Being PC doesn't mean you're not racist
Yesterday’s PAC (Prejudice Awareness Club) discussion question was, “If you were at a party, and somebody used a racial slur, how would you react?”
Would you:
a) Freak out and chew them out.
b) Take them aside and give them a well-worded, intellectually engaging lecture about the negative effects of racism and stereotypes.
c) Ignore them and walk away.
I would go with option c. Although the person at the party is wrong for using a racial slur, it would seem hypocritical for me to try and correct them. After all, whether everyone admits to it or not, everyone is a little bit racist.
Sometime in history class last year or the year before, the observation that the North is actually more racist than the South was brought up. Although it’s hard to quantify if the North is more racist than the South, it is undeniable that racism in the North is much more subtle.
Although I’ve personally never been to the South (so, yes, ironically I’m basing my assumptions of the South off stereotypes), from hearing stories of Confederate flags still waving on front porches to rocks being thrown at cars with Northern license plates, I can surmise the South is more blatant about being racist.
In the North, however, racism is covered up with politeness and good etiquette. In fact, I would say that the majority of people are in denial that they are racist.
I would attribute this denial, in part, to the explosion of various PC-isms that are flooding our society. Being politically correct gets you off the hook. It makes sense, too. If you’re not doing anything offensive or saying anything offensive, then you’re obviously not being racist. But is being PC enough?
Obviously, institutionalized racism has negative effects. Could it be that PC terms are perpetuating this nasty cycle? With the obsession of being politically correct, racism is just being shoved underground and is showing up in subtle ways.
In the future, despite the increasingly politically correct, sterilized population, racism will still be an issue, I guarantee you this. So how will the issue be targeted? Will it even be possible to target it?
And lastly, for your amusement, visit: pcphrases.com.
— Andrea Park