political correctness
noun /pəˌlɪtɪkl kəˈrektnəs/
/pəˌlɪtɪkl kəˈrektnəs/
[uncountable] (sometimes disapproving)- the principle of avoiding language and behaviour that may offend particular groups of people
- For reasons of political correctness we have been asked to withdraw our advertisement from the national press.
Culture political correctnesspolitical correctnessPolitical correctness or being 'politically correct', often called simply PC, is concerned with avoiding certain attitudes, actions and, above all, forms of expression which suggest prejudice and are likely to cause offence. This may be against men or women, against older people, or against people with a particular skin colour, racial background or physical or mental disability.The idea of political correctness developed in the 1980s and 1990s and was based on the belief that the language we use influences the way we think. Later the phrase was often used in a negative way to refer to politically correct expressions that people thought were an unnecessary change. Some people doubt whether changing words will remove prejudice in people's minds or in the social system.In the 1960s and 1970s public debate caused many people to accept the principle that discrimination (= treating some people worse than others) is wrong. Changes of many kinds happened in schools and offices. History had been taught from the point of view of white people, but now more children learn about the history and culture of other groups in the community. In offices sexual and racial harassment (= comments or behaviour intended to worry or upset somebody) are not allowed. The PC movement has also been against stereotyping (= having fixed ideas about people), especially of women and black people, and making jokes against minority groups.A major concern of political correctness has been to avoid racist or sexist language (= language suggesting that one sex or race is better than another) that will offend particular groups. However some language changes are much older than the PC movement. Ms has been used for a long time as a title for women who do not wish to identify themselves as being either married (Mrs) or single (Miss). Other PC expressions, for example, chair or chairperson instead of chairman, are also common. Changes in the US include saying Native American instead of Indian, although American Indian is accepted by some people, and using the term people of color to refer to people who are not white.Words relating to disabilities, such as blind and deaf are replaced by less direct terms such as visually impaired and hearing impaired in formal contexts. Many jobs have also been given PC names, particularly by organizations who want to make a job seem more attractive to people who are looking for work, for example, refuse collector (dustman) or domestic hygiene assistant (cleaner). Some PC terms are used humorously, for example,vertically challenged (short) or intellectually challenged (stupid). PC terms which have not been widely used or accepted include differently sized (fat) and involuntarily leisured (unemployed). People who are against the idea of political correctness use examples like these to suggest that the idea of changing language in order to change people's attitudes is silly.