# Define "Politically Correct" + Give 2 examples in your life worth raging at **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 15, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993 "2018-10-15T18:03:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/41 "2018-10-15T21:25:39Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > Your first post was to call me an asshole. Pretty much proving my point. What was your point again? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/42 "2018-10-15T21:27:35Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > More of that old “I am highly offended that you didn’t talk nice to me while I was spewing hate” bullshit? > Stuff it. The only one spewing hate is you. You showed up and immediately called me an asshole. When I think of PC as being empty and non constructive offense and anger designed to make the person doing it feel good at the expense of another (as I’ve just described a few posts before you showed up) what I am talking about is exactly the behavior you are engaging in now. You have literally proved my point. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/43 "2018-10-15T21:28:50Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > When I think of PC as being empty and non constructive offense and anger designed to make the person doing it feel good at the expense of another _Man_, PC is even broader than I thought! Can’t you get your own damn buzzword? This one’s already stretched thinner than a fairy trying to deep-throat Ganondorf; this seems to be trying to rob it of all meaning. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/44 "2018-10-15T21:30:25Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Mmhmm… women forced to close a burrito shop because of PC-ness was them actually being “assholes.” Does this match the constraint of “in your life” as specified by OP? Are you the owner of the burrito truck, or are you just an aggrieved third party looking for an excuse to be outraged? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/45 "2018-10-15T21:34:47Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > The only one spewing hate is you. You showed up and immediately called me an asshole. > > When I think of PC as being empty and non constructive offense and anger designed to make the person doing it feel good at the expense of another (as I’ve just described a few posts before you showed up) what I am talking about is exactly the behavior you are engaging in now. > > You have literally proved my point. Your “reasoning” is so specious that if you were distracted by a moth flying by you would claim that it literally proved your point. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/46 "2018-10-15T21:37:09Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > > [@octopus](#): > > > > […] women forced to close a burrito shop because of PC-ness > > […] IOW, nobody was “forced” to close the pop-up burrito cart. They got negative publicity from people who didn’t like their business practices and became unpopular as a result. What’s your objection to people publicly criticizing business practices they disapprove of? Another aspect of this “anti-PC” attitude that makes me go :dubious: is that many of its endorsers seem to be just fine with, and even actively recommend, “PC” outrage and criticism **as long as they think it won’t actually affect anything**. For example, there were zillions of people during the controversy over the Colorado baker (the one who refused to sell a wedding cake to a same-sex couple) saying _“Well if you don’t like what he’s doing then just don’t patronize his business! Stop trying to make the government tell him what to do: let the market decide!”_ But in the case of a situation like the Portland burrito cart, where the market **did** decide and its decision was not in the business owners’ favor, many of the same people now seem to be making a big fuss about “unfairness” or “delegitimization” regarding the same consumer behavior they claimed to support in the case of the Colorado baker. If you think that people should be able to publicly criticize businesses they disapprove of, and make consumer choices informed by such criticism, then sometimes the targets of that criticism are going to go out of business as a result of their unpopularity. If you’re not willing to accept those consequences, then you shouldn’t be recommending that sort of market remedy as an approved alternative to legal regulation. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/47 "2018-10-15T21:37:22Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > …And _of course_ if you [ask people about it in polls](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/large-majorities-dislike-political-correctness/572581/), they’re going to think negatively of it - it’s a snarl word. It’s like asking people what they think of “feminazis” or “social justice warriors” - the meaning is inherently negative because _it’s designed to be_. … Yeah. At this point, if someone employs the term ‘politically correct’ about something they dislike, all they’re really doing is announcing their own position on the political spectrum. That said, there are bullies on the right and bullies on the left, and one way the latter group tend to do their bullying is to tell other people what they may and may not say. There are those on both left and right who find this to be an ineffective method for bettering the world (and/or annoying). But by comparison, the bullies on the right tend to use much harsher measures than simply telling others what words they shouldn’t use. So there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/48 "2018-10-15T21:37:27Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > From a link in your own linked article about this story: > > IOW, nobody was “forced” to close the pop-up burrito cart. They got negative publicity from people who didn’t like their business practices and became unpopular as a result. What’s your objection to people publicly criticizing business practices they disapprove of? Disapproved of because of the color of their skin while making a burrito. Yeah, that’s straight up nuttery and is not going to be productive in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/49 "2018-10-15T21:37:32Z")
_I_ think of political correctness as the practice of trying to avoid offending people by using potentially offensive terminology. So, calling somebody “jewish” instead of “a kike”. People who _like_ calling people kikes of course chafe under the notion that it’s not acceptable to call people kikes anymore, so they are as derisive and dismissive of the notion of political correctness as possible. Under my definition of political correctness I’m hard pressed to come up with even one example worth raging at. This is mostly because I’ve never felt the desire to call anybody a kike. