Recently I found myself seeking salvation from the cerebral hardships of life by attempting to enjoy the crude humor of South Park. However. I was surprised when the 19th season of the animated show displayed a sincere amount of philosophical ponderings centered around today’s society attempting to become more politically correct. One line struck me as particularly interesting as one character questioned, “What is PC but a verbal form of gentrification? Spruce everything up, get rid of all the ugliness in in order to create a false sense of paradise?” Although this line was only a small part of a much more pronounced monologue I often found my thoughts returning to the question while examining the state of our nation today.
In the past few years the American people have attempted to breed a culture of acceptance and community which is altogether new and exciting. Just over a year has passed since the Supreme Court guaranteed the legalization of gay marriage in all 50 states, and many activists have since shifted their attention to other marginalized groups in order to deal with the oppression which they face. We’ve seen a large percentage of Americans attempt to adopt a more politically correct lifestyle in order to become more tolerant themselves. Perhaps this is a great thing as sometimes it takes a genuine effort to change habits of intolerance.
However, my primary concern with the movement of political correctness is the amount of sincerity that individuals devote to the cause. There is no doubt that some people will remove the usage of derogatory words from their vocabulary in an authentic effort to combat discrimination, yet to think that everyone who advocates for political correctness does so solely for the benefit of humanity would be much too idealistic. I also believe this issue to be most prominent, but certainly not exclusive, to those who are in a position of power (or hope to be) as they must prove to a younger audience that their ideals are in line with what they believe in. I admit that, as I write this, a particular presidential candidate comes to mind.
Now, those who are insincere in their motives will be unlikely to bring about actual change. Rather, as South Park may attempt to convey, the bigoted issues which plague our country will only be displaced from our sight and will not be addressed. The movements for change which so many devote themselves to will become mere commodities with inexhaustible value so that a politician may appear “with the times”.
This issue is twofold as those who occupy a more conservative outlook will feel entirely underrepresented as our nation moves towards change. As a country we must remain aware that there are those who will become hesitant to change, and an effort must be made in order to begin an educational dialogue where all opinions are equally respected. As those who are not involved in social change become the suppressed minority, they may become increasingly desperate to have their voices heard and will eventually resort to incredibly extreme political views which are embodied by, I don’t know, some unintellectual, sociopathic, arrogant, orange racist television personality. Wait a moment…
