When was the last time you’ve stopped yourself from saying something because you were worried that others might view you as being racist or gender biased or, simply, politically incorrect? Did the very act of “not” saying what you had intended to say change your perspective of that particular concept? Or, did it simply help you escape an awkward situation?

Political correctness (PC), the purpose of which is to allow ALL individuals feel respected and valued by using language that is not offensive or discriminatory, has good intentions. However, PC itself is not going to end discrimination as it does not change people’s perspectives. Some might say that persistence (i.e., monitoring language use) can change a person’s view over time, using language that is PC could simply become a social strategy without changing the mind in which discrimination is rooted.

@unsplash

I have had multitudinous experiences of people who would simply say such things that they should not even think about and those people would say that they would not have said those things if they had felt uncomfortable with me. Elsewhere, those people are probably considered well-mannered and considerate due to their tactful usage of language that do not offend anyone. However, politically incorrect thoughts and views still linger deep in their minds.

Furthermore, in today’s society, you cannot say anything without offending someone because there are simply too many words that are taken in as trigger words. This hyper-sensitivity might discourage active intellectual exploration via discussions as people involved in sharing their thoughts might put more weight on monitoring their language lest they inadvertently offend someone. The consequence of this self-censorship is the lack of constructive discussion. There are issues that we simply need to lay out on the table in their raw forms so that we can improve them together. In other words, acting as though you think in ways that society deems as appropriate is not going to change your mind. Discussing them openly, on the other hand, will.

There is a fervent need to balance the promotion of respect and open dialogue in order to foster a society that values diversity of thought and encourages the constructive exchange of ideas.