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Revision as of 03:46, 9 July 2004 by Jmabel (talk | contribs) (Whorf, Sapir worked independently of one another)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Political correctness is the alteration of language said to redress real or alleged unjust discrimination or to avoid offense. The term most often appears in the predicate adjective form politically correct, often abbreviated PC, and is usually used mockingly or disparagingly. One purpose behind 'politically correct' language is to prevent the exclusion or the offending of people based upon differences or handicaps. The idea behind using 'politically correct' terminology is to bring peoples' unconscious biases into awareness, allowing them to make a more informed choice about their language and making them aware of things different people might find offensive. The new terms are often awkward substitutes for the original stark language concerning differences such as race, gender, sexual orientation and disability.
An example of substituting politically correct terminology for terminology considered offensive would be exchanging the phrase disabled person for cripple when describing a person with a physical or mental disability. Using terms such as "spaz" or "nutter" to refer to the aforementioned groups would be decidedly politically incorrect.
In scientific study, the idea that language influences thought, and therefore that the words that are used to describe people have influence (the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis) was first developed (independently of one another) by Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf. This work remains controversial, and debate is heated. In its strong form, the hypothesis states that, for example, sexist language promotes sexist thought.
Usage
The driving ethic behind politically correct speech is multiculturalism. It is an a multicultural society where the largest variety of peoples mix, and hence, such a society has a great need to respect each other's differences.
The intended purpose of political correctness is twofold: to remove language offensive to many and to include all members of society by treating them equally. The first meaning is exemplified by usage of politically correct terms such as "African-American" in the place of "black" or "colored". However, the choice of racial or ethnic nomenclature can depend on the individual, as well as location and time period. For example, in the United States people of both Caucasian and African descent often use the term "black", while the term nigger is almost always considered racist and offensive when used by non-blacks. Many young African-Americans use the term freely among themselves but view it as derogatory if used by people of other races.
Political correctness may also be exhibited by the refusal to discuss particular traits of an ethnic or religious minority. For instance, it may not be politically correct to point out that a particular community has crime rates above those of the general population or to publicly suggest that cultural traits of that community may have led to such a situation.
The label 'politically correct' is itself used by conservatives in a perjoritive sense to label many left-wing projects and ideas.
A rule of thumb for determining whether a term may be considered politically incorrect is to question whether one is identifying the individual by an uncontrollable attribute, rather than on his or her unique accomplishments. For example, calling Stevie Wonder a blind black man could be said to imply that his handicap and race are more important than his significant musical influence on Motown and Soul.
History
The term "politically correct" and the accompanying movement rose to broad usage in the early 1980s, but the term itself is actually much older, suggesting that such linguistic sensitivity is nothing new. The earliest cited usage of the term comes from the U.S. Supreme Court decision Chisholm v. Georgia (1793):
- "The states, rather than the People, for whose sakes the States exist, are frequently the objects which attract and arrest our principal attention . Sentiments and expressions of this inaccurate kind prevail in our common, even in our convivial, language. Is a toast asked? 'The United States,' instead of the 'People of the United States,' is the toast given. This is not politically correct."
Another example of earlier usage is from a passage of H. V. Morton's In the Steps of St. Paul (1936): "To use such words would have been equivalent to calling his audience 'slaves and robbers'. But 'Galatians', a term that was politically correct, embraced everyone under Roman rule, from the aristocrat in Antioch to the little slave girl in Iconium."
In terms of modern popular usage, it is alleged that the term "politically correct" started as a label jokingly used to describe one's over-commitment to various Left-wing political causes. Use of the terms "PC" and "politically correct" declined in the late 1990s, and it is now mostly seen in comedy or as a political slur with questionable meaning.
However, politically correct ideas are still seen frequently influencing aspects of policy-making that attempt to be inoffensive in terminology. They are also seen in attempts at "equalizing" peoples' differences, such as in controversial affirmative action policies. It is this latter aspect that some see as actually highlighting the very differences these policies claim to be correcting for.
One example of where political correctness has entered into policy-making is in the purchasing of school textbooks. In the United States, public schools are subject to bias and sensitivity guidelines, which affect the purchasing of school textbooks. Also, in an example of how "equalization" is attempted by such policies, these guidelines are used in the construction of tests that attempt to be fair by being customized to specific ethnic, cultural, and other differences. Within the industry, this is a subject of considerable debate at present, with most parties agreeing that the quality of American public school textbooks is much lower than that of other industrialized nations. Critics believe that the method of determining content is severely hindered by the efforts of either the politically correct, politically conservative, or more often, both.
