debeda wrote:
Perhaps. He certainly does better than you.
Well, I suppose I enjoy a good insult here and there, but they are always in response to someone else's insult. I never use insults as a way to escape an argument I can't counter, so I guess that means I do better than you. ;)
debeda wrote:
But you do exemplify the PC culture well. Anyone who doesn't think like you do is "stupid".
Yeah, I'm pretty used to that mischaracterization. I've never suggested any such thing, nor is that what I think but it seems a common response on this site from people who disagree with me... For some reason they can't just say "I disagree" they have to go into this "you think I'm stupid" nonsense.
So... you think PC is specifically a left-wing process of shutting down alternate opinions. Well, as best I can tell, that's a distortion of the truth caused by that all too familiar "I'm a victim of mean liberals that tell me what to do" syndrome.
Here's the definition found on Britannica...
Political correctness (PC), term used to refer to language that seems intended to give the least amount of offense, especially when describing groups identified by external markers such as race, gender, culture, or sexual orientation.That's pretty much all there is to it, which in my opinion is just being polite. When people have a problem with PC it means they don't want to be told it's wrong to call black people niggers or gay men faggots, etc... OR they lost track of what PC actually means, which I think may be the case for you and Canuckus.
Britannica goes on to say...
The concept has been discussed, disputed, criticized, and satirized by commentators from across the political spectrum.At this point it's almost a meaningless term.
debeda wrote:
That also illustrates the difference between PC and civil rather well. In PC culture, certain words, phrases and narratives are VERBOTEN. In a civil culture, everything is open to discussion. It's the difference between suppression of thought and exchange of ideas and free thought and exchange of ideas.
One of perhaps millions of differing opinions on what PC means. Nevertheless, this does explain YOUR view on the matter, so I'll just address it as such...
First of all, your use of the word VERBOTEN is misplaced. PC culture is NOT enforced by the law. If you want to talk about niggers you might be asking for a punch in the mouth or a rash of insults but you are not going to be punished or shutdown by the government. So it's pretty simple - you can choose to be PC or you can choose not to - it's up to you.
Also, a civil culture has ALWAYS been characterized by self-imposed limits on language, which I will simply call politeness. That doesn't mean subject matters are off limits, it just means offensive insults are avoided which in many cases leads to more open discussions.
As for shutting down alternate opinions, PC has nothing to do with that unless the opinion has no redeeming value other than to insult a demographic. There is no reason for any true argument to be insulting. Every constructive opinion in existence can be expressed within the confines of PC language and that includes opinions on the right.
Yes, alternate opinions are routinely shut down by people on all sides. My views are constantly dismissed by the right-wing on this site, usually with unimaginative insults, absurd suggestions or both. It's not a big deal - if that sort of thing bothered me, I wouldn't be here. But not once have I ever blamed someones dismissal of my opinion on being PC.
Honestly, I think you folks are just looking for things to blame and your version of PC takes a lot of your intangible frustrations and puts it in a nice target to shoot at.