Political Correctness (PC)

November 2003

Why is Political Correctness being attacked by some Americans? Who are these Americans attacking it?

Could these Americans be the ones that feel it takes to much effort to be politically correct, maybe they also feel the same about being polite, showing respect and common courtesy. It’s much easier to be callous allowing your biases and insensitivity to dictate your interaction with others, especially if they are not a part of your family, circle of friends or culture.

I see Political Correctness as a way of showing respect to others and acknowledging the path they have traveled to become the person you see. Everyone travels a different path with struggles to overcome in life. You should try to show respect no matter what culture a person is from because they have also traveled a path in life just as you have. The path I speak of includes the history of a person’s culture, which should not be ignored.

People are being too sensitive has become the rallying cry for people that have grown up saying what they please to impress the crowd into thinking they are cool. Telling racial jokes and supporting stereotypes shows their ignorance about other cultures, they are repeating what they have learned from other ignorant people. People like this seem like bullies because they are unwilling to take the time to learn about others because they go along to get along trying to be cool. Being cool and being popular is more important than being your own person. When people tell me they have a joke I ask if it is a racial joke, if they say yes I tell them I don’t what to hear it, even when they are from my culture. I believe I am right to be this way because I do not like or want jokes about my culture told, so I would be a hypocrite if I listened to other racial jokes, I feel the same about jokes that stereotype people. They can be funny but that is because of things we have been taught or learned but not questioned. Maybe people have always been sensitive about things like this but now speak out because they no longer want to go along to get along just to be a part of the crowd. Maybe they realize by not speaking out it disrespects their culture and diminishes their self esteem.

Political Correctness is more than just verbal it also applies to the way you treat people no matter what culture they are from. This takes work for Americans because most Americans (culture does not matter) seem to think American culture is based on what the majority culture in America decides it is but America is made up of diverse people that have diverse cultures. We as Americans must learn to respect all cultures because it is this diversity that made America. If not for all the diverse cultures that helped build America we would not be the great nation we are today. It is because of the different ideas that come from different beliefs and thoughts that make us strong.

Even the majority culture in American can be separated into two diverse subcultures. One can be identified as the working Americans who are just trying to enjoy the promises of America. The other is the more prosperous Americans of the majority subculture, the impression I have of this subculture is they seem to think they are meant to lead everyone else because they know what is best for America. This prosperous subculture seems to be made up of arrogant Americans that have not been able to truly understand diversity because of the Business as Usual mentality that has been taught from generation to generation. My perception of Business as Usual is that the way America was created is the way America should continue. This prosperous subculture seems to believe only Americans from the majority culture with a specific way of thinking can be allowed to be leaders in America. This specific way of thinking goes directly against Political Correctness which is a new way of thinking.

I see Political Correctness as being humble and patient enough to understand and respect other cultures. If you take the right of Freedom of Speech to an extreme then common courtesy, respect and politeness are just words defined in a dictionary not things to be taught and practiced between people.

People think the way they have been brought up to think until something happens to challenge that way of thinking.

Everyone, no matter who you are or what culture you are from have biases toward something or someone. Have you ever questioned yourself why you feel the way you do about someone or something? Why do you think people are being too sensitive, why is it OK to be insensitive toward another’s culture. Is it OK to tell a racial joke as long as you tell it among friends but how do you know that one of those friends is not offended by the joke but goes along to get along? I saw a troop of performers do a song about Political Correctness and being prejudice on TV, the song was teaching children that it was OK to be a little bit prejudice because everyone is and we shouldn’t be so sensitive about being that way. There were performers from all cultures performing this song which used stereotypes e.g. Blacks are like this, Asians are like that, Latinos do this, Whites do that, the song was cute until you took the time to understand what it was teaching. I disagree with this type of teaching and beliefs, I always hear that standards are being lowered for this and that in America but when it comes to putting more effort into understanding people different from you then we are being too sensitive.

It is not about being too sensitive, it is about becoming conscious of the biases you grew up learning and believing. I once believed that when someone said that they did not see color that this was great and everyone should think this way. I no longer believe this because of what a Jewish diversity teacher taught me when I was being trained to become a diversity facilitator (I specify Jewish so he will know who I am referring to). When any person comes to you and says they do not see color, they are really telling you they don’t recognize or respect the struggle you have gone through to overcome the barriers you have encountered as an American of color. As an American of color there have been barriers that an American from the majority culture has not had to struggle with, so by saying they do not see color means they do not acknowledge these barriers. If they don’t acknowledge these barriers they cannot really see you the person. They may think your life has been the same as theirs when it has been very different. This is what I believe now, everyone should be shown respect for the struggle they have gone through and the accomplishments they have achieved.

Remember it is easy to treat people of a different culture than yours any way you want, especially when you feel there's no reason to fear them, respect them or know something about them.