Pet Peeve
“Political Correctness” started as a sarcastic variation on adhering to the party line, that was coined by European Communists to label followers of the Stalinist line in the West in the middle of the 1900s.
It wasn’t until the late 1990s that Conservatives started using it to distract from their ad hominem attacks and/or anti-social rhetoric. No one is objecting to politicians’ views on political doctrine, they are objecting to a lack of manners. Private citizens can’t actually be politically incorrect, since it is a standard for politicians, but everyone can be obnoxious. Making negative public comments about someone’s personal appearance is obnoxious. Making negative public comments about someone’s political views is politics.
If more people paid attention to and remembered the lessons they learned in kindergarten the world would be a better, more civil place. The ladies of the South, bless their hearts, have proved for decades that is possible to be polite and nasty at the same time.
4 comments
“Bless their hearts.” 🙂
The reality is that you don’t have to sound like a middle school lunch room to bad-mouth someone. These people need to attend a few garden club luncheons to see how it’s done.
Every time you see “political correctness”, replace it with “common courtesy and respect.” For example, here is Donald Trump’s “political correctness” speech with that substitution:
“I think the big problem this country has is treating people with common courtesy and respect. I’ve been challenged by so many people, and I don’t frankly have time for treating people with common courtesy and respect. And to be honest with you, this country doesn’t have time either.”
Yeah, Donald, we understand ya.
– Badtux the Snarky Penguin
He doesn’t think he has to abide by any standards. The worst case of “affluenza” I’ve ever seen. He simply does not recognize the possibility of being required to obey any laws or standards. Your example is a bulleye. He may be a billionaire, but he is still what we would both call white trash.