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suterussu wrote

Depends on what you mean by "political correctness."

As simple shorthand for not using language that reinforces hierarchy and oppression, you're a piece of shit if you aren't in favor of it. There's a reason that the people who benefit from continued oppression oppose attempts to limit the way they exercise it through language, and if you're at all serious about combating oppression you need to understand that.

Obviously the term itself has origins in rigid adherence to party ideology (20th century Communist Party, if memory serves), and in that respect, it's a bad thing. You shouldn't follow a certain course of action just because the party leaders say it advances party goals, but that doesn't mean the proscribed actions themselves are necessarily always undesirable.

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edmund_the_destroyer wrote

I think the term lost all usefulness long ago. The right uses it to mean 'expressing an unpopular opinion' and I see people say, "I'm not politically correct!" when all they're trying to do is sound tough without actually doing anything of substance.

The left usually means plain politeness. Don't use racist or sexist terms. "Hey skirt, fetch me a coffee" isn't politically correct.

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