With this being the election year, conversation has centered on political correctness and the extent to which it pervades society. It has been a subject in beauty pageants, Facebook and Twitter arguments, and the list never ends.
While political correctness may be appropriate in some instances – cough Trump – it has been going too far lately. We live in a society where we have to constantly remain conscientious of derogatory remarks, be careful of how we praise others for their merits, and make sure that all of our actions and speech are “equal” etc.
There are an incessant amount of articles and posts dedicated to condemning people for stepping out of the perfect politically correct bubble. Even Taylor Swift’s squad is under fire because she doesn’t have a perfect mix of multi-racial women in her posse! Yes, even Taylor Swift, the woman who empowers all women, is now a target.
Just recently at the Super Bowl, the ad for Doritos was criticized for expressing anti-abortion sentiments! Can we all just forget about politics and enjoy a commercial once in a while?
Not only does “political correctness” seem to go too far, it seems to be one sided; one group always seems to be favored over another. Certain derogatory racial slurs are accepted where others aren’t: “girl power” is praised while “man power” is offensive, etc.
In this culture, we are conditioned to submit to this skewed political correctness where certain people are favored, and others are put down. We must use sugarcoated euphemisms in referring to some people or ideas, and blatantly exaggerate the negative qualities of others.
Not to hate on Meghan Trainor, but her song “All About That Bass” is a perfect example of this biased political correctness. Her song praises women who have a higher number on the scale, but degrades women who don’t.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream was that his children would be judged by the content of their character, and not by the color of their skin. This quote can apply not just to race, but to body size, gender, sexual preference, political ideology, and any other trait that defines human beings. His dream can’t be realized through a constant state of fear that we’re going to step on others’ toes, or that others are going to step on ours.
Miss Rhode Island USA couldn’t have expressed better how political correctness should be handled when she stated that we need a balanced amount of political correctness. We should still abide by the kindergarten-rule of respecting others and their property, but we should also be vocal about our opinions when they are important to subjects at hand.