What's your opinion on political correctness/liberalism?

Question

What's your opinion? Do you believe political correctness and liberalism actually help or harm America, or both? Please no bible verses or rambling about that, I'm talking from a real perspective. Please be courteous with your answers, thank you.

Steve, please answer the question or do not post.

Answer 1

Political correctness just shows how weak we have allowed ourselves to become. So many people are so easily offended that they cant take honest words or simple facts. Just a very short time ago these people who insist on PC would have been considered weak and their language to be long winded.
Liberalism is also very interesting. It is a way of thinking that says everyone should be able to do what they want, BUT you have to do it our way and be nice about us telling you how to do it.
Political correctness and liberalism related? Yes, like two little sisters.

Answer 2

Political correctness isn't a specific term, but if you generally mean considering that some labels are acceptable and others not, it really depends on how far that goes.

The "politically correct" term for african-americans has changed many times during my life, and it can get confusing. I suppose it probably even confuses african-americans, since the term "colored" is no longer acceptable, but the N.A.A.C.P. is still the N.A.A.C.P. That's confusing.

I've also seen it pushed to ridiculous limits, there was a recent outcry because some politician used the word "*********" in some impromptu speech. The word has no racial connotations to it, and has been part of English since before England colonized the Americas.

Political correctness applied to non-racial areas is often even more confusing, and has negative effects. To say someone is "not disabled, but differently abled" may be interpreted as "okay, so I don't need to make any allowances for that person." To say someone is "challenged" also makes it more difficult to understand just what the problem is. "Fat" is pretty clear to most people, but what about "metabolically challenged"? Is that excusing the problem?

So, getting back to racial labels... If a potential employer says "I'm not hiring that Indian American" or "I'm not hiring that Wog", does it really matter which term they use? The person labeled still has the same problem, don't they? A person who is "mentally challenged" has the same problem as a "retard", don't they?

Basically, I think it's a lot of hoopla about nothing. However, that won't stop me from referring to my Toyota as a "Chauffer Driven Limo" because it makes me feel better.

Answer 3

Political correctness and liberalism are not the same thing, which is what you may be saying by combining the terms with a forward slash. Neither "harm[s] America", but both are poorly defined. For example, is it politically incorrect to criticize the war in Iraq? To some people it is; they will call you a traitor if you do. Is it politically incorrect to say bad things about Bush? Again, to some people it is.Liberals would not say either statement was politically incorrect, but Republicans would certainly react that way.

Another definition of political correctness is simply politeness. Don't ruffle feathers over political issues. There's nothing wrong with a little of that. We've had too much divisiveness. So no harm to America by this type of political correctness.

Answer 4

Bible verses? Why would a liberal need a bible verse to answer this question?

It's simple: we need a variety of people to live in America. If all we had were Republicans, or Democrats, it would be a very boring country, and would actually probably dissolve rather quickly.

The two polar opposites balance each other, and end up striking a balance that is at least acceptable for the short term.

However, the nature of politics forbids speaking of the future realities that will hurt if they aren't taken care of now:

Social security
Medicare
Energy solutions beyond fossil fuels

These items need to be aggressively pursued and policies agreed upon, for the sake of the future.

Answer 5

Political correctness just creates more problems. People are expected to be politically correct now, and so every time some one mis-speaks there is a huge deal, and people get offended, people lose their jobs, and there is a big fuss over something that no one would have cared about ten years ago. It is making people feel that they have to watch everything they say, and to me that is very uncomfortable.

Answer 6

Political correctness has pretty much taken away the white person's first amendment rights. It has hurt the white race. Liberalism has it's good and bad points, depending on your beliefs. I believe it has harmed us more than helped.
Steve, get a grip, this is not philosophy class.

Answer 7

Political correctness is just one more example of liberals trying to eliminate freedom of speech. Liberals trying to revive the "Fairness Doctrine" is another example. And look at the "hate speech" rules on many college campuses, those being one of the last refuges of the liberals (think about Ward Churchill) - another attempt to eliminate freedom of speech. Of course both liberalism and PC both harm America - suppression of freedom of speech is not good for this country, or any country. Outside of this country look at the leftist Hugo Chavez and how he is suppressing freedom of speech - consistent with our own home grown leftists.

Answer 8

LIBERALISM
• Ethimology of the term ‘liberalism’ dates back to the Middle Ages. The latin term ‘liber’ meant ‘free man’.
• The term liberal then had the connotations of broad mindedness, tolerance, progress, liberty, individualism and generocity.
• The term ‘liberal’ was first used in Spain in 1820s in to define the opponents of the Crown: Liberales vs. Royalists
• Assumptions of liberalism on individual:
• Individual is prior to society; Each person is equal; Individuals are rational.
• autonomy vs. heteronomy
• Classical Liberal understanding claims autonomy for individuals. Autonomous individual refers to self-ruled person who is able to govern himself/herself and to dare to reason. Such understanding happens to disregard that individuals are not always rational, but they are also subject to values, conventions, traditions, norms and ideologies.

• The propositions of early liberalism were directed against eighteenth century absolutism and the many feudal practices
• Absolutism was supported by landed Aristocracy, stifled human activity while maintaining the feudal privieges of nobility at that time when the growth of manufacturing and commerce had begun to open up new vistas of ibdividual effort, exploration, wealth and change
• Because of this, bourgeoisie did not like order of Aristocracy. Bourgeosie did not like pay taxes to landowners. So, bourgeosie wanted free trade and profit. I want to go free for land to land. The famous expression was “ laissez-faire” “ let us do”
• Liberals proclaimed individualism and individual freedoms; freedom of movement and trade, right and liberty, right to vote, right to private property, right to education so on

Answer 9

I find it interesting that you ask for courteous answers, as courtesy is just another more popular name for political correctness.

And there is no connection between your questions. Liberalism is a philosophy of governance that believes the government can serve as a tool to address some societal problems. Political correctness is a philosophy of how we speak to one another. One is unrelated to the other. To conflate them is to promote a fallacy.

Answer 10

We are losing our right to free speech. A good example is your insistence that the Bible not be quoted because you believe it's not a real prospective. Being close minded and not being willing to hear all different views is what's ruining this country.