RRH's post 'CUK's Far right underbelly' has got me thinking about how much political correctness has eroded the nature of free debate.
The propensity to use the term 'racist' or racism' is as prevalent as people liberaly drop the word ****' into a conversation.
In the late 80s / early 90s there was still a debate that defined racism as opposed to racial prejudice (those of you that may have studied radical black feminist writers of the time may be familiar). Racial prejudice was quite simple; having an opinion of a person or people based on prejudicial views linked to race/colour of skin/streotyping.
However, racism was racial prejudice coupled with the power to impose that prejudice to the detriment of people of another race. One only has to think back to the times when black people were told by landlords that a tenancy had just been filled only for a white person to then come along and rent the same property. This is what was properly defined a true racism.
However, in modern day Britain, political correctness has swept this away in favour of an all emcompassing definition of racism designed to 'shame' those that question it's logic or refuse to toe its line.
If people are not free to argue their point, you drive it underground. Anything, that is driven underground, invariably adopts subversive methods to compensate for the lack of free debate. Abuse, mudslinging and simply posting inflamatory statements just to goad others is perhaps at the mild end of this subversive process.
The debate is now here to be had.
The propensity to use the term 'racist' or racism' is as prevalent as people liberaly drop the word ****' into a conversation.
In the late 80s / early 90s there was still a debate that defined racism as opposed to racial prejudice (those of you that may have studied radical black feminist writers of the time may be familiar). Racial prejudice was quite simple; having an opinion of a person or people based on prejudicial views linked to race/colour of skin/streotyping.
However, racism was racial prejudice coupled with the power to impose that prejudice to the detriment of people of another race. One only has to think back to the times when black people were told by landlords that a tenancy had just been filled only for a white person to then come along and rent the same property. This is what was properly defined a true racism.
However, in modern day Britain, political correctness has swept this away in favour of an all emcompassing definition of racism designed to 'shame' those that question it's logic or refuse to toe its line.
If people are not free to argue their point, you drive it underground. Anything, that is driven underground, invariably adopts subversive methods to compensate for the lack of free debate. Abuse, mudslinging and simply posting inflamatory statements just to goad others is perhaps at the mild end of this subversive process.
The debate is now here to be had.
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