April 6, 2013 by David K. Sutton
Is It Political Correctness, Or Is It Simply The Right Thing To Do?
You hear a lot of people complaining about political correctness. I’m sure you’ve had Facebook friends post snippy status updates or article posts bemoaning our PC culture. And maybe people can get carried away. Maybe political correctness can go overboard. But can you really fault someone for trying to do the right thing?
So for those who complain about political correctness, take these words into consideration. “Issues are only a matter of ‘political correctness’ when they don’t apply to you and your family,” said Jonathan Rosa of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst on the Melissa Harris-Perry Show. “As soon as someone’s family is involved, then all of a sudden we need to make a change.”
This gets into the area of empathy, or lack thereof. Unfortunately some people find it easy to belittle issues that don’t affect them. So ask yourself these questions:
Have you criticized someone because you believe their political correctness has gone too far? How do you know? What is your barometer? Is it possible you don’t fully understand the person or the issue? Is it possible you are quick to reject the plight of someone with a different background and a different life story? If suddenly you or your family faced this issue, would you criticize yourself for having a political correct response?
