Hear Me Out: Has political correctness gone too far?

Updated

At one time, former soldiers Jason and Grus might have seen eye-to-eye on political correctness. That's definitely not the case any more.

The idea that "political correctness has gone too far" is a hot-button topic — at BBQs, on social media, on TV and even in our Parliament.

But what does political correctness actually mean? And why does it get people so fired up?

Jason and Grus are both former soldiers, but they have very different views about how political correctness affects Australian society. They haven't met before but have agreed to sit down and hear each other out.

We asked for your opinions about whether political correctness has gone too far. Read the comments.

Jason is firmly of the view that political correctness has indeed gone too far. He believes he can't freely speak his mind any more.

In a frank admission, Grus says that when he was younger, he was extremely racist. But he now has a very different perspective:

Jason: "If you have to be careful of every single thing you say, it starts getting into a level of affecting freedom of speech." Grus: "I grew up in a small farming town and I was extremely racist, extremely misogynistic, xenophobic. I didn't like anyone who was different to myself. ... As I got older and moved from the country to the city ... and knowing different people has shown me it wasn't appropriate. So I'm an advocate for political correctness."

How does political correctness affect you?

Jason feels Australians are becoming too easy to offend.

"I feel like I can't speak out loud, especially in the workforce. You've got to be real careful with what you say. You can't have a joke around with a lot of things. It's too easy to offend someone. I think there needs to be a little bit more toughness."

Grus used to think that way too. But he says there aren't any political correctness police. It's just that society has changed.

Grus: "The government is not saying you can't have a joke. It's, if you make a joke in a public space and someone hears it and is offended, then you are going to cop a public backlash. I think it's society saying we want to be a bit more sensitive. You should play the man and not the race, not the religion, not the gender." Jason: "At the moment we just seem to bend over backwards for anyone that's different. It is making Australia a lot softer, it's making us a bit more of a pushover country."

Jason says political correctness means things aren't "equal" because he believes minority groups are getting more assistance than white Australians.

But Grus says white males have had an advantage for too long, and people from different backgrounds may need an extra helping hand to catch up.

What's political correctness doing to the workplace?

The workplace is the main area where Jason thinks political correctness has gone way too far.

He's studying to be a paramedic and worries that the emergency services are prioritising diversity over who's best for the job — he says it shouldn't matter what race, gender or religion someone is, particularly when lives are at stake.

Grus agrees that many workplaces are trying to recruit people from different minorities rather than just white males. The difference is he thinks that's a good thing.

Jason: "I think political correctness is more making us focused on trying to be more diverse instead of who's more qualified." Grus: "I think that for too long females, Aboriginal people, certain religions have been under-represented in the workplace. I think it's time we play catch-up and that means yes, sometimes some people are going to miss out on a job when they think they're entitled to it. But I think a more diverse workplace is a better workplace." Jason: "I don't see why the workplace needs to be diverse."

Is there anything they agree on?

Hmm, even at the end of their conversation, they certainly don't see eye-to-eye on political correctness and its impact on Australia. But they do have a little common ground.

Grus: "When we joined the army I think we both joined for the right reasons, to serve our country, protect its people, protect our way of life. Jason: "We both mean well, we both care about the future." Grus: "The great thing about being an Australian is we can shake hands and have a beer."



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Credits

Reporter, photography, filming, video editing: Margaret Burin

Designer: Ben Spraggon

Developer: Colin Gourlay

Additional video editing: Loretta Florance

Additional filming: Kathryn Ward

Editor: Matt Liddy

Topics: government-and-politics, australia

First posted