'Political Correctness' -- Invented By Right-Wing Snowflakes

‘Political Correctness’ and analogous terms have been around for many centuries, but in the last hundred years 'PC' was 're-discovered' by the Nazis in order to attack prominent Jews, and then by Maoists and Stalinists in order to satirise and wrong foot their political opponents. For the latter it had no other meaning or purpose. Their use of 'PC' certainly wasn’t aimed at curtailing speech; if they wanted to do that they just arrested or summarily executed 'miscreants'. They certainly didn’t fool around with petty name-calling.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/12/17/The-interesting-evolution-of-Political-Correctness

'PC' was resurrected again 25 or so years ago by a handful of right-wingers and Republican politicians. They did so because (i) They needed a new bogeyman to frighten the electorate after the fall of the Soviet Union (in 1991) and (ii) They also needed something with which they could label and attack the ideas and alleged ‘bullying tactics’ of ‘the left’ — especially in the USA and the UK — since the latter were supposedly in control of the Universities and Colleges and as a result were stifling ‘free speech’ —, but in support of which allegations these right-wingers offered precious little evidence.

In fact, the opposite is the case:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/09/22/Conservatives-charge-that-universities-are-hotbeds-of-liberalism-they're-wrong

However, many think 'PC' has something to do with avoiding offensive speech, or with being polite and respectful about how we say things to others. But, that is to misconstrue the nature of ‘PC’, which is a political term; it isn’t a moral term that puts the onus on each of us as individuals to behave, or refrain from behaving, in certain ways. As I showed above, 'PC' was resurrected by right-wingers (not leftists or even liberals) nearly thirty years ago and formed an integral part of their 'theory' that there exists a left-wing ‘thought police’, a 'Marxist-Mafia', out there (somewhere...? -- under the bed perhaps?) that wields considerable social and political power, sufficient to stifle ‘free speech’ and the ‘search for truth’, not just in society at large but in most universities and city halls across the land -- and not only in the USA. Apparently, 'leftists' and 'liberals' use it to censor 'conservatives', even though the latter seem to be able to broadcast their message, such as it is, widely and unhindered (on that, see here). So, as the phrase was originally intended by right-wingers -- again, as a political term --, it doesn’t implicate individuals being polite, respectful, or, indeed, the opposite (we had those words in our vocabulary long before 'PC' was even heard of!); it is a key component in the right's ideological attack on the left, and has replaced the ‘red scare’ bogeyman of previous generations.

Unfortunately, many 'leftists' and liberals have bought into this fantasy (as have much of the media -- so much for the right not being able get their ideas across!), and, in their attempt to defend 'PC' (by means of which they aim to defend politeness and respect, as well as criticise racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic, and xenophobic speech), they have only succeeded in giving ground to the right by seeming to acknowledge that there is such a thing as 'PC', and that the 'left' is more than happy to own it. That has only succeeded in emboldening the right since it has convinced them they were correct all along -- that there is a leftist conspiracy aimed at stopping them saying whatever they like. Witness the fact that right-wingers of every stripe constantly obsess on Quora about 'PC' (indeed, I have responded to close on a hundred questions on Quora on this very topic from right-wingers in the last twelve months alone, and I am sure I have missed many dozens more), blaming it, and 'libruls', for everything they think is wrong with the world. 'PC' is now right at the top of their hate agenda -- indeed, alongside Antifa and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- even though they still offer zero evidence that there is an alleged 'left-wing' conspiracy trying to stop them saying whatever they like (which, if true, would, anyway, make these conservatives -- oops! --, victims!). Indeed, they have never actually been stopped from saying whatever they like (so long as it doesn't break the law), unlike the widespread censorship of the left. As I will show below, right-wingers are the ones who are actually stifling free speech, and they have the money, power and influence to continue doing just that.

This conservative fable was then spiced-up with fanciful notions and lurid tales about ‘Cultural Marxism’ (an idea they also pinched from the Nazis, who called it ‘Cultural Bolshevism’). This term was originally applied by them to the ideas promulgated by a group of Marxist theorists who happened to be Jews (the so-called ‘Frankfurt School’), but which phrase had dog-whistle, anti-Semitic overtones built into it — rather like the use "George Soros" also has for contemporary Republicans, and Donald Trump.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/10/Donald-Trump-Says-George-Soros-Funding-Migrant-Caravan

Which fantasy echoes the White Supremacist myth that 'the Jews' are steadily replacing the 'white race' with 'brown skinned' people.

