain concepts? >> it depends if they want to listen or not. a lot of it comes down to it y. heard you can't use that word. as soon as they leave we are using the same word again. you can try to change how people are going to say things but that person has to agree with me. you couldn't tell me not to use that word unless i afree with you. >> you are talking about personal responsibility. this is a good conversation. our society needs to have these discussions. if you want to join us in the conversation look for us on facebook. come on back for another edition of equal time.