Sensitivity of other cultures and people is important. The biggest enemies of political correctness are heterosexual, white, “Christian” males. Ever since the Confederate flag was removed from several government grounds and retail stores, the most prominent American demographic feels attacked.
However, country singer Chely Wright pointed out that this group is the last one that needs to be crying about being victimized. She wrote a scathing post on Facebook about the hypocrisy and idiocy of anti-PC white Christian males. Wright completely nailed it:
Something I’ve noticed on social media is that those who continually mock and complain that “political correctness is rampant and ridiculous– yada yada yada” are most always straight, white, Christian males. They’re people who’ve never had to rely on others to speak up for them to protect and correct systemic injustices that society has leveled upon them.
What they fail to understand is that there is a valid and profound reason that the term “political correctness” exists. The term was born out of a desperate need to aid and to render fairness and safety. So many straight, white, Christian men have a lot of fun throwing the words “political correctness” around as a pejorative, but to me and many others it only serves to identify them as a person who lacks empathy and kindness.
Additionally, I’d bet my eye teeth that these men were often the big, mouthy bully on the playground at school who picked on the poor kid, the handicapped kid, the gay kid, the kid with glasses, the black kid and the kid with a single parent.
xo c
Wright is absolutely correct. To be politically correct means to be empathetic and sensitive to the cultures and lives of others. It means not referring to certain groups of people with outdated and offensive terms. It means realizing that there are other people in this country, and on this planet, than yourself.
