Is the liberal's concept of "political correctness" helpful or injurous to a free society?

Question

Consider what Thomas Jefferson had to say on the subject.

"Subject opinion to coercion: whom will you make your inquisitors? Fallible men, governed by bad passions, by private as well as public reasons. And why subject it to coercion? To produce uniformity? But is uniformity of opinion desirable? No more than of face and stature." --Thomas Jefferson: Notes on Virginia Q.XVII, 1782. ME 2:223

Answer 1

PC is a bunch of garbage. nowhere in the constitution is a life with no hurt feelings guaranteed.

Answer 2

confident, I do think of that society has shifted that path. An occasion? One busy working mom, in a newspaper piece full of fawning enthusiasm for her way of existence, replaced into pronounced to have "missed out on having any time together with her infants". that's a girl who admittedly replaced into in basic terms interior an identical city as her youngsters for roughly 14 days interior the final twelve months. She needless to say is a busineswoman who occurs to have youngsters, extremely than a working mom. i got here across it exciting that the "cons" of her way of existence have been framed in that way. SHE missed out on some thing she might have enjoyed. no longer, "It replaced into hard for the relatives to handle the occupation". this is all approximately self-gratification presently.

Answer 3

I find it much better than the conservative version which treats religion as though it were above reproach. I think we all know where Jefferson stood on that subject. The liberal version is little more that exercise tact and good manners when address others.

Answer 4

Uniformity of opinion doesn't mean that you should disrespect American citizens for looking different. How is being PC even close to that? I think you're interpreting what Jefferson wrote incorrectly.

Answer 5

Good when used responsibly - it is not good to have people saying "black people are not human" - and political correctness is not BANNING them from saying it, it's punishing them or dissauding them from having such an opinion; so even though their views are distasteful and downright wrong to the majority then can still HAVE them.

Bad when used irresponsibly - it is bad when you get a disciplinary for saying "mankind" instead of "humankind" or even "people".

Like so many things it's good in moderation.

Answer 6

so you are saying that it's only liberals who demand political correctness...?

I personally think PC is simply pandering..... I have no use for it.....But I think you'll find that both conservatives and liberals cry foul everytime the other side of the fence says something that isn't pc.

It's not usually a matter of what was said, but WHO said it.

Answer 7

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't cons the first to pull out "overwhelming" poll numbers when trying to show what big important issues gay marriage and immigration are?
They're all like "Look at that, 55% of people in the US don't want gay marriage, that means we can't do it...blah blah blah"
And meanwhile you guys elected a prez who claims not to read polls, but whose actions say otherwise. Politics is politics.

Answer 8

PC is poisin to American culture(or whats left of it).
PC is a tool to styful free speech and thought-not unlike early post revolution Russia.

Answer 9

When truth and reality expose ignorance, expose personal flaws to take the focus off being rightfully judged.

- Me

Answer 10

I'm somewhat liberal and I think it's bad for America. People should be able to say what they think and accept the consequenses of saying it.