In Defense of Political Correctness
69It is very popular to rail against the notion of being politically correct when we speak. It makes us feel like rebels standing up to “The Man” when we contend that this is a suppression of our freedom of speech. It is not really suppression because the idea has not been made into any kind of law. You are free to use outdated terms that can be offensive and are no longer accurate but it is just silly to do so.
Why use fireman when firefighter makes a lot more sense. Why use mailman when letter carrier is more accurate. Yes there is a method behind the madness of changing the language. It has been clear since George Orwell wrote the great science fiction story, 1984, that changing the language can change people’s attitudes. If we get used to saying firefighter we will be less surprised to see a woman jump off the fire truck.
Anyone who has read my articles knows that I am a firm believer in human rights. I am not in favor to censorship of any kind. I am revolted by most gangster rap and I would never listen to it, but I also would never vote to have it banned. In my opinion that’s why I have controls on my radio, I don’t have to listen to it if I don’t want to. As I said earlier, I don’t see being politically correct as a limitation to anyone’s rights.
One of my favorite alternative rock songs of the last ten years is a tune called Politically Correct by SR-71. It actually reminds me of a Broadway tune the way it changes tempo, but I digress. A line says, “There’s nothing I believe in more than my own insignificance, then why does everybody think that my words can make a difference?” This is great for the song and, as I said, I love the song, but we all know that anyone’s words can make a difference. It only takes a few hurtful words to sadden or anger someone, even a stranger.
I think what people have a problem with is the term more than the action. The name politically correct implies following some kind of ridged rules to govern our speech, that’s not true. All it really means is having a little tact and choosing words that convey your meaning without being hurtful to others.
It doesn’t limit banter or snipes, a little shot now and then keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously. Now I’ll be bad and use a stereotype that I know personally is not true. I have known many people from New York City and some of them are very quiet and mild mannered but for the sake of illustration, political correctness does not inhibit the famous New York City attitude. The famous banter known as give and take still goes on. Do you know how many New Yorkers it takes to screw in a light bulb? The answer is, none of the g**d**** business. Give and take insults everyone equally and they expect to get as good as they give. It has almost become a national treasure.
Using politically correct statements, in my opinion, is one time when language is changed for the good.
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Couldn't possibly disagree with you more!
Political correctness is a vile intrusion in to the annals of free speech. It is essentially thought policing - it is fascism.
While the examples you no doubt deliberately quote are moderate, there are so many more which if they weren't so sad and so serious would actually be hilarious.
I personally - like tens of millions of others - go out of my way to be "non-politically correct," and use words I would never otherwise have used, just because of all the ridiculous and preposterous expressions this vile concept has brought to the world.
This was a great hub. I'm sharing it! :)
Politically Correct by SR-71...
Just uploaded it to my playlist!
Words are powerful; and respectful, people-first terminology can make a difference on an individual and societal level by promoting acceptance and fairness. The term "PC" sadly does raise a flag for many these days. Should sensible awareness of and appreciation for the power of labels be driven by political agenda, though? Whatever happened to thinking before we speak and applying a little tact on our own accord? Thanks for such food for thought!
Sorry, I agree with Gordon on PC. I don't go out of my way to be non-politically correct but I'm also not going out of my way to be PC. PC is a way to equalize the masses... to assure everyone that we are all the same and have all the same ultimate goals and desires. PC wants to bring the weak up to the same level as the strong, the stupid to the same level as the smart, and the lazy to the same level as the hard-working.
We are all different for a reason and I happen to like being different. But some PC terms are highly offensive to me such as trying to change Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays. Also some people that are habitually PC are offensive when they want to "correct" my non-PC. No matter how you look at it, changing the language to appease one group is always going to insult another group.
Don't take offense to my opinion Pete. I think you are a very talented writer and I enjoy your other works. But PC is a no go for me.
None taken at all to you or to Gordon. I raise a political issue and I'm happy to get a political response. I see nothing wrong with being fair to everyone during the holiday season, but it is a free country and I for one like a little political banter.