That apple hasn't fallen far from the tree, has it?

So, 'PC' was little more than a bogeyman thirty years ago, and that is still the case today.

However, it has turned right-wingers and conservatives into victims and easily offended, whiny little b*tches .

Political correctness: how the right invented a phantom enemy

'Cultural Marxism': a uniting theory for right-wingers who love to play the victim

The 'politically correct' controversy

Far more sinister, however, is Conservative Correctness, which is no mere invention — try talking about ‘diversity’, 'sanctuary cities', ‘Black Lives Matter’, 'foetuses', 'a woman's right to choose', ‘multiculturalism’, ‘sensible gun restriction laws’, ‘African Americans’, 'BCE' instead of 'BC', 'Xmas' in place of 'Christmas' — or arguing that Antifa aren’t terrorists — etc., etc., to most talk radio hosts, or to Trump ideologues like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Tucker Carlson, and see how far you get. You will be shouted down, or, if you are at a Trump rally, ejected.

There are plenty more right-wing trigger-words listed here:

Conservative Correctness

And here is Steven Spalding's Quora answer, which traces conservative correctness back over seventy years, showing how it was used to censor the visual, written, performing and broadcast arts for several generations, deciding what we were allowed to read, see or hear -- so much for respecting 'free speech'!

https://www.quora.com/I-believe-America-60-years-ago-i-e-1958-was-better-than-today-since-there-were-no-SJWs-and-political-correctness-How-can-we-return-the-U-S-to-those-good-old-times/answer/Steven-Spalding

And does anyone recall which party Senator Joseph McCarthy came from? Or which party has been at the forefront of trying to prevent evolution being taught in schools? Or, which administration has prevented all mention of global warming by certain government departments? [These are, of course, rhetorical questions!]

https://millercenter.org/The-Presidency/educational-resources/age-of-Eisenhower/McCarthyism-red-scare

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/21/President-Trump-has-made-7645-false-or-misleading-claims-over-710-days

Why Antifa Isn’t A Fascist Or A Terrorist Organisation

Conservatives are the real campus thought police squashing academic freedom

Professors’ Growing Risk: Harassment for Things They Never Really Said

'Hardcore American Patriot' Harim Uziel crashes Bernie Sanders speech days after declaring willingness to become a 'martyr'

I went inside a right-wing safe space to find out the truth about universities

The Latest Attack in the Campaign to Silence Criticism of Israel

Free speech for all on campus! Unless you’re criticizing Israel

U.S. Lawmakers Seek to Criminally Outlaw Support for Boycott Campaign Against Israel

Four US states considering laws that challenge teaching of evolution

US schools ban Darwin from class

In Florida, officials ban term 'climate change'

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/08/Trump-administration-climate-change-ban-usda

A-Texas-speech-pathologist-refused-to-sign-a-pro-Israel-oath-so-she-lost-her-job

The 'Texas strategy' above is now mandatory in many states.

In which case, something (i.e., 'PC') that doesn’t exist, except in the fevered brains of right-wing nuts, can hardly curtail ‘free speech’, nor can ‘truth’ be sacrificed because of it. On the contrary, ‘free speech’ and ‘truth’ these days are being curtailed by ‘Conservative Correctness’ and The Liar-in-Chief in The White House, as we have seen.

The above isn't confined to the USA, either. The 'independence' of universities has now been threatened in Hungary. The George Soros funded Central European University has been put under pressure to leave Hungary because of anti-Semitic verbal and bureaucratic attacks from the ultra-right-wing Orban regime:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/George-Soros-Central-European-University-Hungary-Viktor-Orban-ceu-europe-evicted-a8665441.html

The above attacks aren’t coming from ’the left’.

And there are many more examples, too:

https://palestinelegal.org/The-Palestine-Exception/

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Whenever I make the above points, irate right-wingers (and others) pile into me with clichéd objections; either (i) they post abuse, (ii) they fail to respond to what I have argued or (iii) they just rehearse right-wing talking points. I will simply delete such comments and block the individual concerned without further warning.

Some complain that this is censorship; it isn't. It is to remind such individuals that if they are abusive, they merely want to 'score points', or they can't be bothered to read and then reply to my actual arguments, they can't expect me to listen to them in return.

If you have other points to make, write your own answer!

Those who want to be civil and argue like grown-ups will, of course, be listened to.

I don't issue second warnings.