Socialcaterpillar’s Weblog

It struck me recently—although I can’t identify why—that political correctness acts as a sort of common grammar for the language of diversity. It is an attempt (regardless of its success) to create a common set of rules, by which both (or all) of the players in a dialogue must abide. 

Aye, but herein lies the rub: political correctness targets the lowest common denominator—those wiling to engage in an interfaith or intercultural dialogue, but incapable of seeing it outside of the frame of their own cultural and religious prejudices.

At best, political correctness can serve to act as a generative grammar—a handbook of sorts to the groundrules of this globalized game—for the uninitiated; at worst, it serves to stifle meaningful discussion, and deter an individual’s examination of the topics of faith, gender, and race.