The philosophical status of "political correctness".

Political correctness can reinforce tribalism rather than drawing people away from tribalism. Political correctness requires uniform thinking, doesn't it?

(I am speaking of tribalism as a mentality rather than as ethnic grouping.)

wandeljw

Could just expand that a little with an example . How does "reinforcement" operate ?

I see it as possible reinforcement of belonging to a group which has the same idea of what is politically correct. Conservatives would have different ideas of political correctness than liberals.

wandeljw

I agree different groups have different politics, but the popular interpretation of "political correctness" involves avoidance of linguistic categories which have generally accepted discriminatory of negative connotations.... like "mankind" becomes "humankind", etc

Fresco, nice to see you back in the philosophical mode. Frankly, I see political correctness as patronizing. You know by now that I tend to be laconic when it comes to philosophy.

I was thinking of political correctness in terms of ideas rather than merely linguistic categories. For example, it would be considered "politically incorrect" to advocate same-sex marriage in some groups while in other groups you would be considered "politically incorrect" to oppose same-sex marriage.

As I see it, "political correctness" is applied to both categories of speech behavior. I think that when it comes to ideas, political correctness has a negative value: we should be able to express (critique or advocate) anything. But when it comes to disruptive speech behavior (yelling fire in a theatre) or hurting the feelings of people by insulting--non-descriptive--names (e.g., nappy hos) I am in favor of PC constraints--not legally but in terms of social morality)

I miss old-fashioned courtesy. Back in the days before letting it all hang out became a virtue....once upon a time....

Re: The philosophical status of "political correctness&


That would depend on where one lived, wouldn't it? Some societies make no claim to political correctness at all while others overdo it. I am in an 'overdo' province, while the one next to me is of the other stripe.

But it's an interesting question - what drives it...

Any thoughts on where it is on the pendulum currently?

I don't believe there is such a word as "correctness"--if there is, there ought not to be. However, i do understand why you use it.

Political rectitude definitely has a political origin, and it has mutated into a bizarre and unlovely step-child of 60s radicalism. The right has adapted their own form of political rectitude (no criticism of christian religious fundamentalism, no matter how extreme; all Democrats are tax and spend, for whatever the evidence that this is what the Republicans have done for a decade; all opponents of firearms control legislation become law abiding citizens who only seek to defend themselves--etc., etc.), and it spreads to areas beyond politics. Much of it is ludicrous--everyone knows that a spokesperson is female, because if the individual concerned were male, he would be described as a spokesman. But the absurdity works damages, too. It is "insensitive," nay, "racist," to allude to drinking problems among Amerindians--and so there can be no public discussion of drinking and drug abuse problems among Indians. Anti-semitism is rife in the African American community, but one cannot describe those ultimate victims of racism as racists themselves. The Palestinian, Muslim Semites of the middle east are victimized by the Israelis, but both the liberal guilt of Europeans and Americans, and the "political correctness" fanaticism of conservative American Christians forbid active public criticism of Israel.

By and large, i see "political correctness" as the most damaging legacy of the political strife of the 1960s.

The semantic aspect of "political correctness" refers to the Sapir Whorf hypothesis (language determines thought/reality). However categories based on "aspiration" are unlikely to prevail over categories based on "innate behaviour". In a sense this is a reflection of the problems of
Christians(etc) actually "loving their neighbour".

Now it may be that original "moral high ground" claimed by the "correctness" camp has been polluted by vested interests as described by Setanta and others, but is such pollution only applicable to PC, or does it extend to the whole body of "general ethics" ? In other words do we reject all "correctness" and substitute "appropriateness" or even "expediency"?.........a big issue involving the supposed existence of benign human values !

Point taken, Setanta, but I'm sure you would acknowledge that civility, consideration, courtesy, etc. have value (except when they are justifiably trumped by important social issues).

That depends--i feel no compulsion to be civil to those who treat me with contempt, whether it is just because they dislike me personally, or because i'm male, or because i'm "white."

I take your point, but i'd point out myself that civility, consideration and courtesy are none of them synonyms for political rectitude, which, if it is civil, is only civil accidentally.

'political correctness' is definitely an oxymoron!

[and speaking of 'deep breathing' morons................; we have politician!]

Bo! Where have you been you canuck, canajun, Canadian. Welcome back.

Sorry, Fresco. I was certain Bo was suffering from affluenza.

no i've been trying to suffer from influenca!

[but luckily no one is listening]

Political correctness is like the "No Child Left Behind" act: it's a good idea, but it's doing more harm than good.

I've never met anyone who has a problem with me calling them "black." And I've been affronted when someone calls me "white." Maybe it's where I live(d), but I doubt it. Political correctness started with politics, and it has branched out into all forms of society. People who were once sure of themselves when talking to someone, are now nervous about what is politically correct and what isn't.

So yes, political correctness is an oxymoron.

to me pc is just another form of propaganda

Re: The philosophical status of "political correctness&

On the contrary, I think political correctness (or, rather, those who maintain PC positions) does have a claim to ethical superiority. Whether it has a valid claim to ethical superiority is another question entirely