My Semester in Review

My call to change has to do with the idea of political correctness. I believe that political correctness started out with good intentions as a means to ensure equality for all people, but now is used by political parties as a crutch and restricts people's rights of speech and expression.

This topic is talked about in my family often and is something I have found myself thinking about a lot when it comes to our country's society and politics. Fairly recently, TV star and chef Paula Deen, was forced to apologize for saying the "N" word years ago when she was younger. This control was all done in the name of political correctness and I thought it was so ridiculous! Back then in Paula Deen's younger years in the South, the "N" word was not a bad word. Why then were TV and news officials forcing her to apologize now? Like they have never said a bad word before? This story of how political correctness was used as a means to restrict really bothered me and has been in the back of my mind since then. It sparked my call to change project.

Over the course of the semester I wrote two blog posts about how I felt political correctness had become a problem and why it needed to change:

An Irrational, Incurable Disease

Intolerant of Intolerance

To recap, I feel that when used correctly, political correctness can protect minorities and other groups. But in our society today, it restricts people from speaking truth about morality and expressing their beliefs and opinions. It has become largely about dancing around a subject in order to not hurt anybody else's feelings. It is the biggest irony in our society. It is essentially intolerant of intolerance.

During my Call to Change presentation, I point to three main historical periods where we see a focus on equality: the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gilded Age. After touching on those periods, I focus on our period today and how that focus of equality has turned to political gain and restriction.

When discussing this topic with other classmates and peers, many agreed that political correctness had gone out of control. A few disagreed and felt that it still served its original purpose. But most believed that something needed to change. A few gave their opinion that the way to change this dogma in our society is to focus on speaking truth but tactfully.

In my presentation, I focus on the idea that political correctness in itself largely affects the way we communicate in our society. I also acknowledge that my communication in my presentation might come across as politically incorrect, but I need to be able to speak my ideas and call for action.

UPDATE:

Thank you for the comments! In response to these, I would like to echo the comment that political correctness does come with its own set of unspoken "rules." This is what makes it unfair and irrational. It can be used differently, even as a weapon, by certain groups who feel they have something to prove. To expand further on my call to change, in the future, I think something that could be done in schools is to have group demonstrations or talks where the children learn more about each other's differences and be comfortable with talking about them. Classroom exercises where the children are highlighted because of their differences, and are proud of them, could be useful as well.

A Rough Rough Draft

·      Political Correctness

o   History

§  How it started

§  How it has evolved                            

o   Why it is a problem now

o   Call for change

·      Enlightenment

o   Push for equality

·      Industrial Revolution/Romantic Era

o   Ideologies

§  Liberalism

·      Universal human rights

·      Gilded Age

o   WWI

§  Advances in equality for women/blacks

§  Suffrage

·      Mid 20^th century

o   Used as a term to describe those of the Communist and Socialist party

o   Socialists who believed in egalitarian moral ideas vs. Communists who would defend their party’s position regardless or morality

·      1990s

o   Politics promoting multiculturalism

o   Feminism, sexism, racism

·      2000s

o   Typically used for left-wing terms and actions

·      2010s

o   Now as we see an increasing shift in morality in our country (ex. Gay rights, gay marriage) PC has taken a turn for the worst

·      Go into call to change

o   PC started as a means to ensure equality as we see this general trend in history pushing for equal rights

o   But now PC has become about dancing around a subject so we don’t step on people’s toes

o   Now it encroaches on freedoms of speech and expression, personal rights

o   We need to speak what is truth but with tact, not be restricted from sharing our beliefs just because it might offend the beliefs of another

Intolerant of Intolerance

As I continued to think about my topic of political correctness and the way it affects our society, I discussed with some acquaintances about what they think the main cause of or problem with being politically correct is. Based on my last blog post, I believe that political correctness is being taken to an extreme and is encroaching on personal freedoms of speech and expression, and can be used as a crutch by certain groups or political parties.

The feedback I received from people varied. Several had my same viewpoints. Two people felt that political correctness is useful in society to prevent minorities from feeling isolated, and that the pros of what political correctness is trying to accomplish outweigh the cons that we see today. However, I feel that the idea of being politically correct is being hugely abused.

After discussing this over with the people I chose, it seems that politically correctness comes from this feeling of entitlement that our generation seems to have. This leads to pride which causes people to feel very offended by something if you say it in "the wrong way." Our society is trying to prevent intolerance but is thereby being intolerant of others for their ideas that may seem intolerant. It's one big irony. One of my acquaintances expressed how political correctness is an "insidious form of censorship which only serves to push the limits of societal norms further away from that which we know to be right because we might be perceived as being mean."

So how do we change this? How do we make sure that people aren't saying harmful things or creating stereotypes, but not get our panties all up in a wad when someone has a difference of opinion, or a political party is pushing for a certain standard. And the truth is, I'm still working on that. As of right now, I don't know if there is a tangible way to cool the fire everyone is stirring up that is political correctness. It is an ideal our society needs to reach as a whole. But we could start by drawing a line. Don't make Paula Dean grovel for forgiveness because she said the "N-word" 20 years ago when it wasn't considered a bad word. That was 20 years ago. Let the past be the past. We need to look to the future. We need to teach at young age the idea of truth mixed with tact. Speak the truth in a tactful way. As my friend stated, "My conclusion is that people should strive to be straightforward yet tactful in all instances. That is how Jesus Christ taught and we should inevitably follow his example."

