...but is it politically correct?

Don't get me wrong - I don't want to offend anyone or make gross generalizations about people based on stereotypical assumptions, but it's something we all will likely do at one point or another. Political correctness encourages the ideal that, by using neutral language that cannot generally be construed as offensive, we can actually be more inclusive by being forced to think about what we say to and about one another, thus reconciling our differences and focusing on our individual strengths. (Never mind the fact that this also encourages us to focus on our individual weaknesses and shortcomings.) But does being politically correct actually do this, or does it hide those issues and assumptions further below the surface? And what is the cost?

I can see the argument for being politically correct in that a lot of language and derogatory statements are normalized over time and a lot of people are unaware of the historical significance of the words that they use. Ideally we can change cultural outlooks by changing language, but this goes the other way around as well - as cultural outlooks change, words take on new meanings. Slang uses for words can be more accepted over time, becoming part of the everyday vernacular and actually influencing the meaning of the words themselves.

I strongly agree with George Carlin's opinion that there are no bad words. (Carlin has been known partly for his Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television sketch. A later similar routine got him arrested; the case led him to the Supreme Court in the 1970s.) I do think we should try to be aware of what we say and of the hidden meanings behind our word choices, especially when those words have been historically used to normalize racism, sexism and bigotry. But I personally feel that it is much better to confront societal ills, taboos and stereotypes than to just sugar coat them and ignore the underlying current of inequality that is still there whether or not we use certain language. By not addressing issues and "shoving things under the rug" we don't actually resolve anything so much as ignore it, and I simply do not see this as a solution.

The main issue I have with the idea of political correctness is that I am opposed to censorship. I know that we all censor ourselves as individuals in order to relate to and appeal to one another because we want to be liked and accepted. (I have even talked about this in relation to art before.) But I am opposed to any one group of people determining what we can and cannot say, do and think (to the degree that anyone has any control over this beyond controlling what we are allowed to see and learn from the media), especially when it causes no physical harm. That is an awful lot of power to bestow on any one group, and I think that there is a very fine line between people not being able to speak their minds and people not being able to act as whistleblowers in order to draw attention to corruption, inequality and abuse of power.