Political Correctness: The End Of The First Amendment | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Political Correctness: The End Of The First Amendment

My Professor: "Students have complained that the gun stickers on your laptop make them feel 'unsafe.'"

921
Political Correctness: The End Of The First Amendment

Politically Correct:

  1. conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated
  2. agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people

These are definitions provided directly from the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Although being sensitive and respectful of others is an important part of everyday life, it has come to a point in the United States where we are becoming too sensitive about everything. Being "politically correct" is beginning to take away our First Amendment right as Americans to have freedom of speech.

At Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, a pro-Trump student wrote "Trump 2016" on a sidewalk and the next day students began to say that reading this made them feel "afraid" or "in pain."

In another recent controversy surrounding political correctness, GapKids released an ad which included four young girls who are a part of a dance group. The ad was to promote Ellen Degeneres' new clothing line for kids. Ellen felt that this clothing line and having these four girls in the ad would help to empower young women; society felt differently. Almost immediately after this ad was released, people started to have a problem with the fact that the young white girl was resting her arm on the young black girl in the photo. In the interview below, the girls discuss how excited they were to do the shoot and how excited they were to be a part of this dance group together. The girls felt as though they were empowering women and inspiring other young girls like themselves.


Why does society need to make these girls like their ad needs to be taken down when they were proud of themselves and felt as though they were making a positive difference?

After reading about situations like these, I am disheartened that our society has become a place where people can't express themselves freely without offending someone in some way. Despite reading about cases like these in the news, I never thought this would happen to me. Then, it did.

I walked into class last week and my professor was happy that I had arrived early. "Can you step outside with me for a minute?" he said. I stepped outside with him wondering what he could have possibly wanted to speak with me about. He warned me that he wasn't speaking to me about this because it was something that was bothering him. Rather it was because students in the class had brought something to his attention that they were bothered by. My professor wanted to speak to me about my laptop. Just like most college students, I have stickers on the front of my laptop case. Nine stickers that represent different things that I love and am passionate about. Below is a picture of my laptop case:

My professor told me that multiple students had gone up to him after class and expressed that they felt "uncomfortable" looking at my stickers, specifically the two that are aimed at guns. He told me that they feel "almost unsafe" and that it "offends them to look at." I was shocked by this. Frankly, I cannot understand how a pro-gun sticker on my computer offends someone who sits across the room from me in a college classroom. I am allowed to express myself freely under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

We are building a society that is too sensitive about everything.

My laptop stickers offend you and make you feel "unsafe"?

Someone writing "Trump" on a sidewalk makes you feel "in pain"?

When political correctness is taken to this extreme, it begins to tear down the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. I am not allowed to be pro-gun because you are offended by guns? Trump supporters are not allowed to publicly and openly support the candidate because you find that it makes you afraid? Gap has to take down and apologize for an ad that made the young women feel empowered just because one of the girls had their arm on top of another? We are creating "Safe Zones" where students can go when they feel they are being offended by something on campus. We are creating intolerant students who think that they can shut down views that another student, or anyone has that does not match their own.

If we do not end this soon, things will go even farther than they are now and the freedom we have will continue to shrink.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

4614
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

303262
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments