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What are the pros and cons of political correctness?
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Political correctness' suppression of ideas leads to their polarisation

Political correctness merely prevents people using offensive words, the motivation behind them remains, and views become more harmful once suppressed
Polarization Political Correctness

The Argument

When people cannot think, share or say their feelings, their feelings do not disappear. These thoughts can intensify and become even more toxic. The frustration felt at the injustice of not being able to express ones views has been shown to exacerbate views, not diminish them. Historically, when a society is oppressed or its views are censored, the people revolt against politicians as their views begin to fester. Donald Trump's success stems predominantly from his lack of political correctness. A large proportion of Trump's support comes from people with highly unpolitically correct views . An APPP poll found that a third of Trump voters support banning gays and lesbians from the country. Twenty percent said Lincoln shouldn’t have freed the slaves. They felt that Trump was addressing issues such as immigration with a brutal approach that others wouldn't dare.

Counter arguments

Political correctness does not polarise ideas by suppressing them. Political correctness makes people reconsider whether they are saying something of prejudicial or inappropriate. Political correctness raises awareness about the severity of extreme opinions/toxic views that target minority groups. Political correctness makes people consider that harmful views can lead to more drastic measures down the line. For example, Anti-semitism first showed up as jokes and alienation before it lead to millions of Jews being murdered.

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Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

This page was last edited on Tuesday, 27 Oct 2020 at 15:09 UTC

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