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/50 "2018-10-15T21:46:55Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > So the solution to assholes is more assholes. > > Got it The act of “calling out an asshole” does not make one an “asshole” as it is not an “assholish” act. > [@Scylla](#): > > If one thinks women are being treated poorly than giving money, volunteering, and sitting on the board of a women’s shelter is helpful. Those are all wonderful things to do. > [@](#): > > If one thinks disabled kids have it rough, than donating the materials and time to build fences at a Therapeutic Riding Center is helpful Another wonderful thing to do. I’m not sure what your goal by posting these examples were, because I agree that these are good deeds. > [@](#): > > 99% of PC activism is empty virtue signaling. Perhaps it’s even negative, as it allows PC warriors to: > > 1: feel good and superior to the other lesser folk they “call out.” > > 1. Excuse them from actually doing something meaningful. > > Like I said, mildly annoying. If you ever take the time and effort to try and make the world a better place for minorities by condemning hateful acts against them, I’ll remember that you’re only doing it in order to “feel good and superior” and to “excuse yourself” from doing anything meaningful. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/51 "2018-10-15T21:48:47Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Disapproved of because of the color of their skin while making a burrito. Did you not read the quote I posted? What they got disapproval for was not being white _per se_, but for getting their inspiration and their recipes by “brain-picking” traditional practices from cooks in another culture whom they didn’t compensate for it in any way. Here’s [another link in the chain of the media coverage](https://www.wweek.com/uncategorized/2017/05/16/kooks-serves-pop-up-breakfast-burritos-with-handmade-tortillas-out-of-a-food-cart-on-cesar-chavez/), linked in the article I quoted from your link: > [@](#): > > “I picked the brains of every tortilla lady there in the worst broken Spanish ever, and they showed me a little of what they did,” Connelly says. “They told us the basic ingredients, and we saw them moving and stretching the dough similar to how pizza makers do before rolling it out with rolling pins. They wouldn’t tell us too much about technique, but we were peeking into the windows of every kitchen, totally fascinated by how easy they made it look. […]” Of course there’s nothing whatever illegal about what they did, but many people considered it unethical. Are you saying that people don’t have the right to publicly criticize something they consider unethical? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/52 "2018-10-15T22:31:04Z")
The OP did ask for 2 examples, and I can think of exactly two (on the left, that is, there are plenty of PC examples on the right), but I don’t rage over them because they haven’t affected me personally and it is certainly not as bad as any random thing the Twit in Chief did this week. 1. “Women” as an adjective, eschewing “female”. Thankfully this awkward-sounding usage appears to be trending down. It seems to have been a hypercorrection against the use of “female” as a noun, but two wrongs don’t make a right. Sure, it specifies their age more precisely, but the language problem is usually specifying gender unnecessarily (“Woman scientist discovers cure for cancer!” doesn’t sound any better to me than “Female scientist discovers cure for cancer!”). When you _need_ to specify the gender for some reason, I prefer the word “female” because using a noun as an adjective reminds me of low-class people who say things like “The Democrat Party”. 2. “Undocumented immigrants”. Unnecessarily imprecise because the vast majority of the time it is an issue of authorization rather than simply losing a form. I also hate “Illegals” and “Illegal aliens” because they are both dehumanizing for different reasons. I reflexively want to use “Illegal immigrants” but since I don’t want to imply that dreamers who did not commit an illegal act of their own volition are criminals, I try to use “unauthorized immigrants” instead. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/53 "2018-10-15T23:00:12Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > PC is denying reality and attempting to silence others in order to advance an ideological orthodoxy. You mean like the governor of Florida denying the existence of climate change, and forbidding persons in the FL government using the terms “climate change” or “global warming”? Seems to fit your definition to a T. (That’s not a complaint about your definition; it’s ideologically neutral, which I think is a necessary component of an honest definition of political correctness, so it’s a reasonable definition.) It’s just funny how, given a neutral definition, there’s a metric ton of stuff on the right that seems to fit. I think the previous governor of NC pulled the same stunt as well. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/54 "2018-10-15T23:02:51Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > 99% of PC activism is empty virtue signaling. Perhaps it’s even negative, as it allows PC warriors to: > > 1: feel good and superior to the other lesser folk they “call out.” > > 1. Excuse them from actually doing something meaningful. > > Like I said, mildly annoying. You’ve described what’s commonly referred to as “owning the libs.” 😃 Once again, an ideologically neutral definition of PC points to conservatives as the true offenders. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/55 "2018-10-15T23:07:00Z")
