Political correct
ness isn’t always correct

Disclaimer:  I’ve been asked to censor some of the offensive verbiage.  The irony is so thick, I could make molasses.  

Context. Intent. Why do so many people dismiss these two vital characteristics of human communication? And why do some proponents of PC speak in absolutes? You mean to tell me there’s never a situation where offensive language is acceptable?

Well, I f*cking disagree. In fact, I argue that in some situations, using offensive language is essential to human connection.

When I was in the military, joking with each other was a way to foster solidarity. Usually the jokes revolved around the other guy’s mom performing some appalling, salacious act the night before.

From race to religion to sexism, whoever came up with the most vile, belligerent joke was venerated, not necessarily for the joke itself, but for making everyone laugh in an environment that was often exceedingly stressful.

Had anyone heard our conversation without understanding the context and intent of the jokes being flung around the squadron like shrapnel, they might quickly judge us as insensitive, mother-hating bastards.

My favorite example is when I came out of the closet to my older brother. He and his wife invited me over for dinner one night, and I was so nervous I only ate half a taco, mumbling through our banter.

When I finally confessed to being gay, my brother remained quiet and walked into the kitchen. He came back to the dining table with cupcakes and said, “Well, we have cupcakes for dessert. Do you people like cupcakes?”

I started laughing. He and his wife started laughing. And with that single comment, all that tension and anxiety was completely wiped away. (And for the record, gays f*cking LOVE cupcakes.)

Again, had anyone heard my brother’s comment out of context without taking into account his intent, they might judge him to be homophobic.

This kind of humor is indispensable. Politically incorrect jokes reveal the absurdity of the real homophobic/racist/sexist assholes who routinely spew their revolting hatred into the world. It also cultivates unity among those (like myself) who have been cut deeply by the barbs of true hate speech.

But this perspective has come under scrutiny, as several comedians have been criticized for being too politically incorrect (isn’t that their f*cking job?) and in some cases excluded from college campuses.

When Bill Maher was scheduled to give a commencement speech at UC Berkeley in December of 2014, students petitioned to ban him from campus grounds because of his religious jokes, specifically comments he made about Islam.

Ironically, UC Berkeley celebrated the 50th anniversary of the free-speech movement that year.

Comedian Patton Oswalt told The Voice that it’s the responsibility of comedians to remain as irresponsible as they can regarding mockery and language. “We are the safety valve … we are there saying the rude, saying the obnoxious, saying the funny and the smart, we just need to be there as the Id.” Oswalt added that, “comedy is pretty f*cking essential … it has a positive effect on society.”

Philosopher Slavoj Žižek argues that political correctness cultivates a system of thought totalitarianism.

“It’s a form of self-discipline which doesn’t really allow you to overcome racism; it’s just oppressed, controlled racism,” he argues in a video on the website, BigThink.com. “Without such a tiny exchange of friendly obscenities, you don’t have real contact with another. It remains this cold respect and so on … we need this to establish real contact.”

Does that mean comedians and coworkers should be allowed to harass others with hate speech? Of course not. It’s all about nuance, about thinking beyond absolutes and taking into account context and intent.

I’ve adopted a sensible balance myself — don’t be overly PC, but don’t be a c*nt to each other, either.