Earlier this month James Peron wrote a great article in the Huffington Post entitled Courtesy is not political correctness.
In the article Peron points out that what many are griping about has less to do with censorship than it does with manners; which ironically, is something many who complain about political correctness bemoan the lack of in society. Peron’s article focuses on John Stossel from Fox News who recently ranted that a Duke University public awareness campaign to encourage people from refraining from using language like “that’s so gay” is an attack on free speech.
I think Peron put it best in his article when he wrote, “Being aware that certain terms are insulting was once called manners or etiquette, now the Right labels it “political correctness.” Encouraging people to avoid using terms such as “bitch,” “fag,” or “no homo” is not soliciting censorship.“
I recognize that we have all had instances where our words were twisted by someone who takes offense by our ‘lack of sensitivity’, but those situations aside, asking for communities to strive to be more civil and understanding seems like something we should all work towards.
BosGuy 