It is stupid to compare politicla correctness to the rules of a religion

1. Current definitions encompass language and behavior Pro claims “To be politically correct begins and ends with not using language and terms that are offensive and derogatory towards others..... Thats all it is “ He then gives two current dictionary definitions to support his claim. The first of Pro's dictionary definitions is from the Free Online Dictionary, which right after the part of the definition he cites gives: Being or perceived as being overconcerned with such change, often to the exclusion of other matters. And political correctness - Can be an insult, accusation, joke, or the name of an effort to change a society by means of wide-ranging but often small-scale cultural reform. [15. http://www.thefreedictionary.com...] His second citation is to the current online version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Right below the part of the definition he cites is the “full definition:” conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated [16. http://www.merriam-webster.com...] The full definitions do a reasonable job of conveying orthodoxy (overconcerned ... to the exclusion of other matters and the mission (effort to change a society and language and practices … should be eliminated) behind political correctness, which parallels religion. However, it's not true that dictionaries give definitions that are “all it is.” For example, golf has a dictionary definition as “an outdoor sport ...” That doesn't include the extreme fanaticism of some golfers reflected in David Cook’s book “Seven Days in Utopia, Golf’s Sacred Journey.” that includes a now-famous (well, famous in some quarters), “How can a game have such an effect on a man’s soul?” [17. http://tinyurl.com...] The dictionary says nothing about golf ever being akin to a religion, but it isn't stupid to make the comparison for those who have gone overboard in their dedication. In the case of political correctness, the relationship is much closer to religion to start with. The dictionary tells us it is about an effort to change society through both language and practices. We should not expect the dictionary to provide an essay on the level of fanaticism. 2. PC moral superiority is akin to religion Pro claims “People dont act politically correct to emphasize a strictly upheld morality or to think they are better then other people [...] they dont want to offend people or look like an insensitive idiot.....” Pro discounts the Professor of English History who provides a documented study. Christopher Hitchens observed it was a repressive restriction on speech. Noted liberal educator Diane Ravitch wrote a book including a compilation of the elaborate rules. To this list we can add Charles Derber, a liberal Professor of Sociology at Boston College, who wrote “Morality Wars: How Empires, the Born Again, and the Politically Correct Do Evil in the Name of Good.” He compares the political correctness movement directly to morality movements like born-again Christianity. [18. http://tinyurl.com...] Pro's response is no more than his personal opinion that there is nothing more to PC than being sensitive. Let's test Pro's claim. Under political correctness, it is unacceptable to refer to a female restaurant server as a “waitress” and a male one as a “waiter.” The first attempt at a politically correct terminology was “waitron,” to be used for both. That didn't catch on, so “server” has been adopted instead. So what is insensitive about saying waiter and waitress? Most people understand why some sort of racial or ethnic slur is insensitive, so there's no problem being against it. But it takes a lecture in PC doctrine to explain why waiter and waitress are insensitive. That's akin to religious training. To believe in political correctness, you must first believe it is morally unacceptable to distinguish between men and women. Politically correct speech includes long lists of gender neutral terms. It is politically incorrect to call Meryl Streep an actress; political correctness demands in written rules actor be used universally. Few people would guess they are being insensitive jerks by calling her an actress, which is why there must be lists and lectures to attempt make the point. Political correctness often allows insensitive, even outright vile, insults of conservatives, Christians, rich people, capitalists, men, Americans, and white people. [19. http://tinyurl.com...] In other words, there is selective concern for “looking like an insensitive jerk.” Pro wrongly claims that though control through language only works if enforced by government. I gave Puritanism as the historical example of thought control tied to language. The enforcing agent was religious authority rather than government. Modern Islam is a contemporary example of religious control; insults of their holy figures can put you on a death fatwa. I also gave three mechanisms of the formal enforcement of political correctness in our society: government standards for textbooks, politically correct style guides, and campus speech codes. We know that the mechanisms work, because political correctness is largely obeyed. 3. PC restricts freedom Pro says, “Roy..... People dont have and never have had the personal freedom to commit violent crimes...... Try again” Restricting people from freely bludgeoning there neighbors is a restriction on freedom. The restriction has always been in place, so it is ordinary. Ordinary means “what is commonplace or standard.” I gave other examples of ordinary restrictions on personal freedoms. The rules of political correctness are outside of the normal restrictions on personal free speech and actions, so they are extraordinary. I claimed that leftists conform to the rules of political correctness. Of course liberals may depart from political correctness, just as Jews or Catholics can depart from their orthodoxies. I cite liberals opposed to PC censorship. Nonetheless the orthodoxy exists and is imposed through rules for textbooks, style guides, and campus rules on speech. My point is that we observe that most liberals choose to conform to political correctness, just as we once observed that Puritans conformed to Puritan orthodoxy. 4. Political correctness governs behavior Controlling how people may speak is controlling behavior. Say the wrong thing and language police will require you to take “sensitivity training.” [20. http://tinyurl.com...] [21.http://tinyurl.com...] [22. http://tinyurl.com...] The Fort Hood massacre was carried out by radical Islamist Nidal Hasan, who openly preached jihad while serving as an Army officer. So why wasn't Hasan drummed out of the military before he got to killing soldiers? The climate of political correctness made people fearful of reporting and prosecuting radical Muslim behavior. It fact, the Army praised Hasan's jihadist rants as “diversity.” [23. http://tinyurl.com...] The president of Harvard was fired for merely suggesting the possibility that psychological differences between men and women account for there being more men than women in some branches of science. Noted liberal Harvard jurist Alan Dershowitz described it has an act of political correctness. [24.http://tinyurl.com...] Pro claims that political correctness governs only language. The two definitions I cited encompass behavior. Pro's definition sources actually include “wide-ranging cultural reform” and “languages and practices.” I compared recycling done for sound economic and ecological reasons with recycling done solely for the quasi-religious principle that recycling is always good. ---- Pro dropped a number of points, and he used personal insults. Pro complained that he could not click through to some of my sources. It's unfortunate that some of the best work is not free, but that's not a good reason for excluding it from debate. Libraries have the books.