When Jennifer Aniston almost accidentally used the forbidden “R” word (which is much too racy to disclose here) during her interview with Regis and Kathy, the backlash about her insensitivity lasted for weeks. It wasn’t as if she used a curse word, dropped the “F” bomb, or even obliterated appropriate English grammar the way a five-minute clip of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo might. She used one word to punctuate what she had hoped to be a humorous comment. And the world went nuts.
Today, being politically correct has become a way of life. Every social group has become hypersensitive and completely devoid of the thick skin needed to protect them from the words and comments of total strangers. It seems that many people—both individuals and groups—are actually on the hunt for acts of political ‘incorrectness,’ so they can wade in the puddles of self-pity and be perceived as an underprivileged, bullied, and misunderstood social group that is not accepted by mainstream society.
Living in a Politically Correct World
Today, people have learned to be so careful when talking in public, in groups, or even among friends, worried that something they say might be contorted and twisted into an offensive remark with the full intention of producing harm. Moreover, this has caused many of us—as individuals, corporations, politicians, and professionals—to become dishonest in our communication with others. Essentially, it has become considered unethical to share our most basic human thoughts without the fear of backlash from our comments.
Living in a politically correct world is mostly a problem of perception. People now associate some of our most common conversations or thoughts with the notion that they indicate we harbor deep contempt for an entire group of individuals. For instance, if someone simply said, “There were a lot of Black people at the concert,” it immediately becomes a silent implication that the person is racist—when that is not necessarily the truth.
Our society is inundated with people who tend to think the worst. We’ve lost our sense of humor. We take the things we hear on television, from our friends, from our bosses, and internalize them to take on meanings based on our own personal perceptions. Sadly, living in a politically correct world makes it impossible to share our views and thoughts without our words being twisted.
When Mitt Romney, the 2012 presidential candidate, made a comment behind closed doors about the 47% of the United States population living off government assistance, his remark was turned around and seen as an attack on the poor. People accused him of “hating” the poor and took the comment as an offensive remark made toward a large group of people. The reality was that he was speaking the truth—what he thought was a private conversation about an economic issue facing the United States. His words were truths, not whispered under the breath of malice or hurt, but rather an expression to share information.
The question of living in a politically correct world boils down to this: just as each of us has the First Amendment right that entitles us to freedom of speech, an imaginary line of ethical and moral communication is being drawn, which quickly severs our freedom to have our beliefs and speak them in public.
When Dan Cathy, president of Chick-fil-A, maintained his firmly rooted Christian beliefs during an interview for a religious publication and confirmed that he thought marriage was a union between a man and a woman, he learned the hard lesson of political correctness. His comment, made in the context of a discussion about Christianity, neither condemned nor criticized gay or lesbian couples. Despite the fact that his words accurately reflected his personal beliefs and were justified within the context of the conversation, he was suddenly attacked for being politically incorrect. Considering that he has never discriminated in hiring or in serving gays or lesbians, the incident just goes to show how our freedom of speech has been muddied by the pressure to conform to a politically correct world.
Certainly, respect should be used. People should definitely be sensitive to the issues of others and do their best to avoid harming others or hurting the feelings of different social groups. Yet, at the same time, we must realize that the beliefs and comments of one person mean nothing unless we decide to internalize them. Just as we have the choice to listen to the views and opinions of others, watch television shows, and listen to music, we also have the amazing option to ignore them—especially if we find what they are saying offensive or a personal attack.
It is difficult to balance being politically correct with being honest. People need to feel free to speak their minds—both in public and privately—in a respectful way without fearing consequences for their words. Additionally, people need to remember that we won’t always agree with one another, and this world is vast, filled with a million different viewpoints. We have the choice to pay attention to the ones that resonate with us, rather than feeling angered or offended by the ones that don’t.
