In the past few years, the general perception of political correctness has taken a massive shift from being generally favored to something that’s more akin to an ever-looming annoyance for those who wish to speak their mind. For those who don’t know, to be politically correct, or “PC” for short, it is to use language, actions, and policies that do not offend or disadvantage any group or individual. For many people, they feel as if this is restricting their ability to speak freely or hold what some may consider fringe opinions, leading many to fight against being politically correct.

However, the line between not being PC and being an outright bigot is often crossed. For some, there is no middle ground, and while everyone is entitled to their own opinions, the often altruistically portrayed fight against political correctness really misses its mark. Hiding behind free speech in an effort to express ignorant, uniformed hate speech is anything but beneficial, and the reason why concepts like political correctness exist. However, seeing how many are reacting to the concept, I’d say it has failed in some places and excelled in others; it has made us more conscious of what we say on a day-to-day basis, but it’s caused a norm that many are trying to rebel against. This could lead to acceptance and encouragement of politically, and more importantly, morally incorrect actions.

Despite what many may say or think, the concept of political correctness does not inhibit you or your rights to free speech in any way and to argue that it does would be near impossible, as it is a purely societal concept and has no political power.

I see things like political correctness as contrived acceptance where many express considerate opinions, not out of any sort of genuinity, but rather out of the fear of a hellstorm of accusations that many have come to expect. For me personally, I’d rather hear someone’s genuine opinions rather than what they feel is the new right thing to do or say, even if it’s atrociously ignorant because then I have a decent understanding of their moral standing. At the end of the day, being PC wasn’t meant to be used as a way to save face, it was intended to encourage accepting and considerate behavior for the betterment of interactions between different groups.