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Being Politically Correct Encourages Masking our Real Feelings

Political correctness is a term used to describe language, practices, or initiatives that are meant to
discourage members of specific groups in society from being insulted or disadvantaged. The term has
been used since the late 1980s to describe a preference for inclusive language and the avoidance of
language or action that can be seen as excluding, marginalizing, or degrading groups of people who are
marginalized or discriminated against, particularly groups identified by race, gender, or sex[ CITATION
Fri95 \l 1033 ]. Linguistically, the practice of what is called "political correctness" tends to be rooted in
the effort to eradicate the exclusion, based on language use, of different identity groups. Our
understanding of truth is determined by our thinking processes, which are affected by the language we
use, according to the Sapir-Whorf, or Whorfian, theory[ CITATION Koh92 \l 1033 ]. Language forms our
experience in this way and tells us how to think about the reality and respond to it. Language frequently
shows our prejudices and encourages them. In the case of individuals who do not seem to enjoy being
politically correct, it may be that they actually disagree with politically correct viewpoints in certain
instances. For very bad reasons, some people disagree with politically-correct beliefs - maybe because,
for example, they themselves are racist or sexist. However, some individuals have very good reasons to
disagree with a politically correct view[ CITATION Gib16 \l 1033 ]. For example, they may wish to support
free speech and may thus be fiercely opposed to the politically correct idea that you mustn't criticize
other people's beliefs. Gratuitous political correctness encourages masking our feelings: it compromises
freedom of speech, creates separation between individuals and causes unnecessary conflict in
communication[ CITATION Gib16 \l 1033 ].

It's quick to be confused about whether 'being politically correct' is a positive thing or not, if you've ever
spent time on a Facebook comments thread. In either camp, there are plenty of individuals, all ready to
defend their positions passionately[ CITATION Cho16 \l 1033 ]. Political correctness is an important idea
that protects people who are vulnerable to discrimination, but it can be misunderstood. It's generally
because they equate being a PC with being unable to think and act as they like when people complain
about 'political correctness gone crazy'. People who practice political correctness are frequently accused
of refusing the right to free expression to other persons, or of 'sucking the fun' out of everything.
Political correctness is designed to make us use vocabulary that is helpful rather than
negative[ CITATION Eli17 \l 1033 ]. The bottom line remains the same, whether the prejudice stems from
racism, homophobia, sexism or transphobia. 'Being politically correct' just means that you understand
that people who are vulnerable to prejudice are affected by your actions[ CITATION Cho16 \l 1033 ].
While protecting those who are vulnerable is considered righteous, it can easily get out of hand. The
general practice of political correctness itself is simply vigorously opposed by some rather
knowledgeable individuals. They haven't been racist. These aren't racist. They aren't being homophobic.
They just accept that principles, beliefs and actions should be judged on theory. They dislike and resent
the obnoxious notion that the opinions, words and acts of individuals should be measured according to
what other individuals think is 'rational' or 'fitting'[ CITATION Bro06 \l 1033 ] There's a need to monitor
hypersensitivity. People are being targeted today for saying the slightest things. We must agree that
every person has the right to say in a respectful manner what he or she wants to say. Respect is the
main word; if you get mad for the sake of someone disagreeing, then you are part of the problem.
Freedom of speech is a human right of basic value. It strengthens all other human rights, facilitating the
growth and advancement of society. According to a study from Harvard[ CITATION Rob06 \l 1033 ], to
bring about progress in society, the freedom to share our opinions and speak openly is important. If you
deprive this freedom of speech, then you are basically limiting society’s betterment.

Political correctness compromises freedom of speech. While the fluidity of liberalism can require us to
recognize its presence in the plural, as Michael Freeden points out,' liberalism is a specific configuration
of political concepts that have a loose yet recognizable morphology,' of which freedom and equality are
identifiable core values common to all liberal versions[ CITATION Fre08 \l 1033 ]. Positive freedom
stresses the need to eliminate inhibitions, such as economic deprivation, classism or bigotry, from any
social system that prohibits individuals from exercising their free will. Such a notion of liberalism
acknowledges that unhindered self-realization is illusory and thus requires collective and state support
to achieve real independence and equality. The pc solution also focuses on the premise that while
fighting against offensive behaviors, people from oppressed communities need community and state
assistance. It can be a way to liberate them from oppressive social systems by censoring offensive
expression and behaviors that impede the rights of these individuals[ CITATION Fur16 \l 1033 ].
According to Michael Goho, with its false facades and inability to confront problems directly, this can be
extremely counterproductive to the overall development and real advancement of society. Artificiality
rules and there is a departure from reality and honesty in our complicated universe, which is why things
about man are vastly hollow and watered down[ CITATION Mic21 \l 1033 ]. In the long run, any act of
suppression of free expression is extremely detrimental to society. In silencing others to adhere to an
arbitrary tribal norm, there is clearly something disturbing about having the right to enforce acts and
conduct. Ultimately, this could be a type of dictatorship guarded by preserving decency through
different cultural appropriations. It's a perilous type of power[ CITATION Mic21 \l 1033 ].

