Political Correctness?

Question

Do you think political correctness in western society is simply getting out of hand?

Does government have too much weight on day-to-day ethics, standards...what we say/think?

Do you agree with the concept often described as "thought police"?

Answer 1

Yes, political correctness is out of hand.

Yes, government tries to interfere with what we say and think. (not as much as the media, though.)

I am afraid that we have thought police already, and I don't like it. Look at the committees of almost any college or university. They are committed to ruthlessly crushing any opposition by ridicule and untrue accusations, preventing the exercise of First Amendment rights by any means possible.

Most colleges have a very narrow definition of 'diversity' and will hound to academic or political destruction anybody who lies outside their definition of diversity. Some have gone so far as to say, If 'uni' is the opposite of 'di', then what is 'university' the opposite of...?

Answer 2

Political correctness really should be called social correctness, except that it is to some degree "steered" by politics, in that laws are passed to help protect and to include disfavored groups, like the "physically challenged." On the one hand, I see nothing wrong with that, but on the other hand, the social surges that demand every kind of exaggerated delicacy, while they do provide guidelines for the decent-minded, also do get out of hand.

The fact is that you can still say and think what you want, but society generally frowns on terms considered abusive or demeaning. And society doesn't have a very discriminating outlook about that, so I can see where we would suddenly be severely abjured if we referred to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and not "Snow Hued and the Seven Little People."

Answer 3

Political Correctness has its place in interpersonal communications. I work in the public sector and do a great deal of speaking and find being "PC" is very effective in addressing a group on what can be taken as "sensitive issues" (i. e., race, gender, age, etc.). In talking with an individual I can comfortably admit to ignorance if I am uncertain of someone's ethnicity or how they choose to be referred IF it bears some relevance to our conversation and... if it doesn't then, goodie - we can just rap person to person.

Answer 4

Political correctness defies the concept of freedom of thought, freedom of opinion and freedom of conscience. While we in Canada like to think of our society as pluralistic and democratic, we are increasingly finding ourselves as a target of "thought police" who exist among all ranks of society. I have very definite opinions about particular issues and they are not all politically popular; I have been under attack on numerous occasions, simply for expressing them, which reminds me more of a communist state than a pluralistic, democratic one.

Answer 5

PC is a joke for fools. If your so insensitive as to allow a name or a label bother you, your a wimp to begin with.

Answer 6

http://www.amren.com/9911issue/9911issue.html