Grappling with the political correctness beast

Don’t get me wrong, it is not kosher to be engaged in hate speech, or to speak offensively against a certain race or gender in such a manner to entice violence.

Just to put ourselves in the picture, one can define political correctness as a term that refers to enforced language, ideas, or policies that address perceived discrimination against political, social or economical groups.

These groups most prominently include those defined by gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age and disability.

In other words, to be politically correct implies agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people.

While this is all good and well, haven’t we reached a point that we are so politically correct that we have absolutely and utterly killed freedom of speech and, even worse, individuality and, to an extent, creativity?

These days, you have to be very careful what you say on any social media platform.

Years ago, what you uttered behind closed doors stayed behind closed doors, but now, before you now it, your words are immortalised as a tweet, or have gone viral on Your Tube.

Yes, you can be sued for what you say on Twitter and Facebook, since it is “published” and in the public domain. This is why it is wise never to engage in social media when you’re angry, drunk, or depressed, lest you say something that can land you in hot water.

It is rather ironic, then, that we deem ourselves to be in a blossoming age of enlightenment regarding social media, but in a sense we have also moved back into the Dark Ages of censorship and the the death of privacy.

Think about it – a person in reality cannot have their own opinions or point of view, because if this is deemed derogatory (note, as deemed by society), it should then be silenced or, in the social media world, simply deleted.

Is this then not a form of censorship?

While social media, funnily enough, encourages social interaction and for individuals to speak out, it also comes with the big red light and a wagging finger if one oversteps the political correctness boundaries.

Are we not creating a society throughout the world, where we have to be so politically correct not to accidentally offend, lest we run the risk of getting rapped over the knuckles, maybe fired from our work or, even worse, branded as a criminal?

Is this the signs of an “advanced” society, or have we enslaved ourselves, thus becoming intellectually impoverished in our quest for greater freedom?

Sadly, the individuality of the person is being swallowed up by the corporate collectivisms of thought and idea.

While political correctness has its place, it has become pumped up on steroids, as social media engulfs the world.

Every word is scrutinised and every action frowned upon.

Nothing is sacred, nothing is private, and yes, social media does come with that Big Brother in the sky stigma that checks every move that one makes — and I’m not referring to the song sung by Police.

While in SA we have rights to privacy and freedom of expression, and while such rights are entrenched in constitutions throughout the globe, the general consensus is that we must count our words lest we may “accidentally” offend anyone.

My question is: when have we become a people that are so sensitive, so vulnerable, so tightly wound and so volatile in character that we take offence to anything and everything?

Has society not become weak by nature, unable to even take a bit of criticism, or even take a proverbial hit on the chin?

Justin Bieber, the hero of many screaming teens, has now been branded an outcast because of apparent racial remarks, while the group One Direction has been branded as misfits, because they smoked some pot. Social media has been their undoing.

While such actions in themselves cannot be condoned, it is as if the world has slipped into a state of hypocrisy, conforming to a set of standards when things are beyond the range of social media, yet we will cry foul over the same standards when they hit the public domain.

It is no wonder many people don’t want to be part of Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform, because individuality is still sacred, and some hold to the belief that one still must have your own opinion and point of view, without being branded an outcast.

One of the biggest problems is that society determines what is politically correct.

For example, these days it is seen as offensive when you call someone fat, but this is because society portrays people who are overweight as ugly.

The great painters of yesteryear surely didn’t want an anorexic model to be splashed across their canvas!

We are, therefore, regarding what is offensive according to the standards of society, yet society is a mischievous animal that deceives to adapt and that conforms to survive.

What is offensive today becomes the norm tomorrow, and this has a direct impact on social media.

How can you then really remain politically correct?

Comedian John Vlismas is seen as the master of offence, because he believes people need to be shaken out of their comfort zones, to sometimes re-examine life with an open mind.

He makes a point that people need to be offended to make them think, which, if one considers it carefully, sort of makes sense.

After all, if you are comfortable in your own skin, and strong in your belief regarding issues in life, then surely a bit of offence won’t hurt?

It seems we cling to political correctness because we are a people who are unsure, confused and disorientated regarding life and all its myriad complex challenges.

Right now, in America, some couples are drawing up social media boundaries in prenuptial agreements, in the event they split up.

Couples are determining how they would deal with electronic media – files, photos, videos – accumulated during their marriages.

So, even after a divorce, Americans want to be politically correct, just in case they offend their former partners! Is there not something wrong with this picture?

Remember the “Sticks and Stones” children’s rhyme that, at the time, persuaded the child victim of name-calling to ignore the taunt, to refrain from physical retaliation, and to remain calm and good-natured?

Originally it went like this: Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.

The phrase has also appeared where it says that names will never hurt me.

Fast forward to 2014 and now the nursery rhythm holds no water.

Bring on the sticks and stones, but leave out the words, lest we crumble into a heap and wither away!

Do words really have so much power, or are we just victims of of our own insecurities?

I wonder who is going to take offence to this column, and who will brand me as being politically incorrect?