Speechless

1. Political correctness is a tool for cultural revolution, not mere politeness

Political correctness is like a man attempting to give himself a nickname. The artifice and transparency of the act make it impossible. The nickname will never stick—unless the man has the power to enforce it.

A subversive strategy. Political correctness is not simply about being polite or inoffensive. It is a deliberate strategy to reshape culture and society by controlling language and thought. By changing words and their meanings, PC advocates aim to change how people perceive reality and ultimately transform social and political structures.

Enforced through institutions. The PC movement gained power by infiltrating key cultural institutions like universities, media, and corporations. From these positions of influence, PC advocates can enforce their preferred language and ideas, often through social pressure, professional consequences, or outright censorship of dissenting views.

Constantly shifting goalposts. A key feature of PC is that its demands are ever-changing. What was acceptable yesterday may be offensive today. This constant flux keeps people off-balance and makes it difficult to resist or critique PC norms.

2. The origins of PC lie in Marxist thought and the Frankfurt School

Gramsci understood that cultural upheaval must precede political revolution.

Roots in neo-Marxism. Political correctness has its intellectual roots in neo-Marxist thought, particularly the ideas of Antonio Gramsci and the Frankfurt School. These thinkers shifted focus from economic revolution to cultural transformation as a means of achieving radical social change.

Cultural hegemony. Gramsci introduced the concept of cultural hegemony - the idea that the ruling class maintains power not just through force, but through cultural dominance. To achieve revolution, he argued, radicals must first subvert and replace the dominant culture.

Critical Theory. The Frankfurt School developed Critical Theory, an approach that subjects all aspects of society to relentless criticism. This laid the groundwork for modern identity politics and intersectionality, which view society through the lens of power dynamics and oppression.

3. Feminism and sexual politics propelled PC into mainstream discourse

The personal is political.

Second Wave feminism. The feminist movement of the 1960s and 70s played a crucial role in bringing PC ideas into mainstream discourse. The slogan "the personal is political" encapsulated the drive to politicize all aspects of life, including private relationships and individual choices.

Redefining language. Feminist scholars and activists pushed for changes in language, arguing that traditional terms reinforced patriarchal power structures. This included:

• Introducing gender-neutral terms (e.g. "chairperson" instead of "chairman")
• Reclaiming and redefining words (e.g. "queer")
• Creating new terminology to describe women's experiences (e.g. "sexual harassment")

Sexual revolution. The broader sexual revolution challenged traditional morality and family structures, paving the way for more radical redefinitions of gender and sexuality in later decades.

4. Universities became breeding grounds for radical ideologies

The radicals of the 1960s did not demand deference to the proclamations of established experts. On the contrary, they attempted to undermine the authority of the establishment by questioning all received opinion.

Campus activism. Universities were at the forefront of 1960s counterculture and activism. This laid the groundwork for the transformation of academia in subsequent decades.

New academic disciplines. The creation of new fields like Women's Studies, Black Studies, and Queer Theory institutionalized PC ideology within academia. These disciplines often prioritized political activism over traditional scholarly methods.

Changing curricula. Pressure to "diversify" curricula led to the sidelining of traditional Western canon in favor of works chosen primarily for their authors' identity or ideological alignment.

Speech codes. Many universities implemented speech codes and bias reporting systems, ostensibly to create a more inclusive environment but often resulting in the suppression of dissenting viewpoints.

5. Free speech absolutism inadvertently aids the PC agenda

Political correctness works to destroy traditional standards of speech and behavior, and it succeeds both when it coerces some people to adopt the new code and when it convinces others to disavow standards entirely; either response overthrows the old order.

False dichotomy. PC advocates often present a false choice between their new speech codes and complete abandonment of all standards. This traps well-meaning defenders of free speech into arguing against any standards at all.

Necessity of standards. In reality, all societies have some standards of acceptable speech and behavior. The question is not whether to have standards, but what those standards should be.

Conservatives' mistake. Many conservatives have fallen into this trap, arguing for absolute free speech rather than defending the traditional standards that PC seeks to replace. This inadvertently aids the PC agenda by helping to dismantle existing cultural norms.

