Are Political Correctness and identity politics destroying America?

First of all, I want to apologize for the politically incorrect use of the term "America". I meant the United States. Canadians and Latin Americans are Americans too, but I want to focus on this country. Anyhow, it's been said often enough by Bill Maher, Jordan Peterson and others that political correctness and identity politics are destroying America (Peterson would include Canada and the rest of western society.)
bill maher political correctness identity politics in america - Yahoo Video Search Results


https://nypost.com/2017/10/31/political-correctness-is-ruining-america-poll-says/
How Political Correctness And Identity Politics Are Destroying America

Is it true? Are they that bad? Are liberals to blame? If so, what can be done?

 

No
A lack of critical thinking, lack of empathy, defunding of public education, lack of affordable higher education, overall stupidity, blind hatred, scapegoating...and we'll throw in wage stagnation and tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of the poor and middle class, plus loosening of environmental regulations that protect our air and water....these things are destroying america. I could probably think of more but i'll stop there

Political correctness is annoying to a lot of people. Annoyance is not the same as destruction

 

Political correctness is just an awareness of the world around you, and the respectful way to act in that world.

 

There is no such thing as political anything, when your own president cuts the mass media a deal on their rent, and Americans have been voting for whoever advertises the most for over twenty years. The big secret of the US government, is they are composed of mostly lawyers who lie through their teeth to a public that lies to themselves. Fuck political correctness, one in five of these idiots insists the sun revolves around the earth, while over half of them debate the definition of stupid and who is the best example, and insist the government they call evil lie to them for their own protection.

For over ten years I conducted my own informal survey, and not one person knew the dictionary merely contains popular definitions, nor did any of them know the simple distinction between a lynch mob and a democracy. Conservatives often agreed with me that their votes no longer mattered, since everyone is voting for whoever advertises the most, and their first suggestion to me has been that the solution is to "Vote the bums out of office". It is fucking illegal to vote for Mickey Mouse in Maryland, because these idiots are merely voting for whoever promises them the lowest taxes, and the idea the US has any sort of functional two party system is absurd. There can be no fucking politics if nobody can agree upon the fucking words they use and everyone insists everyone else lies to them for their own protection.

The US government could not earn respect from anyone except Wall Street and reality TV, hence the lowest voter turnout in the developed world, because only so many sheep consider it worth their time and effort. I tell people watching the Three Stooges and Professional Wrestling is safer than even mentioning American politics. Soon enough, the whole disaster will be so predictable they'll be manipulating the stock market by censoring the internet. They already try to do that, but its going to get really interesting with all the money and bullshit flying around.

Over a trillion dollars have been invested in AI alone in the last year or so, and AI is the future because there's no intelligent life down here. Seriously, the idea these idiots are going to save the planet from themselves is absurd.

 

I've always thought that there's nothing wrong with
"Political Correctness"
It is the Application of such, which causes problems and issues that offend

 

Political Correctness is a polite cuss word used by lawyers who spout nonstop bullshit and can't even agree upon the common dictionary. Fuck being polite about complete idiots selling everyone down the river. The north and south US were making money hand over fist, when they fought the worst war in history, thanks to lawyers trying to redefine what it means to be human. Now they are insisting having no recognized distinctions between the two parties when you vote is the way to go, and you can always flip a coin.

 

I think applying labels that are polarizing, are what’s hurting America. Treating all people with respect is difficult for some so the need to call that “political correctness” is applied. Identity politics falls into that same category.

It’s not that hard to treat people_all people_ with respect. But for those who are challenging by it, they apply labels to isolate themselves from doing what is commonly decent.

 

Some definitions are in order:

Political Correctness: conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated.Definition of POLITICALLY CORRECT
Political correctness (PC), term used to refer to language that seems intended to give the least amount of offense, especially when describing groups identified by external markers such as race, gender, culture, or sexual orientation.Political correctness (PC)
Political Correctness: One of the most annoying two words but together that mean shit.
Guy1: What you just said was not Politically Correct.
Guy2: Dude, shut the fuck up.
#dude#shut#the#fuck#up
by abra1294 November 05, 2007 Urban Dictionary: politically correct

Identity Politics:politics in which groups of people having a particular racial, religious, ethnic, social, or cultural identity tend to promote their own specific interests or concerns without regard to the interests or concerns of any larger political group. Definition of IDENTITY POLITICS
Identity politics is contemporary shorthand for a group's assertion that it is a meaningful group; that it differs significantly from other groups; that its members share a history of injustice and grievance; and that its psychological and political mission is to explore, act out, act on and act up its group identity. Catharine R. Stimpson
Identity politics is the syndrome in which people’s beliefs and interests are assumed to be determined by their membership in groups, particularly their sex, race, sexual orientation, and disability status. Steven Pinker
Defining 'identity politics'

