Politically Correct

Here we go again. In reference to various articles of late regarding this topic, I really need to weigh in. I’m sure it will neither shock nor surprise anyone when I say that I am decidedly on the side of what is commonly referred to as the “PC Police”.

Published in
2 min readApr 14, 2016

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Why?

Well, what I find interesting about the repetitive and tiresome complaints about the term “PC”, especially the vibe one attempts to impart when they employ the term, is that the whole concept is intellectually lazy at best.

“Politically correct”, in 2016, is most often used as a rather obvious pejorative; an intentionally imprecise term, as its goal is not to impart an objective idea, but to show a mocking disregard for the cultural burden of treating all people with requisite humanity. Having to refer to black folks as “African Americans” rather than various historically-prevalent racial slurs, “women” rather than “sluts”, “LGBTQ” rather than “fags”, is thought to be on par with violating ones freedom of expression, a direct infringement on the rights of the majority.

These are the ungrounded assumptions that the philosophical foundation of “PC” rests on. Because, behind every allegation of “PC” is the notion that members of the dominant (historically oppressive) class have been unduly put upon by an arbitrarily oversensitive censorship of the right to language. Interestingly, most “PC”-snivelers are for the most part straight, white, able bodied men. Who fail to see that cultural oppression works top down, never bottom up.

Therefore calling someone a bigot who espouses frustration at not being able to use offensive terminology when and how they want, isn’t being needlessly cruel, it’s being descriptively accurate. The intention to “not be a bigot” is irrelevant when one acts, behaves, and speaks like a bigot.

Think of it this way. As with the examples I list above, if you feel oppressed that it is socially unacceptable to call me a “pillow biting faggot”, that’s too bad. It really is. But, in a 2016 North American culture that is dominantly straight and white and male, when you call me “a pillow biting faggot”, I am oppressed.

Get it?

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Educator, HIV researcher, former flight paramedic, MFA, poetry, creative non fiction, memoir, intersectional social justice, satire, dogs. https://allanrae.com