Tokenism, Character Development and Writing

[Adrianis]

Spoiler below!

BTW, political correctness is the bane of our modern society - it should die a horrible death, preferably public crucifixion. Upside down and at the end of a bungee cord.

Why? What's wrong with being politically correct?

I actually wrote an essay on how bad it is, there are too many reasons to fit into one post. But generally speaking:

Being politically correct ironically entails being politically incorrect. Because race is the biggest issue "dealt with" through political correctness I'll take an example that pertains to it: By making a huge fuss about something that is in the distant past (slavery) you are actually advocating racial segregation. Why not let bygones be bygones and just move on? There will always be racists. Instead of getting defensive for black people and act like they need to be protected by using sterile language and patronization, let racism die out once and for all. Not like it's an issue anymore; a fifth of the population is black.

Politically correct language is often completely incorrect. Case in point: African-American. They are freaking black, if you have to make the distinction. Most black people living in the US have absolutely no ties to Africa, and no desire to be associated with it. I have yet to hear a single black person say: I prefer to be called an African-American. It's because they don't care. It's based on white guilt and the only people who advocate political correctness are people who are "thinking of the minorities". If you ask me, condescension and fake concern is much more dangerous than indifference. Not to mention, some of these morons actually call Africans African-Americans. Need I point out how stupid that is?

And I could go on and on about specific examples, these are two glaring issues off the top of my head. But basically, everything is wrong with it. Especially the systematic destruction of the English language. Trying to suppress curse words is a clear non-racial example. I could go into great detail about that, but I won't. I'm sure you realize just how bad censorship is.

(sorry about going off-topic on an argument)

It's based on white guilt and the only people who advocate political correctness are people who are "thinking of the minorities". If you ask me, condescension and fake concern is much more dangerous than indifference.

You automatically assume that anyone advocating political correctness / 'think of the minorities' are being condescending and faking concern? Based on white guilt? You ever consider that many people advocating these issues are not white? The way you present that statement, so matter of fact, is an insult to so many hundreds of thousands of people who over many decades have volunteered a great deal of time and effort to dealing with real and current issues that you would rather ignore.

There will always be racists. Instead of getting defensive for black people and act like they need to be protected by using sterile language and patronization, let racism die out once and for all. Not like it's an issue anymore; a fifth of the population is black.

Aside from the obvious contradiction in that statement (always be racists... let racism die out), you seem to be passing over the primary cause for bigotry in our societies (I'm sure you're essay covers it but still). The cause of much of the bigotry I've experienced here in the UK, usually directed at Eastern Europeans & Arabs, is due to a complete lack of exposure to people from those groups - they have no concept of 'they are exactly like us' because they have no frame of reference, they never met & spent time with people from those groups, so why would they think they are like us?

Do you think that by ignoring the issue of 'race' and not promoting equality laws that eventually everyone will simply forget that there are different races? No, by not encouraging exposure to different cultures you foster minority groups that retain a belief that foreigners are different in a negative way, the common in-group/out-group mentality.

Going back to this sentence...

act like they need to be protected by using sterile language and patronization

Have you thought about protecting groups (not just blacks) using something other than sterile language and patronisation? I don't know if your only reference for that is politicians, to whom sterile language and patronisation is a matter of day to day communication with the public.

For anti-racist and anti-fascist groups, as well as feminists, Unions and others that you seem to dismiss out of hand as 'politically correct', that isn't the case at all, it tends to be more about promoting equality in workplaces (by far the most insidious cases of racism exist where unaccountable individuals have power over employment), confronting & discussing with people about their beliefs when they voice them, running educational campaigns, and occasionally organizing counter-protests to stop roving gangs of violent bigots marching through our streets promoting hatred. Oh but, of course, those people don't exist because racism isn't an issue because a 5th of the population is black. Need I point out how stupid that is?

But hey you're probably right, we're all just fussing over nothing and if we ignore it, hopefully it'll go away. You just keep writing your essays about how equality advocates are promoting racial segregation, that'll definitely help.