Ironically, I wrote this entire article with the thought of not offending anyone. And to be up front, that is not at all what I am trying to do.
Political correctness is a social concept that defines boundaries in what people should or should not say when usually addressing specific groups, affiliations, or other people in general. This could include “banning” certain derogatory words, eliminating certain phrases, and just being considerate of others’ backgrounds and experiences in general. It’s the social application of “think before you speak.”
In theory, being politically correct (or “PC”) is morally just. In fact, it is theoretically necessary for coexisting with other people inevitably different from each other. Being nice and pleasant to other people and minding offending them when you speak to them is generally the best way to live within different communities.
I want to make it clear that I am not condoning offensive slurs, slander, or libel in any sense. Being directly insulting with the intention of doing so is not acceptable. However, it is obvious that political correctness is no longer just being mindful of others’ reactions. Instead, being politically correct has hindered our general comfort with the uncomfortable.
What once was a movement to improve the relationships between different people has now become a crutch for the socially oppressed and an obstacle for overcoming social barriers. The movement has literally done the opposite of its original intention - people are avoiding topics such as racism, and sexism in fear of offending, and thus it is directly affecting the way we are comfortable with those different from us.
How do we confront the very real racist undertones of our society when we fear offending? Instead of confronting them, we avoid the topic all together. Similarly, we are avoiding talking about topics like PTSD and sexual assault for fear of "triggering" the victim (and the societal use of the word "trigger" is enough for a whole other essay).
My point is that we will never be able to coexist without trust in other people when talking about sensitive topics like those aforementioned. We will not be able to grow as a culture and community if our speech is socially hindered by fear of offending. Now that we can all mostly agree that certain words and slurs are strictly off limits to say, we need to be comfortable with pushing boundaries a bit more. Then, we can take the sugarcoats off and feel the refreshing breeze that is overcoming social barriers by confronting them head-on.