Controversy
The term "political correctness" is itself fraught with controversy. Some believe that the use of specialized, politically correct jargon creates a separate status for the groups referred to, and thus prevents integration and acceptance while perpetuating stereotypes. For example, using word variants such as the term "poetess" could be interpreted as denoting male practitioners to be the norm, and it could be argued this perpetuates what some see as male dominance in society. However, the core idea behind political correctness is that the terms are primarily designed to treat others with respect.
In politics, self-described political progressives never used the expression widely and have now stopped using it almost entirely as it has become a popular jeer against them. Critics often point out the similarity between politically correctness and Orwellian ideas such as newspeak and thoughtcrime, as well as fascist propaganda . Advocates argue that what they see as defending victims of repression or discrimination does not itself constitute intolerance. Critics also argue that advocacy of "political correctness" amounts to censorship and is a danger to free speech .
In recent years, "political correctness" has come to be used, seriously by some and jokingly by others, in protest against policies that some see as seeking conformance with Left-wing beliefs regarding cultural change. In addition, the term is also frequently used by conservatives in a broader sense to characterize any of a numerous set of beliefs they disagree with.
A recent situation at the L.A. Times is very illustrative of the conflicts regarding politically correct speech. A news review of an opera included the term "pro-life" in the sense of "life-affirming". However it is Times policy to use the term "anti-abortion" in lieu of the term "pro-life", therefore the term was changed, even though the meaning was entirely different. When this error was realized, the Times changed it back and provided the name of the editor who had initially changed it. The paper then had to retract the name of the editor because it is also Times policy not to name people who make changes to the articles.
Another significant example is the cancellation of "Politically Incorrect" with Bill Maher. Maher resigned as host of PI in 2002 after making a controversial on-air remark, in which he objected to the President and others calling the September 11 terrorists cowardly: "We have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly." Maher later apologized for the comment, saying, "In no way was I intending to say, nor have I ever thought, that the men and women who defend our nation in uniform are anything but courageous and valiant, and I offer my apologies to anyone who took it wrong," Maher said.
In the sensitive aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the remark was deemed too controversial for some financial supporters. Although some pundits supported Maher, pointing out the distinction between physical and moral cowardice, companies including FedEx and Sears Roebuck pulled their advertisements from the show, quickly causing the show to cost more than it returned. The show was subsequently cancelled on June 16, 2002.
Satirical use
The idea of political correctness also has a very interesting history of use in satire and comedy. One of the earlier, and most well-known, satirical takes on this movement can be found in the book Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, in which traditional fairy tales are rewritten from a grossly exaggerated, so-called politically correct viewpoint. The roles of good and evil in these 'PC' stories are often the reverse of those in the original versions. For example, Hansel, Gretel and their father are evil, and the witch is good in the politically correct version of Hansel and Gretel.
The practice of satirizing so-called politically correct speech indeed took on a life of its own in the 1990s, though its popularity in today's media has largely declined. Part of what it is to understand the meaning of "political correctness" is to be familiar with satirical portrayals of political correctness, and to understand them as such. Such portrayals are often exaggerations of what actual politically correct speech looks like. For example, in a satirical example of so-called political correctness speech, the sentence "The fireman put a ladder up against the tree, climbed it, and rescued the cat", might look like this:
- "The firefighter (who happened to be male, but could just as easily have been female) abridged the rights of the cat to determine for itself where it wanted to walk, climb, or rest, and inflicted his own value judgments in determining that it needed to be "rescued" from its chosen perch. In callous disregard for the well-being of the environment, and this one tree in particular, he thrust the mobility disadvantaged-unfriendly means of ascent known as a "ladder" carelessly up against the tree, marring its bark, and unfeelingly climbed it, unconcerned how his display of physical prowess might injure the self-esteem of those differently-abled. He kidnapped and unjustly restrained the innocent animal with the intention of returning it to the person who claimed to "own" the naturally free animal."
The above text admixes the most radical versions of several movements or theories. In fact, almost any so-called "politically correct" speaker would most likely be perfectly satisfied with "The firefighter put a ladder against the tree, climbed it, and rescued the cat."
See also
- Doublespeak
- Hate speech
- Language and thought
- Newspeak
- Non-sexist language
- Politically Incorrect
- Propaganda
Further reading
- Diane Ravitch, The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn, Knopf, 2003, hardcover, 255 pages, ISBN 0-375-41482-71
- Henry Beard and Christopher Cerf, The Official Politically Correct Dictionary and Handbook, Harper Collins, 1992, paperback 176 pages, ISBN 0-586-21726-6
- Nigel Rees, The Politically Correct Phrasebook: what they say you can and cannot say in the 1990's, Bloomsbury, 1993, 192 pages, ISBN 0-747-51426-7
External links
- Frequently Used Words and Phrases of the PC Lexicon
- Tongue Tied - documents alleged ongoing censorship of politically incorrect speech or expression in the United States.
- Possible origins of the term at www.linguist.org