A recent poll from Angus Reid says a vast majority of people believe the concept of "political correctness" has gone too far.

But to Scott Reid, political strategist, former advisor in the Martin PMO, and Ottawa Citizen columnist, most people don't know what "political correctness" means.

In this audio essay, he explains his journey from homophobic joke-teller to grown adult, and argues the basic lesson of political correctness is to try and not be a "dink." He also says that when a politician proudly claims that they aren't politically correct, they're asking for permission to be dumb jerks.

Some of our politicians are adopting the 'politically incorrect' label, to attract attention and woo votes. Not everyone slides to the muddy bottom, but that doesn't make the slope any less slippery. More and more, this label is used as license to say things that are vulgar, stupid, inconsiderate, bullying, and false. - Scott Reid

To hear the full audio essay, press the PLAY button above.