Political Correctness and Hillary Clinton 2016

[Mister Mets]

Jonathan Chait has a piece in New York about his concerns regarding political correctness.

In one section, he ponders the effect on the upcoming presidential election.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Is his assessment correct? What type of factor could this play?

[Lief 🗽]

People who complain about political correctness are idiots. Chait used to be pretty decent, but he's been pretty steadily turning into a right-wing concern troll these last few years. Very sad.

Here's a great response to Chait's ramblings: http://gawker.com/punch-drunk-jonathan-chait-takes-on-the-entire-internet-1682078451

[Mehmentum]

In the end, what the candidate says matters much more than what their supporters say.  Clinton won't be judged to harshly by things her supporters say to defend her, and the same is true for the Republican candidate.  Republicans should be thankful for this.

[King]

Political correctness is just nostalgic fallacy. People fondly remembering their youth years as a time when "everything went" because there was no consequence for saying ignorant things when you are young, but now as adults with HR guidelines at work and standards for discourse suddenly think the whole world has changed.

2015 will one day be remembered by some rube in junior high right now as a time before political correctness was run amuck.

I mean, seriously, Archie Bunker's character in first run of All In The Family was championed by viewers of his generation as a character standing up against political correctness run amuck 1970s. But remembrance of the 1970s in 2010s is as a free New Hollywood, anything goes orgy where people were unafraid to express themselves, yet those at the time thought there was no freedom of expression and PC police existed.

[Beet]

I wonder if Chait remembers that in 2007, Hillary's campaign assiduously tried to avoid what he calls "identity politics" (e.g., calling attention to the historic nature of her campaign). That got her this and this. When she frankly embraced her role as a woman in politics fighting stereotypes she was at her best.

Sexism is not some academic debate for Clinton or her campaign. If it is allowed to go on unchallenged against her, it will literally shape media and cultural narratives that cost her the election.

[pbrower2a]

Jonathan Chait has a piece in New York about his concerns regarding political correctness.

In one section, he ponders the effect on the upcoming presidential election.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Is his assessment correct? What type of factor could this play?

All that we need is (1) some ordinary politeness and (2) the integrity to use language with integrity.

[bobloblaw]

People who complain about political correctness are idiots. Chait used to be pretty decent, but he's been pretty steadily turning into a right-wing concern troll these last few years. Very sad.

Here's a great response to Chait's ramblings: http://gawker.com/punch-drunk-jonathan-chait-takes-on-the-entire-internet-1682078451

Another word for it is called fascism. You think people who complain about fascism are idiots.

[bedstuy]

I think I know what he's referring to, the sort of campus leftism that centers on identity politics and lionizes victimhood.  I wouldn't call that political correctness, for the reasons people have referred to before.  I don't find there to be a huge amount of language policing in American culture.  And, to the extent it's there, it's not a burden on me to avoid words like "retarded" or "f****t."

What I don't see is how campus leftist type controversies are going to come up in the context of a Presidential campaign.  The left is not that interested in electoral politics and nobody cares what some pseudo marxist college kid writes on their tumblr blog.   

[Mister Mets]

I think I know what he's referring to, the sort of campus leftism that centers on identity politics and lionizes victimhood.  I wouldn't call that political correctness, for the reasons people have referred to before.  I don't find there to be a huge amount of language policing in American culture.  And, to the extent it's there, it's not a burden on me to avoid words like "retarded" or "f****t."

What I don't see is how campus leftist type controversies are going to come up in the context of a Presidential campaign.  The left is not that interested in electoral politics and nobody cares what some pseudo marxist college kid writes on their tumblr blog.   

It's something that he might pay more attention than merited to, due to his profession.

His argument is that this is the feelings of the activist left, who will have an impact on the narrative of the 2016 campaign. Twitter hashtags can dominate newscycles.

[Lief 🗽]

People who complain about political correctness are idiots. Chait used to be pretty decent, but he's been pretty steadily turning into a right-wing concern troll these last few years. Very sad.

Here's a great response to Chait's ramblings: http://gawker.com/punch-drunk-jonathan-chait-takes-on-the-entire-internet-1682078451

Another word for it is called fascism. You think people who complain about fascism are idiots.

I think people who think that not being allowed to say the n-word without any criticism is the equivalent of fascism are idiots, yes.

[Rockefeller GOP]

PC is a very broad term.  Some person saying "Why can't I say 'Negro' anymore??" is a lot different than, say, someone freaking out about a store putting "Merry Christmas" on their commercials.  Most of the time, we should strive for being "politically correct," as it often just means being decent and understanding of those who aren't exactly like us and were often persecuted one way or the other in the past.

