What Does "Politically Correct" Mean?

Discussion in 'General Philosophy' started by spidergoat, Jul 29, 2016.

  1. mtf Banned Banned

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    Christians can, in the name of practicing their religion according to their conscience, despise everyone they wish (and they do so amply), openly manifest their contempt -- and yet everyone it is targeted at should just accept it, agree with it??
    That's what you're eventually arguing for.
     
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  3. mtf Banned Banned

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    There are limitations to the politically correct discourse.

    But that would require going beyond political correctness, and we mustn't do that, eh?

    And what is "higher," exactly? Maybe we've got it all wrong. Maybe the way a certain very visible male political candidate is, is actually "higher."
     
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  5. wellwisher Banned Banned

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    The Merriam Webster definition of politics is; activities that relate to influencing the actions and policies of a government or getting and keeping power in a government.

    This definition says nothing about these activities, having to be rational, honest or fair. Politics can also be based on a rigged and corrupt system to quote Bernie Sanders. Politics is about an objective, regardless of the means.

    Politics can involve big money donors, buying politicians with donations and untraceable after career golden parachutes. It can also be about corrupting the press so they don't address problems and also help set up smoke screens.

    Politically correct is subjective, since each party may use different political means to achieve the same objective. What is correct for one approach, may not be correct for the other. The PC connected to the Democratic party is about emotional manipulation, to create slogans to brain wash and prevent rational free speech. Loss of feee speech allows them to more easily influence the actions and policies of government and get and keep power.

    It is liberal PC to define sexism as only applying to men. This benefits the Democratic party by favoring one of their larger voting blocks. Truth and logic is the enemy of liberalism. PC will attempt to undermine truth and logic; undermine free speech.

    When Trump wins, he gets to change what is PC. His version of PC will be in his own image; help him gain and keep power. PC is currently connected to liberalism, because they are in power at this time, and hope to stay there, by any means, including a rigged free speech system.
     
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  7. Russ_Watters Not a Trump supporter... Valued Senior Member

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    No it isn't: you ignored the last section of what you quoted and as user mtf confirmed in the next post, it does mean that certain topics are simply off limits. To use your example, a PC person would get angry at me just for asking the question, regardless of how it was worded. Specific examples would be liberal colleges getting certain speakers banned from the schools. There are several examples every commencement season. Condi Rice was an example this past year.

    PhysBang isn't quite wrong: the assumption of the PC crowd is that certain groups of people are not allowed to even discuss certain topics because they are assumed to be racist/bigots regardless of what they actually say.

    Another example of PC run amok is "trigger warnings". The idea that a grown-ass adult should be warned before they might hear or read something that might upset them. Obvious problem: who gets to decide when a "trigger warning" is required?
     
  8. PhysBang Valued Senior Member

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    Yeah, it's so horrible that people get angry at racists. We should never get mad about racism because that might silence racist people.
     
  9. mtf Banned Banned

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    This could be different, and be in the same category as silly warnings on plastic bags about the danger of suffocating. Such warnings are intended as liability waivers, so that the writer of a text or a manufacturer of a product absolves themselves from taking responsibility for any damages that may come from perusing their product.
    Although, arguably, that, too, is an example of PC.
     
  10. mtf Banned Banned

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    It's the same on the right.

     
  11. PhysBang Valued Senior Member

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    While I agree that there are some few colleges where some people cross the line, this minority of people are elevated to popular media because of those people who want to get away with being racist, sexist, and otherwise oppressive. I'm not sure that being angry about a speaking engagement by a war criminal like Condolesa Rice counts as silencing Rice; she has many, many avenues to speak.
    Saying certain things just is racist. Saying certain things just is sexist. Sometimes I say or write things that are sexist or racist: I will not improve, nor will I contribute to a better society if nobody points out the problematic things I say.
    The point of trigger warnings is not to discuss certain topics. It seems idiotic to have to say this, but trigger warnings only go before things that are actually going to be discussed. Seriously, how stupid or willing to believe right-wing lies does someone have to be to not realize that people only put trigger warnings before something that is actually discussed.

