Political Correctness is the avoidance, often considered as taken to extremes, of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against. (1) Racism is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior. The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. (2) In America today there is a lot of discussion and controversy about Political Correctness. To be politically incorrect doesn’t always mean there are derogative racial intentions. In some situations, ignorance are the innocent culprits. Unfortunately, avoidance to human sensitivity and racism is our society’s black cloud.
When I
…show more content…
I feel words like chinks, red skins, dykes and towel heads are not only politically incorrect but racist. But with all the attempts to be politically correct or being aware of human feelings, racism still exists. I use to be one of those who thought racism was the thing of the past in today’s America or it wasn’t that bad. Maybe my head was just buried in the sand a little too long and I didn’t want to know. I now open my eyes know to what is around me. For instance, my husband and I were out to dinner with work friends at a new restaurant that had opened. One friend showed up a little late. When he walks in I noticed people glaring and scowling at him, our fashionable late friend is a man of color. I hadn’t noticed when we walked in that the restaurant was primarily white. This realization at the restaurant seem to bother me more than our friend. I’m understanding that the racial division was always there but now see the line is just a little
From a very young age, we are taught to be color and racially blind and to be “politically correct”. We are no longer able to have our own view and opinions without having someone bash one with the word “racist”
Gone are the days of legalized slavery, of Nazi Germany, of women being incapable of having a notable opinion. No longer is there a system of racial segregation adopted by an entire country, complete white supremacy or lynchings performed by the Ku Klux Klan. Yet, although we are no longer exposed to such past experiences and despite us living in a world where diversity is embraced more than ever, the existence of prejudice remains. Today we have universally come to accept multiculturalism, varied ethnic backgrounds and those populations who historically were forever stigmatized. But in spite of these developments prejudice has manifested itself in other, more subtle ways and no matter how modernized society become such unfavourable attitudes
Rankin, Aidan. “The repressive openness of political correctness.” Contemporary Review 282.1644 (2003): 33+. Literature resource Center. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.
The PC police have spoken. Are these call outs for cultural insensitivity appropriate or does being politically correct do more harm than good? One side of the argument, some say that substituting the harmful phase does not have an effect. In the essay, “A Critique of Politically Correct Language,” Ben O’Neill claims that politically correct language is irrelevant as long as the social stain continues. O’Neill contends, PC suffers from a recurring bullying problem: new words replace injurious language, but individuals remain stuck in a cycle which words are continually being replaced. “Garbage Man” will eventually become “Disposal Professional” and in lieu of “Mailman” one will label as “Dispatch Engineer.” The dilemma is the lexicon tends to be taken up by the same persons with the same purpose. In brief, the elemental slanderous intention never changes.
...r own unique ways.; however, the authors focus on different aspects of prejudice and racism, resulting in them communicating different ideas and thoughts that range from racial discrimination to stereotypical attitudes. The range of ideas attempt to engage the readers about the reality of their issues. The reality about a world where prejudice and racism still prevail in modern times. But when will prejudice and racism ever cease to exist? And if they were ever to cease from existence, what does that mean about humankind?
All over the country, universities are setting up areas called “safe spaces” where potential harmful ideas are not allowed in order to protect students from ideas that may “trigger” or offend them. These occurrences are all apart of the “Political Correctness” movement that encourages people to avoid certain words and phrases that insult or marginalize minorities and the disadvantaged. Many schools, however, are fighting against this phenomenon. The Dean of the University of Chicago sent a letter to the incoming freshman class warning them that “trigger warnings” and “safe spaces” would not be tolerated at the university (Levinovitz). He was met with hostility as students “argued that the dean willfully ignored or misunderstood these intended
On American college campuses nowadays, many people talk about microaggressions and political correctness. For example, there is an Asian guy studying in the library, and a white guy comes up to him and asks for help with his math homework. Some people say this act is offensive because the white guy assumes that the Asian guy is good at mathematics because he is Asian. There are many stereotypes about Asians in the U.S, and being good at math is one of them. Stereotypes are usually bad, but in this case, the Asian guy should not be offended by the act of being asked to help with mathematics even if he is not good at math. It is true that it depends on the acts, they can be offensive sometimes, but people are focusing so much about not offending others’ feelings and try to avoid microaggressions and be politically correct nowadays. Additionally, many universities promote the political correctness to students and professors. Therefore, this recent
Political correctness has acted as a muzzle to those with an opinion and bubble wrap to those who are easily offended. Political correctness involves the prohibition of many common expressions and habits on the grounds that someone in our diverse society may take offence to them. It might have been born of a generous impulse - it’s good to avoid animosity when one can - but it has been taken to the extreme. It has become a nightmare for anyone with a different perspective on current affairs. We are encouraged to think about sexuality, gender identity, cultural imperialism, and race, but discouraged from talking freely about these very real issues. We have arrived at a point where we are constantly talking, but we are not actually saying anything.
