What do you think is good about Political Correctness?

Question

Lots of people argue against politically correctness but what do you think the good things about it are?

Answer 1

As far as I can determine, it only insulates those people who deserve criticism from ever hearing it. Some people need of an attitude adjustment, or a good swift kick in the pants, but PC means they have the luxury of being blissfully ignorant of their deficiencies.

Let's say your name is "Sally", and you're always late for work, screw everything up, and leave the mess for someone else. You're not inhumanly lazy and careless. You simply demonstrate a work ethic that "cannot be easily quantified".

Let's say your name is "Rashid". We won't point out the fact that you are surly and rude. We instead will say these attributes are commonplace in your culture, and we must embrace this delightful diversity.

In my opinion, PC behavior is just an impediment to the kind of honest communication people need to really communicate. It has nothing to do with hurling insults.

ADDENDUM:
Despite what someone below says, PC behavior is not the same as being openly racist or not acting like a proper lady or gentleman.

What PC behavior really is, is a barrier to communication. I worked with a very lazy black woman (who socially I was friends with; she was a nice person, just very lazy at work). When the subject of her work ethic was broached, there were gasps of horror that we should just confront her about her laziness. Oh nooo.... came the cries. You can't do that! Why, it will seem like we're... racist!

Yeah, so you can't call a minority lazy. Great.

Does that also mean that a Jewish person can't be greedy because that plays into the stereotype?

SEE WHAT I MEAN? Those are the pitfalls of PC behavior. It has nothing to do with behaving badly towards others. It has everything to do with using such ridiculous euphemisms (or avoiding the subject altogether) that real, honest communication is impossible.
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LAST ADDITION: One positive thing could come out of Political Correctness. For example, why is it so easy to dismissively hurl invectives and irresponsible accusations against President Bush? Answer: because he's a white man.

Now, imagine that Condaleezza Rice were President. There is no way that Americans or foreigners could so easily denigrate her without a second thought. It may be "cool and hip" to blithely say vicious things about a white man, but try to say the same things about a black female and you'll be crucified by the PC Police.

Hence, the image of our country would gain immesurably in stature because people couldn't just have the knee-jerk reaction of saying any irresponsible, vile thing that popped into their head. Can you really imagine someone saying, "Condi is Hitler"? No way.

Answer 2

Don't start me on PC-ness.

Although Correcting Society for Political and Economic Gain (as I call it, we all know it as Political Correctness these days) has been around for years, and started with "some" good intentions, however it came to fruition during the 90's when we were swamped by the other bastard thing to come to the UK in the form of "Compensation Culture".

My reasoning is this, until the 90's people from all backgrounds were not bothered about offending each other until the compensation culture allowed these people to take whomever they chose to court and win substancial amounts of damages for the siliest little things. It was only when the courts allowed people to sue others for these trivial little things that businesses, councils and Governments started to take notice and make changes.

Being PC only exsists now because there is a mass fear of being sued and nothing else. And what is scary is that it all started with good intentions but now has become hijacked by greedy vultures who will stoop as low as possible to claim compensation, without caring about the consequences of their actions.

Political Correctness as we know it today is the bastard child of the Compensation Culture that we have.

PC has created more problems than resolving them, such as "positive discrimination" but now if you want to be a victim of prejudice all you have to be is a straight, white, male.

Answer 3

The original idea of Political Correctness - that it is wrong to pick on people because of their gender, colour, religion, sexuality or disability - is a perfectly decent one.

The suggestion that we should, all other things being equal, try not to offend people is just good manners.

The problem is, people with good intentions end up proposing silly or unworkable rules, which unpleasant right-wingers (and their newspapers) - who enjoy picking on and offending people who are not like them - then make a great song and dance about, in an attempt to prove to the world that racism, sexism, homophobia etc are not so bad really.

Answer 4

Many people here are right.

We should go back to the good old days when we could sexually discriminate against women, what's wrong with spanking her **** and laughing about how she wants a promotion when we all know women aren't as smart as men.

Oh, and all the black and Asian people thinking they should be allowed to get a fair shot at getting a job just because they have the same qualifications and experience, who do they think they are?

PC has been hijacked by the right wing who love nothing better than to sit around getting all annoyed about something that most likely isn't true, harping back to they day when as a society, we treated foreigners, women, immigrants disgustingly.

Things have changed for the better and we have a fairer society not stuck in the dark ages mostly due to what people call PC (ie not being discriminatory and sexist and racist).

Being PC is not about calling people 'vertically challenged', that's just Daily Mail bs - its about giving all people equal chance to work and live without being insulted and bullied.

Answer 5

it make those who don't like to hear the truth feel better, stops those with no courage from having to speak up when needed.

in a nut shell it protects the ones who can't handle real life very well .
it also and most importantly gives the government, bureaucrats, politicians and govt workers a way out of doing their duty or having to make a real decision or having to answer for their decisions. It covers their lies

PC is a tool to protect the inept, incompetent, incapable, inadequate. life was better when we spoke the truth

Answer 6

It makes people think about what they say and do.

It also makes people who don't think about what they do the pariahs they deserve to be.

There are some extremely silly things done in the name of political correctness, people use these extremes as a reason that political correctness is bad. It's not, being ignorant and stupid is bad.

Answer 7

The consequences of ticking off the PC police will at least make some people stop and think before they do or say something stupid in the heat of the moment.

Answer 8

There's no such thing. It is a handy journalistic headline catch-all for all things Daily Mail readers hate. Their use of it is a nonsense, hence why they equate 'political correctness' with 'health and safety'.

Answer 9

I think your question is flawed because PC does not exist, it is a label used by certain factions to undermine the efforts of some to achieve equality and fairness.

If you were to ask "what do you think is good about preventing discrimination or promoting and protecting the disenfranchised" then you would have the answer to your question.

Answer 10

The language of political correctness helps to identify those who would rob us of our freedom.

It also helps to rally freedom loving individuals against the thought police.