Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Political Correctness

Political Correctness

        Politically Correct; now that is a word we all have been hearing a lot lately. We can all agree that being politically correct has a place in society and the reason for its existence has good intentions. However, like anything in life too much of it can be harmful. The rise of political correctness has become more of a censorship ideal. Where anything remotely controversial or even an idea that disagrees with the majority is either censored or frowned upon. This has become a major issue in the online community and even the Csula community. Its grown to the point of impeding others of their right to free speech. Now I am not talking about being able to curse or spew racial adjectives to others without consequence. Those do not belong in a professional or educational environment. I am talking about where honest opinions or ways of life are impeded just because they are different. This difference is then either called being racist or bigoted and thus must be politically incorrect. Deeming everything as racist and choosing not to listen to differing opinions can only lead to more problems than good. 

Research

       Now you may be thinking how can censoring racists and toxic people be a bad thing. The problem lies with what constitutes as racist or bad. We can all have different views and lines and what crosses them. Therefore anything can be viewed as a racial or bigoted undertone. Even having something as simple as having a mascot can be seen under this context. Amherst College had the exact same issue with their mascot "Lord Jeff". Many of the students claimed he promoted white supremacy and that it should be removed in order to not offend anyone. Eventually the college had given in and "lord Jeff" was removed from the school. However, it turns out "Lord Jeff" actually was a real life war veteran and the college had him memorialized as the mascot in order to honor him for his war duties (Kia Sherwin). Lord Jeff was a piece of history, and its removal will certainly cause some controversy. Now here in lies the problem. Instead of opting to re-invent or change "Lord Jeff" to be more of a symbol everyone can relate to, many chose to outright get rid of him. Such a removal of the schools history is disastrous as it removes a part of its culture. Culture is what defines our history and accomplishments. If the school's culture is removed then its identity and history is also removed. Without such an identity many people can feel a loss of their pride for their school. 

         Besides removing culture from schools, one thing political correctness is infamous for is censorship. If one were to have a different opinion on a matter, someone will censor you under the guise of not being "PC". While there are many environments where this occurs, one area it happens quite often is at college campuses. One place in particular is here in our very own home, Cal State Los Angeles. When Ben Shapiro planned to have his speech here at our school, he was met with huge backlash. Protests were created in order to prevent students and Ben from speaking. Young America wrote "The president of CSULA, William Covino, sent an e-mail to CSULA YAF canceling the event because it would be best for our community"(Young America). The school's president even tried to censor Ben because his views were different from the students. Many of the students deemed him politically incorrect and this in lies the problem with PC campuses. Differing views and ideas are seen as toxic while views in the same ideology are praised. Such an ignorance against arguments can only lead students thinking the world will always agree with their opinions. Only when its too late do they realize that reality does not always line up with their views. Without an environemnt were all arguments are accepted and one can think about both sides of an issue then many become ignorant. They become ignorant and hateful towards anything that do not fit their view. This is what an overabundance PC culture creates. 

        I am not saying political correctness is useless or always harmful. PC ideas can have a place in society, allowing one to live life without being targeted for their race and sexuality. However, its only when its being pushed largely that it creates issues. Being too correct can removes ones culture and history. While also creating a false sense of reality to those who live and breath it. There has to be a balance of ideas and controversy in order for a person to truly come up with their own opinions and ideas. 

Personal

        This topic is important to me and not just because of my own personal views. Censorship and political correctness have their place in society however the misuse of these ideas limit my and others opinions. With the rise and censor ship of my ideals, I always feel like I am walking on eggshells. I can never say my true opinion or feelings on a subject due to how my peers or other can perceive them. Always in fear of my own ideas affecting my livelihood. I would not want something i said a couple years ago to affect my working or living conditions just because somebody felt it incorrect. We have blurred the line between verbal consequences and physical ones. Causing many lives of those who do not deserve it to be ruined. I personally do not want to live in a society where our 2nd amendment right can cause our own demise.


Members Affected in Community



Daniel Chavez
"Being PC has a place and a time but being PC all the time has no place."




Christina Galindo
"While I agree with politically correctness at times, I do believe that some people go to far with it and that it sometimes creates an unrealistic expectation of the world."


References
Sherwin, Kai. "Political Correctness: The Effects on Our Generation." The Huffington Post.        
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 02 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

"BREAKING: YAF Files Lawsuit Against CSULA for Censorship of Ben Shapiro Lecture."Young      America's Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.


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