[ShintoMale]

Laurence Berg, Canada Research Chair for Human Rights, Diversity and Identity, disagrees with the
idea that PC language and policies are oppressive. Why? Because he doesn’t really believe that PC policies existed in the first place.

“What [they]’re calling the ‘PC movement’ I would call a social movement by marginalised people and the people who support them,” he said. “[A movement] to use language that’s more correct—not ‘politically correct’—that more accurately represents reality.”

Berg is referring to a way of thinking that many of us students were too young to catch the first time around. For us, the term ‘politically correct’ survived the 90s, but the term ‘human rights backlash’ did not. Will Hutton, former editor-in-chief for the UK publication the Observer, described in his column how the term ‘PC’ was never really a political stance at all, contrary to popular belief. It was actually perceived by many as a right-wing tactic to dismiss—or backlash against—left-leaning social change. Mock the trivial aspects of human rights politics, like its changing language, and you’ll succeed in obscuring the issue altogether.

Berg believes this is what political correctness is all about: “The term politically correct is a reactionary term,” he said. “[It was] created by people who were worried by [social] changes…that affected their everyday understanding of the world in ways that pointed out their role in creating or reproducing dominance and subordination.”

According to Berg, the indignation people feel against PC ideas reflects the discomfort we feel when language and politics begin to pull away from the dominant values we grew up with—in other words, white, middle-class values. It’s no small coincidence that the concept of political correctness originated in the 80s and 90s, just after human rights concerns and visible minority groups started getting real attention in politics and the media.

Berg explains that in its original context, PC was a pejorative term used by people who felt they were losing something. Exactly what they were losing is very hard to describe, especially to them. But many sociologists and historians today have come to a consensus on what they call it: it’s a loss of privilege—and in terms of race, a loss of white privilege.


http://www.historyofrights.com/PDF/ubysee2007.pdf

[Thanos]

Doesn't matter what it was supposed to mean originally. All it's become now in the modern vernacular and common thought is a term to describe left-wing censorship and suppression of dissent from traditionalists/conservatives. And I've yet to see anything to indicate that an egregious tyranny by minorities and special interests wasn't what political correctness was entirely all about in the first place.

[andyt]

The term politically correct arose out of leftist movements who were joshing each other, making light of doctrinaire thinking among themselves. It was picked up by the tighty righties, but you only need to read this forum to see that they have their own version of pc as much as the left. Ditto heads are what the followers of Limburger are called, for instance. Each side likes to think that their ideas are rationally thought out and very open minded, each side has their sacred cows in reality.

[BartSimpson]

Mr. Berg is an idiot. Canada has codified politically correct speech by outlawing so-called 'hate speech' which has such a broad definition that it can be applied to near everyone given the shifting tides of PC.

[BartSimpson]

andyt wrote:

The term politically correct arose out of leftist movements who were joshing each other, making light of doctrinaire thinking among themselves. It was picked up by the tighty righties, but you only need to read this forum to see that they have their own version of pc as much as the left. Ditto heads are what the followers of Limburger are called, for instance. Each side likes to think that their ideas are rationally thought out and very open minded, each side has their sacred cows in reality.

That much I can agree with. I was banned from Free Republic for merely mentioning the fact that Limbaugh's oxycontin addiction would be a factor in any proposed candidacy of his. Seems some people can't handle the truth be they left or right.

[Laura Adams]

I thought politically correct was a euphemism for "euphemism".

[GreenTiger]

BartSimpson wrote:

Mr. Berg is an idiot. Canada has codified politically correct speech by outlawing so-called 'hate speech' which has such a broad definition that it can be applied to near everyone given the shifting tides of PC.

I'm afraid we in the States aren't very far behind.

[Unsound]

I really hate the whole idea of "hate speech" being a criminal offence. How about sticking to real thinigs like "uttering death threats" or maybe even "speech intended to cause violence" or something like that. I suppose it would be the difference between saying "I hate Jews because they're filthy money grubbers who secretly control the world" which would be legal, an and saying "we should all go out and kill us some jews because they're etc." which would not be legal.
disclaimer: I don't actually have anything against jews.

[Bodah]

What do they call being turned down for a job because of the color of your skin when your black ? Racism.

What do they call being turned down for a job because of the color of your skin when your white ? Loss of white Privilege ?

Being turned down for a job because your white in Canada is happening.

Berg's an dumbass.

[ShepherdsDog]

There are plenty of ads stating that visible minorities will be given preference.