6. PC has inverted traditional morality and redefined key concepts

Political correctness relies on euphemism, soft words used to sugarcoat harsh realities.

Moral inversion. PC ideology often turns traditional morality on its head:

• Pride, once considered a deadly sin, is now celebrated
• Self-restraint and personal responsibility are downplayed in favor of self-expression and victimhood narratives
• Traditional virtues like hard work and self-reliance are sometimes labeled as aspects of "white supremacy"

Redefining terms. Key concepts are redefined to serve ideological ends:

• "Tolerance" is redefined to mean acceptance and celebration, not just allowing differences
• "Equality" shifts from equality of opportunity to equality of outcome
• "Racism" is redefined to include only systemic oppression, exempting certain groups from the label

Euphemistic language. PC often employs euphemisms to obscure or reframe controversial issues:

• "Undocumented immigrant" instead of "illegal alien"
• "Sex worker" instead of "prostitute"
• "Reproductive rights" instead of "abortion"

7. Scientific discourse has been coopted to serve ideological ends

The word "scientific" connotes nonpartisan authority, which is why the radicals have for so long attempted to coopt it.

Politicization of science. Scientific findings and terminology are increasingly used to advance political agendas, often distorting or oversimplifying complex issues.

Climate change debate. The discourse around climate change exemplifies this trend:

• Complex scientific findings are reduced to simplistic slogans
• Disagreement is often framed as "denial" rather than legitimate scientific debate
• Proposed solutions often align with pre-existing political agendas

Gender ideology. Biological facts about sex differences are increasingly downplayed or denied in favor of subjective gender identities, with dissenters accused of being "anti-science."

COVID-19 response. The pandemic saw "science" invoked to justify various policy responses, often with little room for debate or nuance.

8. The personal has become political, eroding private life

When the personal becomes the political, everything gets politicized—with the ironic exception of politics, which actually becomes depoliticized.

Expansion of political sphere. PC ideology seeks to politicize all aspects of life, including personal relationships, consumer choices, and cultural preferences.

Loss of private space. This erosion of the distinction between public and private life leaves individuals with little respite from political judgments and pressures.

Depoliticization of governance. Ironically, as everyday life becomes more politicized, actual governance becomes increasingly technocratic and removed from democratic debate.

Social media amplification. Social media platforms have accelerated this trend, turning personal opinions and choices into public statements open to scrutiny and cancellation.

9. Conservatives have failed to effectively counter PC ideology

Conservatives have failed to thwart political correctness because most do not understand what it is. They have portrayed political correctness and its derivatives, including "wokeism" and "cancel culture," as "censorship," which we must oppose in the name of "liberty."

Misunderstanding the threat. Many conservatives have mischaracterized PC as simply a form of censorship, rather than recognizing it as a comprehensive ideological challenge to traditional Western values.

Ineffective responses. Conservative responses have often been ineffective:

• Focusing solely on defending abstract principles like "free speech" rather than specific cultural values
• Ceding ground on language and allowing PC terms to become normalized
• Failing to offer a compelling alternative vision of society and culture

Institutional weakness. Conservatives have largely failed to maintain influence in key cultural institutions like universities, media, and the arts, leaving these spaces dominated by PC ideology.

10. PC seeks to rewrite history and redefine reality itself

If political correctness could abolish the most fundamental distinction in human nature, then nothing could escape its transformational reach.

Historical revisionism. PC advocates often seek to rewrite history to align with their ideological goals, such as the 1619 Project's attempt to reframe American history primarily through the lens of slavery and racism.

Rejection of objective reality. PC ideology often challenges the very notion of objective truth, arguing that all knowledge is socially constructed and shaped by power dynamics.

Gender and biology. The most extreme example of this is the attempt to redefine biological sex as a social construct, separate from objective physical reality.

Linguistic manipulation. By controlling language and redefining key terms, PC advocates aim to shape how people perceive and think about reality itself.

Last updated: November 26, 2024