Is our society becoming 'too politically correct'?

I'm pretty sure I may be the only one, but I think the whole anti-pc backlash is a load of rubbish. This insidious "political correctness" that everyone derides is the not even that insightful realization that words are themselves a form of action and they have consequences. This, to me, is pretty much self-evident and while I think people have the right to be hurtful I think exercising that right comes with the potential that there may be consequences--and frankly I think there should generally speaking be more consequences for being hurtful rather than less.

 

These kinds of comments have been around almost as long as I have (ok, at least the last 20yrs or so). In my experience, the people making such comments often spend the rest of their time complaining about how mean/disrespectful/actively seeking to destroy their way of life someone else (or everyone else) is being to them. So it often seems like something of a double standard/hypocritical to me.

Society is becoming increasingly diverse (or diversity is becoming increasingly open about itself), and we need to respect each others differences and treat each other with some level of respect. At the same time, going into outraged hysterics over every perceived slight (on both sides) seems counterproductive.

I've had people ask me ignorant questions about my orientation (ignorant as in they didn't know/understand, not ignorant as a euphemism for rude). Rather than being outraged, I simply explained the truth of the matter to them in a calm and matter of fact way. Nine times out of ten, they responded positively and we got along better because of it. That wouldn't have happened if I'd gotten angry about it.

Finding some sort of balance would seem to be the best approach to this sort of thing IMHO.

Todd

 

Anyone who moans about the pc brigade a la richard littlejohn :eusa_hand

No

 

The term "politically correct" is only used in reference to minorities and marginalized groups. There is never a discussion of political correctness when referencing the treatment of those who hold racial, sexual, gender privilege in society. Being mindful of the words and actions directed towards the dominant culture or social groups in society is considered common courtesy. It is only when it comes to showing compassion and consideration for those who are considered to be different or lesser that it suddenly becomes a burden.

 

Here's the thing about Political correctness, at least to me.

Everybody who's played the "You're being PC" card has been a part of some form of discrimination, and many times, that argument is used to "justify" oppression. It doesn't matter which form of oppression it is, that's the main reason people will use it. The mindset behind it is "Everyone is already equal" when that couldn't be further from the truth. I mean, those people are told day after day that where and when they are living in is equal (or more equal in comparison to the 1800's), and so they continue to believe it. Researching the topic would shake that confidence (And who wants their confidence on anything shaken?). Saying "X is too PC" negates any motivation to do any actual research on the topic, thus perpetuating whatever kind of oppression.

So, in terms of today, the people who are "Too PC" are the ones who actually do their research and have at least some sliver of empathy for those who are underprivileged and/or oppressed. And then they bring their argument to the table, and get written off as "Too PC", almost in a way of being oppressed.

 

Which is why I but the the term "politically correct" in the same category as phases such as "black on black crime", and people that claim we live in a "post racial society".

 

I wouldn't say political correctness is ruining our society, but I find it very very irritating, and it really gets on my nerves sometimes. I think it's because the people who tend to be overly politically correct are just annoying about it. Like my friend posted a photo on Facebook that said "when it's okay to say the word "retard"; of course, long story short, the answer was "never, ever." Of course, retard is also used in science. My physics book used the word retard for forces and such. My biology textbook has used it too. I feel like some people go out of their way to get offended. I think it's pretty much bullshit and stupid. People are offended way way too easy, and I think it makes society too "soft" if you can't even handle a neutral word being used. Ie, black is neutral to me. People have decided to make it offensive I guess. As some people may point out it can be taken more offensive to group all "colored" people as one -- as if you're either white or colored.

 

Fuck all of you.





See? Political correctness hasn't gotten to all of us.





<3

 

I consider myself apolitical, soooooo ... I don't know if it's possible for me to be politically correct in real sense of word.

I do my best to be polite though; that I can manage.

 

No, and political correctness is a catastrophically stupid concept.

On a cursory examination, one can immediately see the contradictions. Accusations of "political correctness" are only made when people insist on respect for minority or marginalized groups. Yet it is precisely the minority and marginalized status of those groups that make them politically incorrect. If respect for such groups were correct, then they would not be marginalized, nor would there be demands to correct language referring to them.