I suppose an example of how even that might go overboard is the Florida State mascot controversy.  FSU has a very structured, consistent and (IMO) honorable tradition involving a Seminole chief as its "mascot" (I put mascot in quotes because this is absolutely NOT a mascot in the way that some guy dressed up as a tiger jumping around and waving at fans is) that the Seminole tribe of FL fully supports.  It's no one else's place to call for that to be removed other than them, and they like it.  So issue over.  Now something like the Cleveland Indians or Washington Redskins?  Entirely different.

[bedstuy]

PC is a very broad term.  Some person saying "Why can't I say 'Negro' anymore??" is a lot different than, say, someone freaking out about a store putting "Merry Christmas" on their commercials.  Most of the time, we should strive for being "politically correct," as it often just means being decent and understanding of those who aren't exactly like us and were often persecuted one way or the other in the past.

I suppose an example of how even that might go overboard is the Florida State mascot controversy.  FSU has a very structured, consistent and (IMO) honorable tradition involving a Seminole chief as its "mascot" (I put mascot in quotes because this is absolutely NOT a mascot in the way that some guy dressed up as a tiger jumping around and waving at fans is) that the Seminole tribe of FL fully supports.  It's no one else's place to call for that to be removed other than them, and they like it.  So issue over.  Now something like the Cleveland Indians or Washington Redskins?  Entirely different.

As if anyone is offended by that.

[All Along The Watchtower]

PC is a very broad term.  Some person saying "Why can't I say 'Negro' anymore??" is a lot different than, say, someone freaking out about a store putting "Merry Christmas" on their commercials. Most of the time, we should strive for being "politically correct," as it often just means being decent and understanding of those who aren't exactly like us and were often persecuted one way or the other in the past.

I suppose an example of how even that might go overboard is the Florida State mascot controversy.  FSU has a very structured, consistent and (IMO) honorable tradition involving a Seminole chief as its "mascot" (I put mascot in quotes because this is absolutely NOT a mascot in the way that some guy dressed up as a tiger jumping around and waving at fans is) that the Seminole tribe of FL fully supports.  It's no one else's place to call for that to be removed other than them, and they like it.  So issue over.  Now something like the Cleveland Indians or Washington Redskins?  Entirely different.

As if anyone is offended by that.

For what it's worth, I've seen a lot more of the Fox News, etc. concern trolling about "Happy Holidays" replacing "Merry Christmas" than actual instances of people being offended by Christian (or generically religious) language in American culture.

Complaining about perceived political correctness is much more prevalent in the US than political correctness itself (which I'd argue isn't even a real thing at this point, anyway). The ironic thing is that the term was originally devised by the Left (IIRC) as a way to mock the Establishment's acceptable conventions of speech. Somehow, I sincerely doubt that the intent of those originally using the term was to defend the right of Straight White Men to use bigoted speech against marginalized social groups without any consequences. Funny how language changes over time.

[Rockefeller GOP]

PC is a very broad term.  Some person saying "Why can't I say 'Negro' anymore??" is a lot different than, say, someone freaking out about a store putting "Merry Christmas" on their commercials. Most of the time, we should strive for being "politically correct," as it often just means being decent and understanding of those who aren't exactly like us and were often persecuted one way or the other in the past.

I suppose an example of how even that might go overboard is the Florida State mascot controversy.  FSU has a very structured, consistent and (IMO) honorable tradition involving a Seminole chief as its "mascot" (I put mascot in quotes because this is absolutely NOT a mascot in the way that some guy dressed up as a tiger jumping around and waving at fans is) that the Seminole tribe of FL fully supports.  It's no one else's place to call for that to be removed other than them, and they like it.  So issue over.  Now something like the Cleveland Indians or Washington Redskins?  Entirely different.

As if anyone is offended by that.

For what it's worth, I've seen a lot more of the Fox News, etc. concern trolling about "Happy Holidays" replacing "Merry Christmas" than actual instances of people being offended by Christian (or generically religious) language in American culture.

Complaining about perceived political correctness is much more prevalent in the US than political correctness itself (which I'd argue isn't even a real thing at this point, anyway). The ironic thing is that the term was originally devised by the Left (IIRC) as a way to mock the Establishment's acceptable conventions of speech. Somehow, I sincerely doubt that the intent of those originally using the term was to defend the right of Straight White Men to use bigoted speech against marginalized social groups without any consequences. Funny how language changes over time.

Fair enough, but either way I meant it both ways.  My point is some PC is good, even necessary; some is just stupid.

[Cory]

Chait's mistake seems to be that he conflates "Political Correctness" with Tumblr SJWism. One is just being polite and the other is a dangerous authoritarian cult.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

What a lame article.