political correctness

nationality

British

occupation / innovator as

journalist

scientific organization

Royal Society of Literature

is paradoxical in that one is on some occasions supposed to be blind to a minority's identifying characteristics (race, gender, sexuality) and on other occasions one is supposed to observe special sensitivity, or show special respect for these very same characteristics.

Offense is so easily given. And where the 'minority' issue is involved, the rules seem to shift about: most of the time a person who is female/black/disabled/gay wants this not to be their defining characteristic... you are supposed to be blind to it. But then, on other occasions, you are supposed to observe special sensitivity, or show special respect. Lynne Truss

is reflective of a circular relativism where to critique a culture as bad makes the critic a reactionary and bad person.

The problem is that it has become politically awkward to draw attention to absolutes of bad and good. In place of manners, we now have doctrines of political correctness, against which one offends at one's peril: by means of a considerable circular logic, such offenses mark you as reactionary and therefore a bad person. Therefore if you say people are bad, you are bad. Lynne Truss

Lynne TrussThinkers

Lynne Truss