ESSAY/DEFINITION EXAMPLES IMPLICATIONS
Where is the ideal starting place for a conservative attack on political correctness? Do I define it first? If so, define it in what context? Do I lay out a timeline first? Do I give examples first? Do I give other conservatives definitions first? Do I use a liberal definition and defense first? This haziness of how to start and where to begin is a prime example of the software organization that I will be addressing in Axis Right Wing, so here is my stab at my particular personal critique of political correctness:
Political Correctness is a movement where we are attempting to legislate or at least sublimate in law certain behavior deemed insensitive that is, of course, said to be either a prelude or facet of some violent "hate crime", or crime associated with the negative legacy of the United States. This can be a group of guys calling a homosexual a "faggot" that later goes and beats up a homosexual coming out of a gay bar. A simple premise is used that a violent white male who commonly uses the phrases like "welfare nigga", "AIDS fag" and/or "dike bitch" is just as soon to beat up a black person, homosexual, or woman because the disrespect and disregard for human rights ultimately go hand in hand. The real complex politics comes into play where small instances and ambiguities start to flare up and get all of the attention on the grounds that the outright violent behavior is always hidden and does not appear in broad daylight such as debatable slurs do. Also, the premise is used that if the whip is cracked where slurs are not tolerated, then places like locker rooms, fraternities, workplace breakrooms, gyms, and church functions don't become atmospheres of tolerated and even encouraged hate mongering where events such as gay bashing, beating of a black college student and harrassing or rape of a woman won't be planned or fostered. So you have the issue of what has been dubbed "hate speech". These are instances where speeches or remarks have been said to not be practicing of free speech but simply verbal assualt or abuse. The more extreme side to Political Correctness is criminalizing remarks in the same way as an act of violence.
The clash between liberals and conservatives comes from the irony of the debate of absolute morality. Classically, conservatives have been the ones that have been criticized for legislating morality and catering to big bloated organized churches with eroded corrupt doctrine that translates to nothing more than taking your money and keeping you sexually repressed. The argument usually is that we no longer have a united value system because we have broken the shackles of organized religion and arbitrary, dictatorial sex roles and that with sex laws, prayer in schools, illegalization of abortion, opposing homosexual marriages and such, we as conservatives are trying to hold on to the illusion of Jerry Falwell's "Moral Majority". The irony with the PC crowd is that a whole new set of rules and all new institutions comes out of the premise that we are no longer going to set rules and establish moral institutions for people. (See examples below)
I attribute the liberalism of the 20th century (the promiscuity of the 20's, the 60's, and the sluthood in the 90's ending in a pseudo-moral ressurection) to the raw notion of dissension. I believe is the one word embodiment of American liberalism. Conservatives in the 20th century have sucked in defending their values and allowed liberals to pair virginity with segregation and women not voting, and that is the real excuse for absolute dissension; saying that all evil is so interwoven with convention that nothing short of unconditional moral anarchy will free the oppressed. How ironic that the forces that seem to rise out of anarchy closely resemble the forces it claims to have distinguished! Political Correctness is the natural outcome of a century of dissension; we now scrutinize any action and any thought on the grounds that it is rooted in more serious behavior.
EXAMPLES: A short lived talk show a few years back had a piece on sexual harrassment and one of the guide lines was to stay away from words like "Honey", "Baby", and "Sweetie".
One time Limbaugh cited that the word "crazy" was recognized as some insensitive word or some sort by journalists who vowed to no longer use it in their articles. I seemed to get the impression that "crazy" was associated with a slur for mental patients.
Arnold Swarzeneger (sp?) got stopped on Arsenio Hall when he used the word "retarted" in speaking of the Special Olympics. This stems from people using "retarded" as a slur and being insensitive to mentally retarded people.
The infamous 1992 Ross Perot comment at a NAACP function referred to blacks as "you people" which brought up some serious flack as I remember. Instances like this get a complaint that so much energy and hypersensitivity is put on microanalyzing comments and tones that the real focus on real issues such as violence towards non-white/poor/female/homosexual/non-christian get put on the back burner.
A critic once blasted Pat Buchanan for referring to a generic illegal immigrant in a hypothetical scenaro as "Jose", something like "So 'Jose' can't get over the fence" or something. I even remember reading on the net an article that said in a Buchanan speech that he didn't say "kike" but it was there; he didn't say "spic" but it was there... Oh really? This liberal journalist can read minds? How fortunate that He bless us with His Divine Perception!
Limbaugh citing that the minuteman statue was said to be racist and sexist and the movement to take it down was stopped.