Political correctness creates separation between individuals. In current times, political correctness is
clearly worsening, an indication of systematic brushing of problems under the rug. By beating around
the bush, many fake individuals would rather wrongly take the so-called high road than clearly answer
problems. And that's when we develop pretentious backstabbers and two faced shape shifters that build
relationships that are more and more meaningless[ CITATION Mic21 \l 1033 ]. According to Manila
Times [ CITATION MAN19 \l 1033 ], political correctness is getting immature, thus making separation
between PCs non PCs and other immature PCs. Although post-modern proponents aim to encourage
liberating diversity, liberal ideals are put above the open-ended quest for reality by Enlightenment
liberals. This socio-academic debate is not about two sides favoring and opposing political correctness,
despite appearances to the contrary. It is, in reality, a discussion about the kind of politically correct
legislation that can help defend liberal values[ CITATION San19 \l 1033 ]. Political correctness without a
doubt separate people’s belief from one another resulting in the polarization between individuals.

Political correctness causes unnecessary conflict in communication. Events where communication gets
disrupted because of PC culture occur every day in politically correct societies, where in cross-cultural
interactions, interactions between people of different races, genders, beliefs, and other potentially
charged social identity classes, unspoken canons of ownership regulate behavior. We are troubled by
the challenges to the creation of positive, committed relationships at work that political correctness can
raise. People feel judged and fear being blamed in societies governed by political correctness. They are
concerned with how people see them as members of their communities of social identity[ CITATION
Eli17 \l 1033 ]. People feel inhibited and unable to explicitly answer even the most banal questions.
People draw private conclusions; their conclusions become immutable without being checked.
Production of resentments, fraying relationships, and suffering performance. Political correctness is not
just a problem for those in the "majority." If majority members are reluctant to talk candidly, members
of under-represented groups also suffer: "minorities" are unable to address their concerns about justice
and worries about playing into negative stereotypes, and that leads to an environment in which
individuals tiptoe around the issues and each other. These dynamics create misunderstanding,
confrontation, and distrust, corroding both the productivity of management and teams[ CITATION
Rob06 \l 1033 ].

Political correctness is often the result of an over-simplistic Ignorant view of the world, but some of the
most obscure arcane definitions and worldviews often, ironically, accompany it. It also has a peculiar
way of mixing "attitude" and "tough conversation" with extremely thin skin, sometimes resulting in
some of the irrational social norms we see today[ CITATION Cho16 \l 1033 ]. Today, people have political
correctness issues because it is now also a tactic used to suppress dissenting views. The political
correctness arm is also used to censor conservative views, even though it is not necessarily any of those
stuff most of the time. Present-day political correctness also prioritizes the feelings of an individual or
community over the situation's facts. Being politically correct or denying or inventing the facts keeps
people from talking frankly about the problems of society and searching for a real solution[ CITATION
Gib16 \l 1033 ]. Also in a lot of "free" nations, for harming someone's feelings, you can go to jail today.
This should never be the case. This deprives people of their basic right. No matter how practical and
harsh our opinions may be, we should not be afraid to speak our minds. None of us should be scared to
voice our opinions, if somebody needs discipline it is important to correct them without being criticized.
Being able to voice out our opinion is necessary to improve our society, thus making political correctness
wrong in majority of the situations[ CITATION Gib16 \l 1033 ]. Political correctness is helpful up to some
degree. But abusing this ‘PC’ attitude results I greater problem and it steps on other’s belief and
understanding. Respecting somebody’s opinion while you may disagree with them is necessary for
improvement. Not every single comment about race is racist, and not all comments about women are
sexist, sometimes it can be used to improve ourselves to just listen and not insult the people voicing out
their opinions. Respect begets respect, if you find someone that has said something that is offensive, be
respectful in the way you correct them[ CITATION Kau16 \l 1033 ]. Nagging doesn’t help. Each person
reserves the right to talk as they see fit. Not to hurl people with abusive comments. Without
sugarcoating it all with a hypocritical veneer, everybody should have the freedom to speak frankly.
References
Angsioco, E. (2017). Political Correctness 101. Manila Standard.

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Modern Britain.

Chow, K. (2016). 'Politically Correct': The Phrase Has Gone From Wisdom To Weapon".

Faria, S. D. (2019). Political Correctness: the Twofold Protection of Liberalism. Springer LInk.

Freeden, M. (. (2008). European liberalism. An essay in comparative political thought. European Journal
of Political Theory.

Friedman, M., & Narveson, J. (1995). Political correctness : for and against.

Furedi, F. (2016). What’s happened to the University?: A sociological exploration of its infantilisation.

Gibson, C. (2016). "How 'politically correct' went from compliment to insult".

Goho, M. (2021). Goho: Political correctness vs truth. sunstar.

Kaufman, S. B. (2016). "The Personality of Political Correctness; The idea of political correctness is central
to the culture wars of American politics".

Kohl, H. (1992). "Uncommon Differences: On Political Correctness, Core Curriculum and Democracy in
Education".

Robin J. Ely, D. M., & Davidson, M. N. (2006). Rethinking Political Correctness.

TIMES, M. (2019). When political correctness becomes political immaturity. Manila Times.

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