A phrase I have heard several times over the last few months, especially in light of the upcoming presidential election, is “Political correctness is destroying this country.” People argue that the idea of political correctness is trivial, and taking the time to use it in daily life detracts from larger issues at hand. In some ways, I can see this logic. Perhaps there are more pressing matters than carefully nitpicking language in order to avoid offending anyone. However, somehow I can’t quite accept the idea that political correctness is destroying our nation.
The idea of political correctness did not just appear overnight; it is in fact the result of a terribly long history of bias against certain groups of people, including, but not limited to, women, the LGBTQ community, and racial minorities. The systematic oppression of these groups has been at work in America since the birth of the nation. Certain words and names have directly played roles in the oppression of these groups, and that is why some words have been deemed inappropriate for a public setting. The notion that people should try to avoid words that have been historically used against marginalized groups is neither terrible nor shocking.
It doesn’t take much time to be politically correct; all a person has to do is take a few words out of their vocabulary and think for a few seconds before they speak on a topic they might not know much about. It is almost alarming to think about the sheer rage such a simple task incites in some people, because it seems as though a portion of the population does not care enough about the feelings and lives of enormous groups of people to do it.
Perhaps instead of declaring that political correctness is destroying our nation, we, as Americans, should examine why political correctness is still necessary. Women still experience sexism, minorities have their lives and dignity threatened by racism on a daily basis, and LGBTQ people are still struggling for rights and respect. By refusing to remove offensive language from our vocabularies, we become part of the problem. We become people who contribute to human rights violations in our world, rather than people who fight against them. Being politically correct is such a small step in working towards equality for all people. How can we possibly take on larger issues at work in our world when we cannot even treat our fellow human beings with basic respect?
Political correctness is not what is destroying America. What is destroying America is the stubborn unwillingness to make conscious changes in the way we view and interact with those who are just beginning to find their voice in this country.
