saut

Seeing as how the replies on the last essay I posted are waning, here's another one that I wrote recently. It's on political correctness. My professor liked it very much (I think it's his favorite of mine), but to be honest, I don't think it's all that good. Eh, anyway -- let me know what you all think!


Politically-Correctile Dysfunction

The term politically correct, often abbreviated as PC, is used to identify words and phrases that are deemed “appropriate” within current socio-political circumstances. Politically correct terms are often euphemisms meant to sugar-coat offensive or inappropriate expressions. For instance, people who cannot see are referred to as visually impaired rather than blind. Although political correctness may seem to be harmless, if not beneficial for restricting such dastardly words from our vocabulary, it may have a more inauspicious connotation - censorship.

To be politically correct is, in its most accepted definition, to “[conform] to a body of liberal or radical opinion, especially on social matters, characterized by the advocacy of approved causes or views…” (Oxford English Dictionary). Indeed, the most easily recognized PC terms have their roots in the “redressing of historical injustices” (Online Webster Dictionary), which is predominantly a liberal movement. Terms like African-American, Native-American, and slew of other -American labels come quickly to mind as the result of this liberal agenda. Such nomenclature is used to strip away the derogatory connotations of other adjectives for race, like black or Indian. Although political correctness is somewhat effective in neutralizing words that certain groups consider offensive, it can quickly become absurd. Virtually every “negative” expression has a phrase to soften its meaning - the word retarded has been replaced by mentally-challenged, blind has become visually-impaired; perhaps a student who doesn’t do homework isn’t lazy, he’s motivation-handicapped.

Although it may appear that political correctness is limited to liberalism, this is not the case. In the years since the September 11th attacks, conservatives have asked Americans to “unify” against terrorism. As a result, patriotism - although this brand of “patriotism” seems to teeter on the brink of jingoistic lunacy - has become politically correct. Those who speak against the decisions of the government are often thought of as politically incorrect, if not terrorists themselves. Questioning our leaders has become taboo; we are to sit idly by while the government makes our choices - receive protection from the bogeyman in exchange for certain freedoms. In this way, political correctness is a veiled threat to civil rights.

We are asked to support every administrative decision, ranging from those concerning war to economic issues, only on the basis that they are doing “what is best” for us; what will keep us safe from the bogeyman. Disagreeing with such decisions is not politically correct. When an opinion is voiced against the government, it is sometimes met with replies like “If you hate America so much, why don’t you just leave!” This statement, though asinine, is considered (at least by an alarming majority of the public) to be politically correct.

Political correctness is more than a rephrasing of offensive terms; it has also become a subtle form of censorship. Instead of the authority declaring “You cannot say that,” it quietly suggests “Perhaps you shouldn’t say that - perhaps you shouldn‘t think that.” By being presented with what appears to be a choice, people are more willing to accept what they are told is appropriate - thereby creating a means with which they can be manipulated. Being trained to use vague euphemisms when referring to ethnic groups and people with disabilities seems unimportant and even ridiculous, but being shaped to follow the orders of authority blindly (or more suitably, in a visually impaired manner) is quite another issue. Perhaps this variety of political correctness is a preliminary step in preparing American society to accept a 1984-esque world, in which our very thoughts are censored. Although this scenario may be far-fetched (or perhaps not so far-fetched) , it is a disturbing possibility of what a “it is inappropriate to question authority” mind-set could yield.

Politically correct is a phrase that has long been associated with a somewhat trivial liberal agenda. As a person of eastern European descent, I am not in the least offended if someone refers to me as a Slav, nor do I demand that people tip-toe their way through discussions on the Ottoman Empire’s rape of Greece - during which, my ancestors were taken as slaves and brutally slain by the Turks. Although being designated as a Greco-Slavic-Russo-American might give me a better sense of identity for my muddled roots, receiving such a title is not something I strive to accomplish, nor could it ever “heal the memory of my people’s slavery at the hands of their cruel Turkish masters.” This sort of “rename anything that is offensive in the least” behavior is silly, worthless, and becoming cliché. However, political correctness also carries an ill-boding undertone in its ability to pull strings in the human psyche, enabling those who are in a position of authority to a certain amount of control. Unless American society can check its all-too-careless acceptance of values and ideas manufactured to be “appropriate,” we may soon find ourselves citizens of Oceania.

Seer666

Hum.... Duble plus ungood

__________________
Bad spellers of the world untie!!!

I am the one you warned me of

I seem to have misplaced the bullet with your name on it, but I have a whole box addressed to occupant.

saut

Indeed

Seer666

I like you essay. Makes a good point about the PC movement, something that I have found really annoying for years now. Even the Navy is getting on the PC band wagon, which is just WAY wrong, and, in my opinion, dangerous in the long run. The military has the job of killing people, they can not aford to spend to much time tip towing around issues and worrying about people's feelings. Just isn't good for business.

__________________
Bad spellers of the world untie!!!

I am the one you warned me of

I seem to have misplaced the bullet with your name on it, but I have a whole box addressed to occupant.