    But to the point at hand: who the fuck has not heard of post-traumatic stress? If someone derided, "The idea that a grown-ass veteran should be warned before they might hear or read something that might upset them," they would have their ass handed to them. So why wouldn't we want to warn people who might have serious emotional response to rape or specific acts of racism.

    It's only white men who really have a problem with trigger warnings because they cannot imagine living in a world where they have to work hard to get through a day without reminders of personal insult and injury.
     
  12. mtf Banned Banned

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    In the end, none of all that really matters, though. Because if you want to keep your job, you have to go with the particular flow of political correctness in your company, regardless of what that flow is.
     
  13. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    Sure, why not? If we all get mad and start screaming at "the other", goyim, blacks, whites, etc...catholics, jews, lutherans, etc... that surely must help us to a resolution of the problem.

    Or
    You could grow up and cease "getting angry".

    If you stay inside that box, there ain't no winners just whiners and losers.
    It really doesn't matter what you choose to be offended by. It is still your choice.
     
  14. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    I think the issue is not simply being offended; I think the issue is that it is actioned - used to oppress.
    A racist person will have no problem passing over a visible minority for that promotion.
     
  15. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    "Visible minority"
    wow
    How shallow can one guy get?
    Skin deep on a good day, racist on all days, and likely insane. or maybe brain dead = politically correct.
    Screw doing the right thing, or the best thing, lets all do the politically correct thing.
    Was Pol Pot politically correct, How about China's red guard? Hitlers Nazis?
    Are you politically correct?
    Or do you need some more time in the re-education camps?
     
  16. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    I have no idea what your point is. Can you rephrase?
     
  17. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    Well then.........................................
     
  18. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    Are there? How do you know? Where are these limits written?
    In the context of my example, persuading children to "look up", higher means to someone taller than a ten-year -old; i.e. a grownup.
    Civil discourse, a good vocabulary, understanding of the subject matter and of the audience one hopes to reach, would all be helpful in achieving this goal. I never said obeying whatever you guess to be the rules of political correctness could get you there, because there is no such thing as political correctness. Nobody is enforcing a blanket speech code. Hate speech is now a crime in many countries, and there are other relevant laws, such as the ones against raising false alarms, perjury, libel, slander, fraud, sedition, inciting to riot, uttering threats and revealing government secrets. The laws restricting freedom of speech are clearly stated. Such censorship has always existed, even the loosest-lipped periods of the most liberal nations. Beyond those strict limits, public media outlets also practice some degree of self-censorship, to avoid being sued and offending their target audience or sponsors: that's elementary self-interest. Work-places and institutions usually have some policies regarding desirable and unacceptable demeanor among their staff; the military and boarding schools are usually the most restricted and enforced.
    None of this is new or novel. None of this is readily avoidable.
    If you mean Bernie Sanders, yes.
     
  19. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    I'm going to take it that you were just expressing stream of consciousness then, without knowing your hands were on the keyboard - nothing to do with my post.
     
  20. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    Actually, post #52 was a direct response to your post #51.
     
  21. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    Bullshit. What topic cannot be discussed because it is "not PC?"
    So if a military-oriented school banned Hillary Clinton from speaking because they perceived that she was a criminal, you would object that they were too politically correct?
    Reasonable people who think that seeing a child disembowled (for example) might upset some people. I would agree with such a warning; that allows people to choose for themselves what they see.
     
  22. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    It seemed to be. But I really can't figure out what you're trying to say. I asked for clarification.

    I don't know how "visible minority" translates to shallow.
    I don't know if "Skin deep on a good day, racist on all days, and likely insane" is meant to apply to me, as the one who wrote it.
    I don't understand what I am to gather from the subsequent six questions.
    The ambiguity lies in the switching between sincere and sarcastic (i.e. opposite to your view) statements. There are unspoken thoughts between each of those statements that would tie them together.

    And, frankly, I don't even know whether I've been insulted or not.
     
  23. Russ_Watters Not a Trump supporter... Valued Senior Member

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    You have not been paying enough attention:*
    http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/

    When Harvard Law School can'T teach rape law because the subject is distressing, that's PC run amok.

    *Wait, aren't you one of the people who shouted down another user as a racist BEFORE he even had a chance to give his opinion in a recent thread? It's as if the "trigger warnings" are used as a way to signal when prejudice is acceptable.
     

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