Hi all! I've lived and worked in Australia only for a relatively short time, but I like following and trying to understand the local social and political problems, and possibly forming an opinion on them. In the country/language where I come from there's not a real equivalent for the concept of "political correctness" (PC), and I haven't been able to find anybody, or read anything, that could really explain me what that means in a sufficiently unambiguous way. In particular, I haven't understood whether PC is something enforced by some particular laws or regulations, or it's only the name of a style in which (a perceived majority of?) politicians, or people in general, appeart to tend (or feel obliged) to publicly express their opinions. In the former case, I'd really appreciate if somebody could point me to the laws that define the term.

Thank you

Hi Lisa, that was my first post here, but I guess this wasn't the right place to ask that question, sorry for the noise, all the best...

I see, so it's not anything legally enforced, that helps, cheers.

I'd like to keep this thread neutral and as objective as possible, I'm not interested in discussing whether PC is "good" or "bad" since there are innumerable articles and discussions about that all over the place (which is what got me interested in the first place).

Do you think it is accurate enough to say that PC advocates would like public expressions of opinions to be partially self-censored or even censored by the media to avoid offending certain categories of people, while PC opponents feel that they aren't free to express their opinions because the media are censoring them, or perhaps they even think that politically-correct people are actually often "hypocritically" concealing their real ideas and should be more outspoken?

In short, what does each side want ultimately? I read and hear PC opponents calling for a reduction or perhaps suppression of PC, but since it's not a legal requirement which doesn't even have a clear definition, I still don't understand what those demands really mean. Isn't everybody already free to express their opinions to full extent?

By "jumping on people" do you mean that PC supporters tend to tell politically-incorrect people to just "watch their mouth" without actually providing counterarguments, or is it that PC opponents feel "jumped on", but actually have more difficulty accepting and responding to counter criticism (and thus actually end up being the ones who feel "unfairly" treated)?

Mr Hammer wrote on Sep 26^th, 2017 at 10:55pm:


Too true
It had noble roots, but has been hijacked by self serving incompetents looking for an easy way.
It has been used as a weapon by those who see no other way to manipulate their way yhrough life.
It has become the shield behind which people we really should not have in our country manage to stay and punish us for helping them.

Talking about assassinating people on an Internet forum. That sort of thing?

Is talking about assassinating someone you've never met more towards Gay Jesus or Bastard?

A question mark! Wwweeelllllll! That changes everything!

Its simple.

Some people are bullies, and they take pleasure in other people's misery by way of discrimination.

And when the other people decided enough is enough, and changed the law to say such discrimination is no longer acceptable to society.

The bullies then complained that its political correctness gone too far.