Originally “P.C.” was a complimentary description used among left-wing academics to refer to an individual that gave increased moral consideration to disadvantaged groups. In the mid-1990’s the term was high-jacked by neoconservatives to denote the excessive policing of speech and the use of affirmative action. Contemporary notions of political correctness are under constant debate because what some would consider extreme censorship, others would consider a commitment to responsible speech (Greene, Encyclopedia of American Political History). For instance, novelist Doris Lessing scrutinizes P.C. as “…the most powerful mental tyranny in what we call the free world”, while politician Clare Short relegates it as “…a concept invented by hard right-wing forces to defend their right to be racist, homophobic and misogynistic” (Hughes, Political Correctness). Despite drastic differences in opinion, the primary intentions of political correctness, such as changing prejudicial attitudes and introducing more neutral language, are laudable. However, a lack of clear parameters for what political correctness actually is has prevented widespread
Originally “P.C.” was a complimentary description used among left-wing academics to refer to an individual that gave increased moral consideration to disadvantaged groups. In the mid-1990’s the term was high-jacked by neoconservatives to denote the excessive policing of speech and the use of affirmative action. Contemporary notions of political correctness are under constant debate because what some would consider extreme censorship, others would consider a commitment to responsible speech (Greene, Encyclopedia of American Political History). For instance, novelist Doris Lessing scrutinizes P.C. as “…the most powerful mental tyranny in what we call the free world”, while politician Clare Short relegates it as “…a concept invented by hard right-wing forces to defend their right to be racist, homophobic and misogynistic” (Hughes, Political Correctness). Despite drastic differences in opinion, the primary intentions of political correctness, such as changing prejudicial attitudes and introducing more neutral language, are laudable. However, a lack of clear parameters for what political correctness actually is has prevented widespread