I'm 40 yrs old. In my life, I have experienced a lot of sexist, racist, classist bullshit but I have rarely seen the "Political Correctness Gone Mad" nonsense that gives people such a rash.

The closest I've seen/heard was when a woman in my uni's Women's Caucus thoght that 'manipulate' and 'manoeuver' were sexist words because they had the word 'man' in them. When I explained that the roots of those words was the Latin for hand (manus), she accused me of being blinded by the patriarchy. Well, whatever. Blinded by my facts, I'd have said.

Political correctness means taking into consideration that not all of the world falls into the same category as you. It means taking the time to be inclusive. How are these bad things?

What about George Carlin?

It's funny, there's a post further down where people are talking about how having conversations about things with people really is important and can help change their minds.

A few years ago I was having a discussion with a friend of mind and made a passing comment about how "I don't want to be part of the PC police or anything, but..."

When I said that, she linked me to a feminist blog (not this one. I don't remember which one.) where somebody had posted an excellent analysis of how political correctness is important because it protects minorities from hate speech. I didn't admit it in our conversation, but that's a side of things that I had really never considered before, and reading that article was kind of like being dunked in a cold bucket of water.

In retrospect, I think that the whole "I am against political correctness because it's censorship" thing is probably most annoying because it's so easily picked up by people of a generally liberal and progressive mindset. For example, I identified as anti-PC because of my belief that it's important in serious discussions for people to be able to state their beliefs honestly without fear of judgement. I was worried that political correctness was stifling to people and prevented honest dialogue because people might be a afraid to talk about what they really think.

I realize now that political correctness doesn't work that way. Anyways, I just wanted to say: give people a chance. You might change some minds. I think it may be easier to change minds on this issue than on others.

I've always thought that all the rhetoric around political correctness was a red herring in a way. For one thing, it removes the responsibility for being enlightened and inclusive from a person by just telling them what they can and cannot say. This distracts our attention from the important substance of the issue and keeps us obsesses with the somewhat-trivial form it takes. It also bothers me that it makes something as important as being well-informed and sensitive to the history and experiences of others into this trendy little game, which in turn becomes equally trendy to challenge.

add to the 'I'm not PC' people who 'tell it like it is' which is pretty much the same thing: an excuse to be inconsiderate and rude while spouting old school bigotry.
The sad thing is that it's touted as being 'edgy' when in reality it seems you get far more backlash -for- being aware and inclusive.

My standard response is, "Is there anything quite so politically correct, nowadays, than proudly announcing how Politically Incorrect you are?"

I'm so glad someone did a post on this! I have the same feelings on the subject myself. Certain people who represent the majority always want to make everything about them and make it out like they're the victims. If you make a racist, sexist, or homophobic comment and cause people discomfort, that's your own fault; deal with the consequences instead of shifting the blame to the people you offended.

In all honesty I'm sure there are plenty of times when I've participated in politically incorrect humor(appreciation of some inappropriate jokes - while not necessarily endorsing them as political views, enjoying shows like South Park, Mind of Mencia, etc.), but I recognize the problematic elements and don't agree with them.

I think the root of the problem is that people like to assume homogeneity among their friends, coworkers, etc, and they tend to get a little defensive when a new person comes along who forces them to readjust this assumption. For example, I grew up in a predominantly white area where kids liked to "talk black" to be funny. When I moved away to go to school in a more diverse area, I found myself doing that sometimes and really realized that I needed to stop doing that as a habit because I had friends and classmates and coworkers of all races, and I realized that if I kept doing that it might be offensive at worst or at least ridiculous! :) I can think of a lot of other examples of this type of thing, but the point is that if you want to participate in the real world and not just in some niche of people who are exactly like you, you have to learn how to be inclusive toward others, and become aware of your own hidden prejudices. I see people who delight in being politically incorrect as being the same people who generally shirk their duties in this department.

Sorry for the long rant, especially since I'm not saying anything new, but you've touched on something that's been a pet peeve of mine for awhile now :)

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It's a little difficult to explain, but I don't like the term "politically incorrect." To me, there are statements, usually generalizations, that are patently, factually incorrect (e.g., "all black men are criminals," "all women want is money," etc.) Then there are statements or phrases that are disrespectful and dehumanizing, such as ethnic slurs. (Come to think of it, my previous examples fall into both categories.) The impact of these statements need to be taken into account: dehumanization, generalization, and objectification can be and often are devastating. But it is not the words themselves that are dangerous; it is the MINDSET that would allow people to make or use these statements in the first place.

People who loudly announce that they are being "politically incorrect" see themselves as "edgy", "non-conformists" who are "on the fringe." Being "edgy" is often a substitute for actual humor and talent. There are comedians, writers, and thinkers who do force their audiences to look at things in a different way, but being "edgy" is not their main goal. It's a bit like the difference between a social or political "gadfly" and a "troll." A gadfly seeks to stir up debate for the perceived betterment of society; a troll (Anne Coulter is a good example) seeks only to promote him or herself. Someone being "edgy" by being "politically incorrect" is not only seeking to promote his or herself shamelessly, he/she is also continuing to promote dangerous, archaic ideas that were old one hundred years ago. Not quite so "on the fringe" or "non-conformist" after all, eh?

I hate the phrase so much, I made a t-shirt for it. And a Facebook group . I hate these words more than any other word in the world, with the exception of "multitasking."

"Politically incorrect" is the PC term for "reactionary asshole".

It's funny though, because a lot of those people who make a big point of talking about how they're not "politically correct" go absolutely apeshit when people make jokes about sex or religion. They're the ones who want to think shows like South Park and Family Guy "corrupt children" and try to get Judy Blume books banned from schools. In essence, they're hypocrites because they do all the things that they accuse "PC liberals" of doing.

The political correctness label goes both ways. I personally label myself as someone who is politically incorrect, because I find a lot of sex and potty jokes funny. I also sometimes laugh at humor that deals with racism/sexism, but the kind that is designed to show how ridiculous it is (like stuff on Family Guy), not the stuff that embraces and accepts it. But, for all the complaining conservatives do about how sensitive liberals are when they disrupt our ideas about what's acceptable and what's not, they do it ten times worse when we challenge what THEY believe. At least most liberals don't try to ban books that we deem politically-correct, but you can't say the same for conservatives.