~ Adrienne

 

No, the people crying "political correct" are those who feel society is being taken away from them, now that they actually have to not only respect other people, but maybe see the world in a more broader sense than they want to. I remember my parents listening to a republican talkshow on the radio several months ago and the whole rant was about the new term "undocumented" immigrants as versus the status quo (for them) of "illegal aliens." The people on the show just went back and forth about how society is going to ruin, we are all just too busy chasing PC, and how its "so stupid" that we can't just call them for what they are: ILLEGALS! (because yes, because a whole complex people can be characterized only by only ILLEGAL and somehow they are aliens too, which I believe is a very cruel and estranging word that puts a distance between us and them). The icing on the cake was when one person on the show exclaimed "those Mexicans don't even care what you call them! Call them undocumented? What difference does it make?" and the other person responded "Yes exactly, its only liberals trying to politically correct society once again to control people. The illegals are probably laughing at us right now as they come in and claim their welfare")


Very sad indeed. I wish we didn't have so many people in our society who live in fear of someone "different" from them as if they are the source of all their problems. If anything their livelihood is being stripped away from them by the very people from the top who plant the fear in them about the minority as a sort of red herring, not the minority who is just fighting for their voice and equality.

 

Oh, you naughty you! You're such a tease. Fu fu fu.

:lol:

 

Sort of, yeah.

There's nothing wrong with using respectful terms, but it's when we immediately call people racist and shame them for doing things that aren't really racist. Just because someone says "colored" doesn't make them a racist. And I don't think it's fair to create a crapstorm on Twitter because he used an outdated term. How about we focus more on real racists?

Or like, when people can't stand those who say "Merry Christmas"...there are times when political correctness is definitely taken too far.

 

I thought "colored" was the proper term and people were mad he used it instead of black? Or am I thinking of "people of color" as the proper term? Lord knows anymore.

 

Prejudice is not something that merely exists in extremes. It is not exclusively held by those who carry out hate crimes or organize radical groups. Anyone in this thread who believes that they have never held any form of prejudice, bias, or ignorance towards another social group is extremely deluded and exactly what is wrong with society. Anyone who is under the impression that a part of being a decent human being isn't consistently working to the misconceptions and negativity that might have influenced them throughout their lives in an effort to better understand and respect those around them is extremely narcissistic.

Slurs and ignorant language are linguitically categorized as slang. Slang is informal language that is introduced and defined by a specific culture. Therefore, it is not possible to adopt slurs and loaded terms without being exposed to remnants of a past or present oppressive culture. It is scientifically proven by the psychiatric community that the words that we use shape the way that we view the world around us. Initial hate and malice is not necessary for language to be harmful. In order to work against the prejudice and oppression faced by minorities in society, we must work against the language that was used to emphasize that sense of hate and inferiority.

Rather than arguing that one should not receive backlash for encouraging ignorance, we should be arguing that education is not something that should need to be enforced on others. In this world of endless access to information, ignorance is no longer an acceptable excuse.

 

1: The pursuit of ultimate political correctness is absurd and probably is harming interactions.

2: Don't be a dick.

Only with both of these rules in place can there be balance. Without a nod to political correctness we would say very off-putting things that would need acknowledgement before the other person would listen. However, just because PC can't become an obstacle doesn't mean to say derogatory words willy-nilly. If you say something which offends somebody, apologize and carry on.

 

People of Color is a term that originated as a way to reference all racial minorities in the western world. The present definition of the term is "any person or persons who are not white". With the exception using specific racial and ethnic terms, it is the proper way to reference the whole of those groups.

Colored is a term that originated during colonial times as a way for European colonists to reference the natives of Africa. Several centuries later, Colored or Coloreds were terms that were adopted within American society to refer to designated areas, entrances, utilities, and locations for African Americans during segregation. It was during this time that "Colored" came to replace the term "Negro" in reference to them. Which we should all know is also blatantly offensive, particularly as a result of its connection to the second N-word.

A reporter at CNN covers the topic and addresses the subject of this thread fairly well.
[YOUTUBE]zpX8HeI36C8[/YOUTUBE]

Disclaimer: I would recommend viewing the embedded video rather than visiting the Youtube page. Given the topic at hand, it is not difficult to imagine why.

 

Yes, we are getting politically correct. The PC police decide something is wrong, and they hone in on it. An example is all the heat the Redskins are taking. Yet, everyone looks the other way when it is the KC Chiefs or Florida Seminoles. It's controlled by the media. They pick an issue to get people divided while the politicians and other government entities rob us blind.