Nice - short and sweet
Chairman Mao was big on Political Correctness, too. He would send us off to Re-Education Camps for a few years. We don't go that far—yet; we just send employees and students to sensitivity training to teach them what is acceptable in their speech. If that fails the employee is fired and the student is flunked. There are thousands of tales of college students in America whose rights to Free Speech has been violated by campus speech watchdogs. I thought everybody knew that but that some just thought it good to enforce speech codes. My objection is that many times the prohibited speech is True and the Politically Correct speech is false.
PC is surely a restriction on Free Speech that must have Thomas Jefferson rolling in his grave.
And that is definitely wrong and it must me stopped. If it is being forced then the entire idea has gotten out of hand. I understand about manipulation and we have to guard against that.
Cool. :D
As in most forms of communication, context, sometimes, is all - the meaning is not found in the words. Great hub. Now I shall introspect more :D
Words are just words till we endow them with meaning...or political correctness. And you can be politically correct in one language and really rude in another without realising it!
That is true Feline; like my friend Randy from another hub of mine.
I have been in college courses where professors were so politically correct they did not even want us to mention the religious affiliation of a character in the book. When we read the book the Sun Also Rises by Hemingway one of the main characters was marginalized because he was Jewish, but our professor did not want us to call attention to that. She also made a reference to how there were homo-erotic elements in a fishing trip that two of the characters took, but when I mentioned that in my paper she told me to take it out. The funny thing was these were things she mentioned in lecture, but she did not want us to mention these our essay analysis. I actually was grateful that she pointed this out because I realized that she was just talking about some of the theories behind why Hemingway wrote the book, and not what was really happening in the story. What I did learn about the Sun Also Rises is that Hemingway showed there were other types of love, besides the romantic kind, to be found in life.
I would rather have blunt honesty and know where people are coming from , that way the psychos can be removed !
I think that your intent in writing this hub was to respect people and use language more correctly. But I also agree that political correctness in business can truly get out of hand if strictly enforced. There are many disgruntled employees that would just love to use the new enforcement codes to get people they dislike fired......and this is going too far, in my opinion.
I am going to straddle the fence on this issue. There are times that so called PC is harmless, other times it is causing serious damage, specially to kids.
When a five year old is told he is guilty of sexual harassment for kissing a little girl that is dumb and it can confuse the kid.
On another note a lot of PC speech is stupid, my husband who was a black American could not stand being called african-american, he had never seen Africa, did not even know if his ancestry was African or not. He served his country 24 years in the army and he was an American, no appendage. He was black and felt no shame or diminishment for it. So now we have to append everything and we do it only for political reasons, dumb!
This said I have no problem with mail carrier if it makes the mail carrier happy. Strangely enough only the women want us to call them that. My mailman has no problem with the term. So do we now have mailman (a man) and mail carrier (a woman)?
I do also have a serious problem when some people want me to use PC in prayer and I have to refer to God as she. As far as I know God has no gender one way or the other.
Sorry this is so long! Seems I had more to say about it than I thought.
You make good points. It is clearly stupid to go after a five year old child for something like that. I do believe it was the African/Amercian community that wanted the term used. I always wondered why I could still be referred to as white instead of European/American. As far as God goes; that is up to the person and their church; no one can override you on that point.
Cambridge University's Newnham College for women has had a tradition of saying grace before their college meals since the founding of the college in 1871. Until today. It has been dropped. Not PC.
Brown University has for hundreds of years officially recognized Columbus Day. Until today. They changed the name to "Fall Weekend." PC
Both these items were on the news wire today.
By the way, have you seen the movie, "PCU?" Hilarious.
Political correctness does not always change for the good. I can see what you are saying but some things are just stupid. If you look at my hub I have been in the position where someone who knew very little about my condition tried to tell me what should offend me!
Great hub! These days it seems quite risky to defend political correctness. I think the idea of going out of your way to be politically incorrect is childish, however I do believe in expressing yourself as openly and honestly as possible. When PC stands in the way of open and honest communication, it crosses the line of it's own boundary.
PC, in certain cultures goes way back, for example in our house, it has never been 'PC' to say 'I'm going to the John' or 'use the john' at a formal dinner party or at a theater. It was also not 'PC' to say 'tu' to someone older than yourself, in that case you had to use the word 'vous'. So there have always been a certain politically correct verbal 'etiquette' Good Hub.
Teresa McGurk says:
6 months ago
Good hub -- I couldn't agree more about the power language has to change attitudes.