I'm not American, but I honestly can't believe some people actually process their political worldview in terms of "political correctness". The term is openly slanderous (ie: none of Sander's proponents would say they are "for political correctness").
It's like the reactionary wing of an entire generation grew up getting their political education from watching South Park.
I suspect the reason that most Americans don’t like political correctness is because even someone who isn’t highly educated or is politically disengaged knows a bad faith argument when they hear one. And If the people making these arguments don’t learn that using scorched-earth tactics in every situation isn’t the right way to engage with issues of injustice or inequality, I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
I think it's hilariously ironic that most of the comments here are along the lines of "well, people generally interpret political correctness as 'things I don't like', so of course they think it's a problem". Sounds an awful lot like the Progressive Activists mentioned in the study. It's not us that's out of touch, it must be the majority of Americans!
"Political correctness" is almost always used as a pejorative. So saying that surveyed Americans dislike it its about as surprising as saying that Americans think racism is bad in principle in surveys - it does not mean that Americans don't on-mass practice it even if in principle they violently oppose it. The only "political correctness" people identify is the language of their political opponents.
Political correctness is most often used as a criticism of the politically sensitive language used by different groups. As a very American example, you just need to look at the terms "Pro Life" and "Pro Choice". From the perspective of the opposing groups "Pro Life" amounts to "Pro subjugation of women at the cost of their individual health and political power", and "Pro Choice" amounts to "Pro infanticide sinful hedonists". Both groups have significant political power in American, and wielding that power they demand respect behind these "PC" labels.
Political correctness isn't new or some kind of distinct ideology, its an exercise or attempted exercise in political power to shape the language and outcomes of our politics. Its our basic civility and the structure of power. What is new maybe is the pace of social and political change of the past 100 years that has made people notice the exercise in new political power more often.
"Political correctness" is a phrase used by assholes who haven't figured out what free speech is. They think it means they can say whatever they like, without fear of repercussions or consequences. And they get very offended and hurt when they find out that isn't so.
> A full 80% [of US] believe that “political correctness is a problem in our country.” … The woke are in a clear minority across all ages. … Progressive activists are the only group that strongly backs political correctness: Only 30% see it as a problem.
This is because the definition of "political correctness" is different from person to person. It conveniently drifts so people can think they're against some common problem when in reality some people use it to veil homophobia, and others to complain about postmodernism.
It's a convenient term, but useless. You call someone politically correct and they'll say no. You learn nothing about their position, you only get to engage in some petty name calling. Feels good, right? Maybe we should stick to the factual matters, the specifics of what legislation and culture is too "politically correct" for you.
This article takes one finding from a survey (that most Americans feel "political correctness is a problem") and runs free with broad interpretations that are not supported by the study. The article borrows the study's credibility, but not its broader point about polarization.
My instinct, on seeing this finding, was to unpack how people might understand the term "political correctness" and the rhetorical contexts in which it is used. Considering how much the article relies on one survey question, there is very little unpacking of the term--just one paragraph which poses two slanted alternatives and concludes that people probably mean what the author thinks they mean. I'm open to discussing how some activism might be more valuable to the activists than to anybody else, but this article doesn't make a very strong case.
I wonder how Americans feel about "chain migration" or "fake news." Meh.
My comment was more a direct response to the parent comment's question 'If anyone can give me an example of some political belief that is not justified in being "unacceptable"…', but my scenario only fits a wider definition "being silenced by political correctness". Every American probably has a different definition of what "political correctness is a problem in our country" means. The classic definition from right-leaning Americans is "the fight on how to say and do things in the most inclusive way possible is getting in the way of actually doing the things." But me being silenced by my in-laws fits under the umbrella of political correctness if you define it as "the ardor of your support for the 'correct' political thinking burns others". That concept currently goes by other names currently. I call it culture wars and general tribalism. I think the political correctness fight of a decade ago has shifted and evolved into the broader tribalism of today. So "political correctness" as you described it doesn't fit, but I think it fits with how I think the survey respondents interpreted it.
It can never be defined, because the entire point of a politicized term is to carry a loaded definition that goads a fraction of the other team into agreeing. Most reasonable people do not think that "political correctness", meaning a need to conform to The Party, is a good thing. The difference lies in what types of situations the term is applied to and how much it is emphasized.
I disagree, because I don't think "Political Correctness" has been sufficiently defined. I think this doubly so because of the extremism used in the OP regarding "AI goggles that block out the words that might hurt us." I see a mockery, there, and it raises my hackles. Perhaps it was unintentional.
What is "political correctness?" Are we referring right now to the alt-right manufactured bogeyman? That is my sense.
It's like the reactionary wing of an entire generation grew up getting their political education from watching South Park.
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