We live in a world that is increasingly becoming diverse. With social media and technological advancement regarding transportation, communication among different types of people is becoming more and more common. You’ve probably heard about the terminology, “PC” (which does not mean “Personal Computer”) on social media, possibly whenever a movie is released. What exactly is “PC” then? What does this mean?
Political Correctness, “PC” in its commonly abbreviated form, is a way of language that tries its best to not propagate or convey any means of offense towards different types of social minority groups, including gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.
Political correctness is spreading all over the world, especially in the media industry. Films and TV shows are becoming more politically correct over the last few years. “Doctor Who,” a BBC TV show with countless seasons and international popularity, had introduced its 13th and first female Doctor, portrayed by Jodie Whittaker.
“The Good Place,” an American TV show on NBC and Netflix, is a great example of politically correct media material. The show, with lead actors of varying gender and race groups, casts a sarcastic, comical view over forms of racial stereotyping and misogyny inside its main plot throughout the entire 3 seasons. The Good Place and the Bad Place is basically heaven and hell; good people get into the Good Place, and bad people get into the Bad Place after death. By showing how “bad people” take racial and gender discrimination for granted, the show criticizes discrimination and leads the viewers to understand that certain language or actions towards certain social groups are “bad.”
Even online games show interest in political correctness — Overwatch, an FPS game by Blizzard Entertainment that has gotten popular all over the globe, has shown diversity among its playable characters. Revealing that a certain character, Soldier:76, was gay had stirred up the Overwatch fan community.
As such, criticism has arisen regarding political correctness. The ones opposed to political correctness views it as a form of restriction. Another opinion is that media material, designed to be fun and inclusive towards all types of viewers, should not promote certain political ideas. Some argue that the plot of Doctor Who had gotten dull and boring due to political correctness, and the sexual orientation of Soldier:76 from Overwatch had received plenty of negative feedback among users.
Despite the negativity, political correctness is steadily rising. More female and non-white actors are stepping into lead roles, and LGBT+ is getting more recognition from varying industries. Nonetheless, political correctness is changing the world into a more fit place for diversity to settle into.