Social Justice Warrior: a pejorative term for an individual who promotes socially progressive views, including feminism, civil rights, and multiculturalism, as well as identity politics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice_warrior
Social Justice Warrior: A person who uses the fight for civil rights as an excuse to be rude, condescending, and sometimes violent for the purpose of relieving their frustrations or validating their sense of unwarranted moral superiority.
Social justice Warrior: a once-positive term which has devolved into a snarl word today; ... used by the reactionary and radical right to dismiss the concerns of liberals, progressives, feminists, and perceived supporters of "political correctness." Social justice warrior - RationalWiki

 

I don't think political correctness and identity politics are destroying America but in their current iteration, I think they are hurting the democratic party. In fact, they are hurting the party so much so, that we're attempting to analyze talking points from Canadians.


It is odd to me how Political Correctness has shifted. I used to think of it as a vice of the right with censoring music, outrage at video games, etc. but now I associate it with a vice of the left.

 

Does it go too far at times where it becomes impossible to take it seriously? Sometimes, yeah. Is it destroying the nation?

No. It's not destroying the country. Truthfully, this thread should have been closed after @Meliai 's post.

 

Without any common ground, polarization is the only possible outcome. Americans are dividing up into camps, because their political system has failed them. The longer they deny it has failed them, the more explosive the situation could become. The idiots have been fighting for over forty years over who gets to run the country, despite voting for whoever advertises the most. You could literally meet their every demand and then have them lynch you, or nail you to cross.

According to the latest evidence, the air pollution is cause IQs to drop dramatically, so there remains hope.

 

If we take a long important look at what political correctness is, we see that there isn't anything particularly bad about it. Identity politics are a big grey area to me. It hasn't been covered in sociology, or american government/political science, or cultural anthropology (I took American Government a long time ago; they probably discuss it now). I wonder what I'm missing out on...

I get Okiefreak's definition I guess. But the definitions seem to have negative spin. I don't think there's anything wrong with identity politics, personally.

 

Political correctness is an unwanted reminder that nobody cares to hear what anyone else says, and everyone is doing everything they can to shut people up. The mass media is owned by wealthy and lies to the public, just as the public insists they do, then the public calls them liars. The wealthy and extremists encourage them.

 

I'd agree, except PC and identity politics have become such prominent bugbears for right wing polemicists like Peterson and Yiannopoulos and a certain breed of leftwinger like Maher, and some of our own who post about them frequently, especially Six-eyed Shaman. They continue to use it to attack Democrats and "the Left". So I think it's important to call them out. To me, the idea that political correctness and identity politics are "destroying America" seems a bit hyperbolic, but a google search produces numerous articles and books that tell us that, such as:
How Political Correctness And Identity Politics Are Destroying America
Is Political Correctness Destroying America? | The Takeaway | WNYC
https://www.amazon.com/Next-Nightmare-Political-Correctness-Destroy/dp/0983990670
Political correctness is destroying America. That's why I am on a mission to crush it
How Political Correctness is Destroying America (Part 1)
Political correctness is destroying America | Christian News Journal
Subscribe to read | Financial Times
IDENTITY POLITICS IS DESTROYING US - WND
A conversation: Identity Politics is Destroying America – Woodley Auguste, Herland Report

 

Honestly, I feel what we consider political correctness these days, was just...politeness at one point in time. Political correctness is like, "You're being an asshole and it's offending me. Please stop." And the people who rail agains it are like, "No! I'm not gonna stop. I should be able to be an asshole if I want!"

Yeah. You should be able to be.

But you shouldn't want to be. If I was doing or saying something that offended people, I'd stop doing it. You know, because of courtesy and decency and whatnot.

 

Nvm I forgot Tipper Gore founded the PMRC.

 

There is some PC nonsense.

But really, really often, when people are complaining about political correctness, they're just complaining about being socially obligated to be polite.

 

As far as identity politics -

White men have always been well represented in government. Literally always. It is easy for them to criticize identity politics because fair representation isnt a worry for them.

Whereas Congress is only 20% female. 22% female in January. January of 2019.
2019.
There are only two male muslim Congressmen and now two female. Being Muslim is still enough to get you blackballed from politics in much of the country.
There are only 45 black members in the house and only 2 in Senate. 2. I think that shifted a bit last night, but not much.

White men dont need identity politics because they're represented. For the rest of us, it feels good to have someone who represents not only our views but our identity in Congress. I am a millenial woman. It feels good to have people like Tulsi Gabbard and now Ocasio Cortez in Congress. They get it, they've been there. They wont be tone deaf to women in my age group. I imagine black women feel the same with Kamala Harris, black men with people like Cory Booker and Obama. Especially Obama. It means something to feel represented in government and it's easy for people who have always been represented to take that for granted

 

So what is your definition of "identity politics"?