The Merriam-Webster definition of Politically Correct is: “Conforming to the belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated”. The Urban Dictionary definition of Political Correctness is: “See bullshit. Proof that George Orwell was way ahead of his time when he wrote his “1984” novel.” Although Urban Dictionary is not considered to be a reliable source for actual dictionary definitions, there is something to be said for the cultural significance it has had in the Millennial generation. At what point did the concept of political correctness make such a drastic departure from a “belief” that protects sex and race from offensive “language and practices” to utter “bullshit”? What was the catalyst that made political correctness go from being a celebrated measure of racial and sexual tolerance to a divisive and controversial tool used in political elections? I think the answers to these questions are embedded within the answer to my final question: when did political correctness turn into partisan correctness?
In order to fully analyze that final question, I think it’s worth going down memory lane and reflecting on past Presidential elections. Three of the broadest categories in a candidate’s platform during an American political election are Economic, Ideological, and Foreign Policy/Military issues. Political correctness is directly related to ideological issues, i.e. abortion/birth control, LGBTQ rights, Black Lives Matter, and various religious issues. A greater emphasis on a candidate’s ideological platform was first brought to prominence most notably during the election of 1980, between Ronald Reagan and the incumbent Jimmy Carter. Preceding the election, the 1960s and 1970s had been experiencing various ideological movements being spearheaded by intense and charismatic leaders, who created emotionally charged arguments that often became divisive among different groups of people. Some examples of this were the Women’s Liberation Movement (led by Gloria Steinem; later led to the Equal Rights Amendment), the Republican National Coalition for Life and the Eagle Forum (founded by Phyllis Schlafly, which contributed immensely to the Pro-Life and Pro-Family Movements), the Civil Rights Movement (led by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X), and the Gay Rights Movement (led by Harvey Milk). A movement that came into fruition during the 1980s was the New Right. It was a movement that combined social, political, and economic change towards a more traditional and conservative society. The movement started in the 1950s and re-emerged in the 1980s.
The divisive nature of such movements led to politicians referring back to these ideological issues as either part of their platform or as ammunition against one of their opponents (depending upon what groups of people they were trying to appeal to). As I said, this became particularly prevalent in the 1980 Presidential Election, as Ronald Reagan used many of these ideological arguments and movements to appeal to certain voters and to destroy his opponents. Reagan supported the Pro-Family and Pro-Life movements in conjunction with the second New Right political movement and directly related his intended social and economic policy change to the movements. He also criticized Jimmy Carter for being too politically correct, because he wouldn’t hold people accountable for their actions and believed too many people were victims rather than the problem themselves. He pointed to the liberal political movements Carter supported, and the flaws he felt were in those movements.
Thus began the transformation of political correctness into “partisan correctness”, due to political parties becoming characterized by the ideological movements and arguments they were most associated with, and politicians becoming obsessed with judging a candidate’s character based on the ideological issues they’ve been in support of or against.
Nowadays, politically correct has been used as an insult towards the Millennial generation, as many people blame the generation for being the source of extreme political correctness. Political commentator Bill Maher has commented extensively on political correctness and the bad turn it has taken on college campuses, “everything seems to take a backseat to their [college students] feelings… democracy they don’t give a shit about, free speech doesn’t matter.” There have been many instances of college students protesting against commentary or actions they feel are politically incorrect or offensive, and many people object by claiming this desire for political correctness is compromising free speech. There is no doubt in my mind that these arguments and issues have been spurred on by the transition from political correctness into partisan correctness, especially given the intensity of the divisive presidential election that is slowly coming upon us all.
