Political correctness (adjectivally: politically correct; commonly abbreviated PC) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society.
I believe there is nothing wrong with being PC, but like everything, it can be taken too far. The context in which words are used is what matters, not the words themselves.
For example, in the past month on this forum, I used the word 'nixxER' (and learned that it is censored here) and the term 'white trash' when referring to the way that police think about working class people while they are doing their job. The police have to belittle (or think less of) working class people to justify arresting or killing them etc., otherwise they have to acknowledge that they themselves are assholes (and people don't like to think of themselves as assholes).
This is the type of context in which I think it is wrong to use certain words: when they are used to belittle/insult a person or groups of people without any real justification.
There is another context where I don't like certain words being used. For example, when we call straight people 'fags etc.' as a means to belittle them (the straight people). Like it or not, even if we are for gay rights or whatever, this is (unconsciously) suggesting that gay people are less 'human' so to speak. We don't need to unconsciously belittle a whole category of people to insult someone else. This would be like me calling a white person that I don't like a nixxER as a means to insult them; even if I am not racist, this is not good in my opinion.
Who are 'they'..?
I don't believe that the terms 'cracker' or 'white devils' are generally used to refer to white people as a whole, but to certain categories of white people (the racist ones, or those who feel superior to other people). When I hear these terms in hip hop, I don't feel like anybody is referring to me (or anybody who does not deserve it), so why should I 'bat an eye'?
I believe there is nothing wrong with being PC, but like everything, it can be taken too far. The context in which words are used is what matters, not the words themselves.
Originally posted by AmAnVeL
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This is the type of context in which I think it is wrong to use certain words: when they are used to belittle/insult a person or groups of people without any real justification.
There is another context where I don't like certain words being used. For example, when we call straight people 'fags etc.' as a means to belittle them (the straight people). Like it or not, even if we are for gay rights or whatever, this is (unconsciously) suggesting that gay people are less 'human' so to speak. We don't need to unconsciously belittle a whole category of people to insult someone else. This would be like me calling a white person that I don't like a nixxER as a means to insult them; even if I am not racist, this is not good in my opinion.
Originally posted by AmAnVeL
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I don't believe that the terms 'cracker' or 'white devils' are generally used to refer to white people as a whole, but to certain categories of white people (the racist ones, or those who feel superior to other people). When I hear these terms in hip hop, I don't feel like anybody is referring to me (or anybody who does not deserve it), so why should I 'bat an eye'?
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