It was in the early-mid 90s when I heard the expression “politically correct” for the first time on the campus of the university where I was doing my MA in French. I remember my stupefaction when, during a class in the English department, a young and charismatic professor interrupted the discussion in order to make some tangential remarks about people who had a problem with “political correctness.” I was still a recent immigrant who, in order to make sense of American reality, had to piece together many disparate pieces of information. Although the professor was not explicit, it was very clear from his tone and phrasing that the people he was referring to could only be moral degenerates—or, to put it in the politically correct terms he would have used, they were morally and ethically “challenged.” It was also clear from the students’ reaction that we were all expected to have exactly the same view on this topic as the professor. I remember the strong feeling of alienation I had when I realized that I was alone. That is, the only one to think
So true, Alta: "In a society like Romania, where until the time I was born, the peasants made three quarters of the country’s population, people cannot stand “politically correct” speech, which for them smacks of hypocrisy, aside from the fact that it reminds them of the codified speech imposed during communism. This is the main reason why Eastern Europeans, no matter their political orientation, are extremely critical of political correctness."
Another fine post. Rarely do I hear the words "moral" or "morality" in a sentence without them having been uttered by a mountebank of one sort or another. I myself don't trust preachers of any kind. When the preacher is a college professor, I trust them even less.
Brilliant observations as usual.
So true, Alta: "In a society like Romania, where until the time I was born, the peasants made three quarters of the country’s population, people cannot stand “politically correct” speech, which for them smacks of hypocrisy, aside from the fact that it reminds them of the codified speech imposed during communism. This is the main reason why Eastern Europeans, no matter their political orientation, are extremely critical of political correctness."
You did it again. And of course this is a new religion, Americans have always been inspired by puritanism. McWhorter, too, makes that analogy in his new book. Have you seen the chart "Woke Religion, a Taxonomy? https://twitter.com/peterboghossian/status/1458781564964331520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1458781564964331520%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnalert.blogspot.com%2F2021%2F11%2Fwoke-religion-taxonomy.html
Another fine post. Rarely do I hear the words "moral" or "morality" in a sentence without them having been uttered by a mountebank of one sort or another. I myself don't trust preachers of any kind. When the preacher is a college professor, I trust them even less.