The former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Trevor Phillips certainly thinks so. It seems to get madder by the day, doesn’t it? Trevor used to be one of the PC Brigade himself, before his experience in the job and much thought on the issue brought him to his senses. So give him credit for wising up and bravely speaking out on such issues.
What do you think, when it comes to this issue? Trevor gives some reasons for coming to his view in today’s Daily Newspaper of the Year:
This thread, like many other threads on the topic, is going to diverge along two paths:
The conservatives will criticize what they consider political correctness to be;
The liberals will defend what they consider political correctness to be.
And the two sides will be attacking, and defending, two very different versions of “political correctness.”
What is your definition of “political correctness”?
Some people wrongly think being PC just means not being deliberately and unnecessarily offensive to people (abusing them).
That is the meaning of political correctness. Some people have hijacked it.
Other people have trouble telling the two meanings apart.
No, no, it’s much more than that. Check out Trevor’s piece for more. Got to dash for now.
Agreed. At the risk of crapping on the OP, political correctness is so loaded a term at this point that it is effectively meaningless in conversation. You could ask 3 people what political correctness is and get 5 different opinions. I mostly see it used as a veil for whatever behavior a person does not like or feels is being attacked.
HEADS UP - for those that aren’t aware:
In my haste I forgot to mention Trevor’s documentary is on TONIGHT Ch4 at 9.00pm - 10.00pm Ch4 +1.
Don’t forget the Right engages in political correctness of their own.
Given how Trevor is not here and you ostensibly are, a more fleshed out topic for debate would be helpful if you actually want discussion. If not, it seems more along the lines of, ‘let’s you and him fight’ kind of thing which is frowned on.
I’ll let you reply once more with an attempt to posit an actual debate before I close the thread. So what do you think?
[/moderating]
I checked, and he doesn’t seem to be on Channel 4 tonight.
Since the vast majority of us are not in the UK, this is rather useless.
I do think political correctness has gone mad. Conservative students are trying to silence liberal professors by secretly filming their politically incorrect statements and then releasing the video, opening their professors to death threats. Conservative trolls online are doxxing feminists who dare write about games, trying to prevent them from making politically incorrect comments about games. Republicans in North Carolina are shutting down university programs that they consider politically incorrect. Actresses who say politically incorrect things at awards shows face boycotts from the politically correct conservative brigade. The president of the fucking United States is threatening journalists who write politically incorrect things about him and calling the media the enemy of America.
So yes, Jefferson, you’re absolutely right. This politically correct assault on free speech, spearheaded by Republicans, is bonkers.
I suggest that this thread was either deliberately, or was at least inspired into being posted by, dishonestly.
The reason I think this is so, is because of the choice to refer to “political correctness,” as though it has independent, powerful existence of it’s own.
Saying that “political correctness” has gone mad, changes it from being what it is (a label with varying meanings depending on the time frame and the person saying it), into a creature of some sort, with a mind that can become unhinged.
That sort of thing is always done by someone who has already built up considerable prejudice about whatever the subject is, and is only pretending to ask discussion questions, in order to set participants up for some anti- or pro- whatever agenda push.
“POLITICAL CORRECTNESS” CAN’T DO ANYTHING. Only people can.
Why should I? I’ve never even heard of this guy before.
Like many things, it’s a pendulum, and has swung too far in one direction. I expect it will swing back.
I, too, would like to know the OP’s thoughts on this.
Whatever it is, he’s against it.
Interesting the last two threads I just open up.
The 1st was this one “Has Political Correctness Gone Mad?”
The 2nd was two threads down “Should women be given special treatment in order to become Rangers?”
My belief is that the 2nd answers yes to the 1st.