Political Correctness

[wmw999 2,588]

Synopsis
Non-PC speech seems to be used in place of thinking a little more often than PC speech is. It reinforces comfortable stereotypes.
Thinking is generally good.
Blondes have more fun
end Synopsis

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From Wikipedia:

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term denoting language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social offense in gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, handicap, and age-related contexts

I'd guess, then, that the opposite of political correctness would be the willingness to commit social offense in gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, handicap, and age-related contexts. All in the interest of being "truthful." Truth often is in the eye of the speaker.

I'm not sure that political correctness is all that bad, when you just consider it as a willingness to examine one's own thoughts and words for prejudices that might lead to incomplete decisions.

- Maybe most men don't think with their dicks.
- Maybe most veterans shouldn't be assumed to have PTSD
- Maybe most conservative Christians aren't narrow-minded theocrats
- Maybe most blacks in high places didn't get there because of affirmative action
- Maybe most women aren't out to take a man for everything she can
- Maybe most business aren't soul-less profit-seeking machines
- Maybe most government employees aren't stupid and lazy
- Maybe most skydivers aren't death-seekers
- Maybe most Muslims aren't terrorists

All of those statements would be easy to make. I've heard the vast majority of them used as "of course" statements. People won't say "all," but when you make a statement like that, you're saying "I'm going to assume you're like that until you prove otherwise to me personally."

I'd rather give the person the opportunity to prove themself as an individual, rather than in most of those contexts. Sometimes those statements are true, sometimes they aren't. I might even be ready for some politically incorrect statements to be true. But, ya know -- my values are not necessarily the only ones out there, even if there are lots of people kind of like me.

But like Venn diagrams, people overlap with others in different ways, and different aspects. Not every skydiver is like me, not every woman skydiver is like me, not even evey woman skydiver who used to be a blonde, who started in the 70's and took time off after having a baby is like me. Some of them believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster

If that homogeneous a group isn't all alike, isn't it kind of silly to make too many assumptions about people based on other characteristics that group them into much larger groups?
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Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[PLFXpert 0]

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Like any other of the kind, I scrolled to see if I was interested. I saw "blonde" and decided to read your long-ass post.

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If that homogeneous a group isn't all alike, isn't it kind of silly to make too many assumptions about people based on other characteristics that group them into much larger groups?

Yes--very silly. But super-fun to play with the assumers.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.