Parties, labels and bigotry

As we interact with one another, we generally find ourselves declaring our university majors, political allegiances, and religious affiliations.  As we do so, we are not only joining groups of like-minded people, but we are also indulging the human impulse to identify and label ourselves.  And by doing so, we necessarily 
separate ourselves into groups comprised of “us” and “them.”

In the act of labelling others, we often lose the nuances of people’s personalities and opinions. Many of society’s ills can be traced back, at least in part, to the oversimplification of issues through the process of labelling.  Political gridlock, religious intolerance (Jesse B), conflict over political correctness (Rachel M and Chloe M), and the disdain that often exists between academic disciplines are often the result of oversimplifying people and problems through labeling. (Jenna P). Problems arise when, upon meeting someone, we assign them a label—like "English Major," "Utah Mormon," "Rebublican," "White," "Gay"—and immediately allow our predetermined views of such categories of people to skew our view of them or their opinions. 

By trying to label ourselves, we can inadvertently limit our own thoughts, opinions, and even identities.  Often we seem to discard all other aspects of our identity when we try to conform ourselves to some preexisting label. For instance, one who self-identifies as pro-choice may feel compelled to adopt other generally associated policy positions in the pursuit of ideological purity. Thus, the supporter of the pro-choice platform may ultimately feel pressure to support marriage-equality and permissive drug laws.

This kind of labelling is ultimately a form of social tribalism.  In the sophisticated social structure in which we now live, this overly simple tribalism is no longer necessary. Society is safe enough for people and positions complete with complicated nuance. However, if we persist to engage in simple labelling, we will continue to manufacture differences and force unnecessary conflict.

To Be Politically Correct...

We live in a day and age when it is imperative to always be "politically correct." There are instances when an individual steps out of bounds in what they say, like with Justine Sacco who got fired for being racist. In fact, at least once a week I see a story on Facebook entitled something like, "You Won't Believe What ________ Said." With the accessibility of the internet, it is easy to get yourself in trouble for something that you post for the whole world to see.

This ultra-correct ideology to me is an example of tolerance, but tolerance taken too far. Now, there are times and places to say things and to not say things, like with Justine Sacco. But, on the other hand, if I were to publicly broadcast that I do not believe gay marriage is right, I would probably get shamed by my online peers. For me to say something that I believe or don't believe, I am called a bigot, judgmental, and un-Christian.

This idea of tolerance reminds me of frames of reference, a principle of the Enlightenment. To me, dogma of political correctness is based on frames of reference. For me to say my beliefs about gay marriage to my LDS friends would not get me in trouble, because they share a similar frame of reference with me. But to step out of that frame of reference would be to step into a war zone where I am bound to get shot down.

The problem with being "politically correct" is that it at times takes away a bit of our freedom of speech. (Again, keep in mind that I acknowledge there are some things that are absolutely inappropriate to say.) To have to be politically correct is to have to alter the way I say things to make it appear as though I agree with the rest of what society says, or risk being called on the carpet. To claim a belief because of my religion or just as an opinion is labeled as narrow-minded and ignorant. I can't have beliefs unless those beliefs line up with the frame of reference of everyone else. I mean, I can, but maybe I'll end up like Justine Sacco.

An Irrational, Incurable Disease

“This political correctness just continues to spread. It’s like a disease. It’s like an incurable disease. It’s just spreading and it’s irrational.”

Rush Limbaugh’s quote rings true as we look at our government, our schools, our society, and realize how the idea of being politically correct permeates our civilization and the way we communicate with others. In 2013, a college student in California was asked to take off a cross she was wearing at school because it might offend other people. Students are not allowed to pray at public schools because it could be deemed insulting. The Obama administration has banned government agencies from referring or linking terrorism to Islam – for fear that it might offend someone.

Being politically correct is all about dancing around a subject so we don’t step on someone’s toes. Our society has taken on this idea that we can never hurt anyone’s feelings, even if something is the truth. We even see this ideology infiltrating all the way down to children in our school systems. In Massachusetts, a school principal cancelled Honor Night in order to avoid hurting the student’s feelings who weren’t getting an award. He was creating an idea that there are no winners or losers.

As Limbaugh put it, political correctness is spreading and is irrational. It encroaches on personal freedoms of rights, such as freedom of speech and expression. Praying in schools may offend non-Christians. But what about the Christian’s right to wear a cross necklace, pray, or worship as he pleases, and share that belief with others? Not only does the dogma of needing to be politically correct all the time encroach on personal rights, it also eliminates the drive and motivation necessary for healthy competition in schools and in the work place.

We need to change our frame of mind. We should not have to always worry that we will lose a job if we mention our religion. I am entitled to my religion just as much as someone is entitled to not claim a religion. We need to not have to apologize for saying the word “thug” because it might offend people of the non-Caucasian race. By constantly worrying about being politically correct, we are letting government, and general authorities in our society control how we think. We need to stand for our rights, our beliefs, our hard work, and what is true. Not just say whatever sounds “politically correct.”