There are two sides to a story. There are reasons why people do certain things, either to prove a point or to hurt someone. When someone says something hurtful to another individual, it is usually intentional. Within the past century our culture has changed by the way we speak to each other, and the outcomes of what can happen when we say certain things. When we are concerned about what we say about a group of people, it is called “Political Correctness.” The concept of being politically correct is generally new to the American culture. It began to show itself around the beginning of the 60’s and 70’s when more and more people began to join activist groups, fighting for certain causes (something common during pre-war eras) (Lind). So what really is political correctness, and why is it concerning? Well, again, political correctness, or “PC” for short, was and is still being defined by our current generation as we become
Political correctness is more prevalent today than ever before. We live in a world where what you say is nearly as important as what you do. To start off it is best if we define what exactly political correctness is. The best way to describe political correctness would be; avoiding certain language that excludes or insults people. This word originated in the U.S., and the Oxford Dictionary defines it as such; advocacy of or conformity to politically correct views; politically correct language or behavior. There are many aspects to consider when speaking about political correctness and the ramifications caused by enforcing it. We will discuss many of the different aspects involved, and try to shed some light on why it is so important to question
In recent years, the topic of political correctness has made headlines throughout the country. It is not uncommon for the topic of political correctness on college campuses to be very controversial. In fact, the topic is becoming a widespread dilemma that is continuously unfolding for our generation because of the uncertainty of the question, “where should the line be drawn?”. Political correctness is defined as agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people. As stated by Sam Wright, “It’s causing people to pause and think about how their words affect others when, in the past, they’ve never had reason to pause and think before speaking. Yes, sometimes
Political correctness is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as being terms to describe language policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. PC is used in everyday life: From calling people by their preferred pronouns, which can go into the “Pronoun Game”, where you can be criticized for using the wrong pronoun, whether it is on purpose or on accident; From using racially correct words and terminology, which, if ignored, can be misconstrued as being racist or racially/culturally insensitive; From avoiding anything that can be viewed as being insensitive, racist, offensive, or otherwise seen negatively.
I am not saying that I agree with Donald Trump in any way. However, I do feel as though he is causing a real uproar in the political world. I think his boldness is a step in the direction that we need. People are so worried about being politically correct today that it is causing issues within the military, government, and even society. Author Theodore Schleifer quoted presideintial candidate Ted Cruz as saying "We have had enough with political correctness -- especially in the military," Cruz said to loud applause in the town building. "Political correctness is dangerous, and the idea that we would draft our daughters, to forcibly bring them into the military and put them in close contact -- I think is wrong, it is immoral, and if I am president,
When Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, people across the world knew that something must had gone wrong with the election give him his win. The hacking of the Democratic National Committee to release emails that “included damaging revelations about the Democratic Party and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the party's nominee” (CNN) almost certainly made an impact on the outcome of the election. However, Trump might not have needed the hack to win after all.
For a prosperous, seemingly well-educated, and religiously zealous county brimming with ethnic diversity, I assumed that racism was a chapter left in the history books. However, for years, I personally witnessed numerous falsehoods. Just this year, my friend’s well-respected parents banned her from attending a party. The reason was the birthday girl’s skin color. In school, I hear daily, harsh remarks aimed at Hispanic students demanding they leave the country. I’m utterly surprised that in 2017 blatant prejudice still exists. Sadly, the reason racism still prevails is continual, cyclic ignorance from my community. I openly speak out against this bigotry and encourage others to do the same. I sincerely try to contribute my support and friendship