Words obviously have meaning — I'm not going to be debating that, but it seems as though their power has been blown way out of proportion in the past few years.

The term "political correctness" is very often thrown around in political and social dialogue, but what exactly is it and how do people involved in partisan politics view it? In general, Republicans will often claim to be "anti-PC" in order to excuse themselves from saying something ridiculous or blatantly false, and Democrats (for the most part) seem to be complacent with it.

In the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term "politically correct" is defined as "conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated."

This is effectively a well-disguised attempt at censorship masquerading as a good-intentioned tool to "help" the nation's oppressed, and perhaps promote homogeneity of some sort. Not only does this attitude discourage people with conservative viewpoints from expressing those viewpoints, but it also suppresses liberal viewpoints (such as criticism of Islam and other religions). PC culture has not received much criticism from leftists, but it desperately needs it, since PC is an inherently illiberal concept.

Confident leftists should not have to worry about people voicing racist and sexist opinions, since they are very easy to debunk. If a nation suppresses the voice of its most bigoted people, then how and when will the conversation be had?

Let's address the elephant in the room, or not in the room — safe spaces.

I'll be honest, my attempt at staying neutral is not working anymore. The idea of a safe space is a toxic one, period. Safe spaces are essentially rooms or areas on a college campus wherein people are not allowed to say certain things, plain and simple. Who decides what people can and cannot say in these so-called safe spaces? Where is the line drawn? These questions remain unanswered.

On top of this, there have also been successful attempts to bring back segregation. I honestly wish that I was exaggerating. At Claremont McKenna College, a safe space was created for "people of color" that does not allow white people — as if this solves a problem. Since when was isolating groups of people based on race or ethnicity a good thing?

Words have meaning, but they are not weapons. Let me say something radical — words have no physical way of harming you. I know it's crazy.

I would like to cite one of the many clickbait articles that promotes PC culture.

This is what I like to call "Liberal Tolerance 101."

This article lists several phrases that "white people should stop saying to black people immediately." This laundry list of "oppressive slurs" includes the all-time classic, "When I see you, I don't see race."

Why should white people specifically stop saying this? What's wrong with this statement? The answer is nothing. If you see an individual instead of just another representative of an arbitrary racial category, then you're just correct.

Lastly, one of the many problems with political correctness is that the people promoting it assume a collective agreement on what is and isn't offensive. I hate to admit it, friends, but not everyone agrees on what is and isn't offensive.

So embrace the First Amendment while you still can. In the meantime, hurt feelings, offend people and push against the promotion of safe spaces — because real life is a danger zone.