Thesis/Main Idea: The concept of 'political correctness' is harming America as a whole. Whilst the intentions of this ideology are beneficial, it has transformed into an over-sensitivity between peoples. This increased sensitivity creates divides between different cultures and races and restricts the necessary discussion to solve tough issues. Being an overly politically correct country creates borders between races instead of uniting them in the melting pot that America is said to be. *define the difference between politically correct and overly politically correct*
Practical/Policy: Go back to the basics of problem solving rather than masking it with political correctness. Being overly sensitive and thus, too easily offended makes it difficult to get to the heart of tough problems (or any problems that involve minority populations or race in general). Additionally, many individuals have been fired, demoted, or put on trial for stating their opinions. Individuals should not be punished by large institutions for utilizing their right of free speech. It is useless to be blatantly discriminatory but it also useless to be overly politically correct. A balance should be attained and America as a whole should be reminded of this.
Research Solution: Conduct a study on the disadvantages of being over-sensitive. More research should be done to shed light on the portion of the population that believes that their rights are being stifled by this notion of being politically correct and how political correctness has lead to the hypersensitivity between different people.
Media Solution: Today, it is common for the media to 'take down' those who fail to be politically correct. This sends a message to the public that they should follow suit in this idea of walking over eggshells or else they will be punished. To avoid this, the media should stop penalizing and attacking individuals who harmlessly state their opinions. Their intend should be to remind people that stating their opinions in a way that doesn't harm others is beneficial to society and will allow for a more unifying environment. Media should clearly identify that there is a "The difference between a culture of honesty, respect and diversity is different from a legal and elite mandate of a code of silence that precludes discussion of the toughest issues." (Shapiro, 2012)
References: http://townhall.com/columnists/garyshapiro/2012/02/16/political_correctness_is_hurting_america/page/full
This is really fascinating. One way you might go about this is to target a specific agency that you think is (remember your evaluation!) unfairly judging people for their lack of political correctness. You might suggest a research within that company to determine how political correctness damages their ratings, or the effects of political correctness on people? Let's discuss this further in person.
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