PC BLINDNESS: Political correctness – a great term to dismiss issues that become too hard or inconvenient, by Judith Ireland. Like a fish supposedly does not notice water because it is the most obvious, ubiquitous, important thing about its environment, a PC person does not notice PC.
Something is “politically correct” if the only reason to say it is to curry political favor or to avoid public disgrace and dishonor. Political correctness is intrinsically in conflict with reality. The main theme of this blog is to combat PC by noting reality, to counter the PC unreality field the media would have us swim in.
A politically correct person literally does not see the discrepancies between PC and reality, so they conclude that complaints about political correctness are just some made-up nonsense.
The Sydney Morning Herald is one of the main enforcers of PC in Australia. This article defends its PC stance. First the straw man and name calling:
The situation, however, appears to have reached catastrophic levels, with no area of existence safe from accusations of PC pollution. But is there a genuine widespread issue here? Or merely the widespread use of a disingenuous slogan?
Move on, nothing to see, its just “progress”:
Yes, it will always be possible to find examples where things are taken too far (like, those stories about Santas not being allowed to say “ho, ho, ho”). But these are the exceptions, not the rule. Step back from most PC crises and they actually reflect improvements in the way we live – not some horrible regression.
The straw man again:
[S]ince when was it draconian to point out that Australia has problems with racism, domestic violence and sexism? There is no evidence to suggest they are making this up.
PC is all about selective enforcement — PC media ignore some racism (e.g. pro-aboriginal, by government), some domestic violence (by women, gay men or muslim men), and some sexism (anti-male prejudice runs wild, and some feminists boast publicly of their androgyny). Just switch the race or sex of individuals mentioned in the media, and see how politically incorrect things become!
Finally, people who complain about violent misrepresentations of reality for political gain are just called “silly and hysterical”. Case dismissed.
“Political correctness” might be a tired old debate, yet the concept is still being used to paint common sense ideas about health, equality and basic decency as silly and hysterical. As an easy way of dismissing issues that are tough or inconvenient.
Well that’s easy to say if you are a beneficiary of PC, and if keeping your job at the SMH depends on being PC and promoting PC.