The Atlantic did a survey and found that 80% of Americans think that PC is a problem. Bill Maher talks about it this survey and thinks it’s terrible and going to be the death of the left. Breitbart news picks up the story in support of Bill Maher’s stance. 80% of Americans (which definitionally is going to include the majority of the minorities you think you are helping with your obnoxious virtue signaling) Bill Maher, and Breitbart News all agree PC sucks. This is a pretty unprecedented level of agreement. More people think PC is a problem than like chocolate! You think are being a hero. Everybody really just thinks your being an obnoxious asshole. Go do something constructive instead. > **[Maher: Mainstream Liberals Need to Denounce ‘Insane’ Political Correctness](https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2018/10/13/maher-mainstream-liberals-need-to-denounce-insane-political-correctness/)** > > On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s "Real Time," host Bill Maher wondered "why more mainstream liberals don't denounce the political correctness that they must know in private conversations is insane." | Clips ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/56 "2018-10-15T23:10:56Z")
I guess I’m on ignore or something, but does anyone have an example of political correctness _in their own life_ worth raging at? I mean, years ago I stopped saying Oriental and use Asian instead, but I’m not about to rage at that. I don’t use terms terms like “faggot” when calling out someone I don’t, but I’m not going to rage at that either. I’m still at a loss to find any examples worth raging at, and I’m a straight white male! I should have tons of grievances! I’ll keep looking. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/57 "2018-10-15T23:12:55Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > You’ve described what’s commonly referred to as “owning the libs.” 😃 > > Once again, an ideologically neutral definition of PC points to conservatives as the true offenders. That’s almost exactly correct. They’re not invoking social justice though, so it’s not PC, though it’s every bit as bad. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/58 "2018-10-15T23:12:58Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > The Atlantic did a survey and found that 80% of Americans think that PC is a problem. > > Bill Maher talks about it this survey and thinks it’s terrible and going to be the death of the left. > > Breitbart news picks up the story in support of Bill Maher’s stance. > 80% of Americans (which definitionally is going to include the majority of the minorities you think you are helping with your obnoxious virtue signaling) Bill Maher, and Breitbart News all agree PC sucks. > > This is a pretty unprecedented level of agreement. More people think PC is a problem than like chocolate! > You think are being a hero. Everybody really just thinks your being an obnoxious asshole. Go do something constructive instead. > > [https://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/10/13/maher-mainstream-liberals-need-to-denounce-insane-political-correctness/](https://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/10/13/maher-mainstream-liberals-need-to-denounce-insane-political-correctness/) Are you Bill Maher? Otherwise, I’m not sure how political correctness has affected your life from your post. Maybe you can elaborate. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/59 "2018-10-15T23:14:06Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > The Atlantic did a survey and found that 80% of Americans think that PC is a problem. > > Bill Maher talks about it this survey and thinks it’s terrible and going to be the death of the left. > > Breitbart news picks up the story in support of Bill Maher’s stance. > 80% of Americans (which definitionally is going to include the majority of the minorities you think you are helping with your obnoxious virtue signaling) Bill Maher, and Breitbart News all agree PC sucks. > > This is a pretty unprecedented level of agreement. More people think PC is a problem than like chocolate! > You think are being a hero. Everybody really just thinks your being an obnoxious asshole. Go do something constructive instead. > > [https://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/10/13/maher-mainstream-liberals-need-to-denounce-insane-political-correctness/](https://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/10/13/maher-mainstream-liberals-need-to-denounce-insane-political-correctness/) Given that that survey [didn’t define what the term means](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/large-majorities-dislike-political-correctness/572581/), it’s anybody’s guess what exactly is disliked by that 80%. It ain’t like we’ve managed to get consensus here, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2018, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993/60 "2018-10-15T23:16:22Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > The Atlantic did a survey and found that 80% of Americans think that PC is a problem. Well, what the article actually said is that 80% of Americans agreed with the statement “political correctness is a problem”. All that tells us is that “political correctness” is widely perceived as a negative term, which we knew already. It doesn’t tell us whether Americans think that, e.g., objecting to racism and sexism is actually a bad thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/define-politically-correct-give-2-examples-in-your-life-worth-raging-at/822993.md?page=4)