Political Correctness

[Alan Howard]

You all know about it.  How do you feel about it?  Do you think being politically correct is a good thing, or do you, like me, think it's an absolute waste of time that only caters to the insecure?

I've done a little bit of research into the subject this morning, to find out what articles and information there is about it on the internet.  It's interesting to find that most of the information on the internet is by people and organisations against it, and yet there is so much of it that people feel the need to follow.

There's plenty of stories about political correctness gone mad.

- Re-writing children's stories and fairy tales for fear of someone taking offense at the words that are used.  
- Santa Claus and Christmas removed as a concept from schools for fear of offending non-Christian children and their parents.
- Removing historical artifacts for fear of offending those who were the victims of those historical events.
- Freedom of speech is denied if what you want to say might offend someone else.

The list, of course, can go on and on and on.  Ultimately, political correctness is a tool used by the insecure, to feel secure about their needs and wishes.  

We can't say 'gay' any more, even though it means 'happy and cheerful', because it might offend the homosexuals amongst us who don't want to be considered 'gay'.

The biggest form of political correctness which has really got my back up on a number of occasions is 'reverse racism'.  I am a proponent of equality, where everyone gets treated according to what they do or are able to do, regardless of the colour of their skin.  However, to many groups who receive benefits because of their ethnic background, my liking for equality is considered 'racist' simply because equality means they don't get what they are used to getting.

I call it greed, but that's racist too, because it's not 'politically correct' to accuse groups of other races that they might be greedy.  

Apparently only white people are racist and greedy, and anyone of any other race is a victim of the white man.

The politically correct western world now encourages non-whites to claim compensation for actions that no one alive today is responsible for.  The Australian Aboriginals want monetary compensation for land that was once theirs (I find it interesting that most of their claims of ownership or financial gain are for land that is already making a profit due to tourism or industy).  The New Zealand Maori are doing exactly the same.  'Sacred land' is only sacred if it has modern value.  

The politically correct society encourages that.

I found an article on the internet, which is quite good [http://www.probe.org/docs/pc-educ.html], which I thought I'd have this quote from:

The goal of the political correctness revolutionaries on campus is the removal of any remnant of racism, sexism, class elitism, and even lookism, the practice of treating people differently because of their looks. There are also specific positions on ecology, foreign and domestic policy, homosexuality, and animal rights that are politically correct.

The hope behind all of this is the creation of a society where each culture and social group is appreciated for its contributions. But the fallout has been to encourage people to find some reason to declare oppression, for it seems that only those who are oppressed are in a position to determine what is politically correct. White, middle-class males are the great Satan incarnate--even the most repentant among them must be watched closely.

Politically correct people argue that they are calling for a philosophy of inclusion. They are not thought police, they say; they are only concerned with correcting centuries of unfairness. In reality the effect of this movement has been to silence or remove from campus those who differ from the politically correct position. If a professor opposes racially based admissions policies, he is racist. If a student holds to religious convictions concerning homosexuality, she is homophobic. The issue really goes beyond mere tolerance; the goal of this movement is to remove opposition to the plans of the radical left.

Since those who are politically correct agree that Western Civilization is the cause of all evil in the world, one might ask what should replace it. Not surprisingly, the writers and heroes of this movement tend to be Marxist, feminist, and gay. It is interesting that Marx, a white male European, is still considered politically correct, although he held quite incorrect views on racial issues (in fact, he spoke positively concerning slavery in America)

So what are your thoughts?

[passionfruit]

I have no thoughts on this, except that I have absolutely no interest in being politically correct and demanding for political correctness.  It is so boring, the subject...

[Moghal]

Political Correctness has two major failings:

Intended to encourage people to think differently about each other, it tried to use a system of controlling what people say to achieve it, which is something akin to bolting the door after the horse has gone. Limiting people's speech to bar 'offensive' terminology just leads to people finding new ways to express the old ideas. Education and intervention at an early age to teach respect is a far more effective method.

Political Correctness too often (and, Alan, this is where your 'Positive Discrimination' comes in: I despise that as well) confuses treating people equally with treating people the same. Equal treatment is judging people based on themselves: same treatment is judging people based on everyone else. Same treatment dehumanises us, because it treats no-one as though they were unique, and stifles individuality. Trying to balance the presence of, say, Asian, black and white police officers with the relative consistency of the local population only works if the local cultures are all the same. Some cultures promote self-regulatory behaviour, and traditions of family direction, whereas others look to external authority figures for guidance. Obviously these two aren't going to have the same proportion of their people pushing to enter the police force.

Political Correctness' fundamental flaw lies in the irony of them turning against their own mission. In seeking to promote the idea that everyone should be treated equally they have opted to pick individual behaviours to 'modify', which has only served to highlight them, and in turn accentuate the differences.

[Hayze]

This is one that really bugs me.  My Dad went for a job and was lucky to get it as they only had space for one more white person.  Our Government has decided that to force companies to treat people equally, they will tell them what percentage of their workforce must NOT be white.So if the white man quota is filled but the 'ethnic minority' one isn't, then two men, one black, one white can go for the same job.  For arguements sake lets say the white man is qualified and the black man isn't.  As long as the black man meets the minimum requirement for the job, he WILL get it.  How, exactly, is that fair?

No offence was intended by stating colours of people.  It just shortens the post.

My personal feelings is that political correctness just breeds resentment.  We are being told what to think, what to say, and how to say it.  Why?  Because someone somewhere who I will probably never meet, has been offended by something.  I'm offended on a regular basis.  So what, deal with it.

[Alan Howard]

Minority groups in western society have seen a 'get rich quick' card available in western policies of anti-racism and political correctness, so they take advantage of it.  All they need to do is suggest racism from any white person, and they immediate get what they want because no white person (except me) wants to be considered racist, and they'll do whatever they can to make it seem as if they aren't.

However, the 'anti-racist' policies are racist to the extreme!  It's bloody racist to have a quota of white and non-white.  It's racist to hire someone because of the colour of their skin!

In their attempt to avoid racism, they delve into it even more without realising.

It's pathetic, and really infuriates me.

And they have the nerve to call me racist because I demand equality and responsible treatment based on merit.  *spit spit*