what's wrong with being pc?

[Henry M]

PC is OK when it's honest, invites dialogue, and is applied fairly. 
PC=Liberal. For some of us, the only problem with the L word is that 
the only R word anymore seems to be "Reactionary." 
Whatever happened to Radical, anyhow... As in going to the root 
cause. The only "radical" politicians in the news are the "Radical 
Right."
Oh, well...

Permit me a brief anecdote:

An anthropologist friend of my ex used to preach cultural relativism. 
"After all, who are we to dictate behaviour to other cultures?" 
And yet, she is a feminist, in a hurry to radically change our American 
culture from it's traditionally sexist behavior. Am I missing 
something here? When is a culture not a culture?

On 30 Oct 96 at 11:18, Kyburz at asu.edu wrote:

> Date:          Wed, 30 Oct 1996 11:18:55 -0700 (MST)
> From:          Kyburz at asu.edu
> Subject:       Re: Re[2]: what's wrong with being pc?
> To:            LBernier at tribune.com
> Cc:            pynchon-l at waste.org

> Far too simplistic a reading of multiculturalism, which suggests not
> simply *lip service* and, simply, assuming the moniker, only, of
> "color blind," but seeks to explore and problematize the sources or
> racism,sexism, whatever, the assumptions that guide it vs. our lived
> experiences.  It is contextualized, problematic.  Much  more
> complex.  And there's a hell of a lot more written on it that one
> article in Harper's.  See Trimbur & Bullock's THE POLITICS OF
> WRITING INSTRUCTION: POSTSECONDARY, or Henry Giroux (anything) or
> bell hooks.  Lisa Delprit has a wonderful piece on the desires of
> marginalized groups to learn *skills* that will get them jobs, as
> opposed to exploring diversity, which will help them to think--and,
> by extension, hopefully, to lead productive lives within contexts
> that would have them view those lives uncritically.
> 
> So many teachers I know are willing to refer to mc as pc, avoiding
> the real dynamic exchanges that take place when mc is conceived of
> as highly complex and worthy of investigation both as heuristic and
> as critical thinking -- even as the lesson itself.
> 
> as for not allowing minority groups to "participate in a power
> structure," they have to understand their positions vis-a-vis power
> structures in order to get some.  This calls for examining minority
> lives in real context, often ugly, not "pc."  
> 
> and money?  I won't go there, given this forum, but I will add that
> the "incorporation" argument is a bit reductive, as well.
> 
> Jean, I usually like what you have to say and recognize that you may
> simply be attempting to characterize the debates.  I simply can't
> take these reductions lightly anymore, and so am resonding,
> similarly, to a larger, global set of concerns.
> 
> 
> Forgive me, but the retrogressive epistemologies of old keep wafting
> back into vogue.
> 
> Bonnie L. Kyburz (sig below)
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, 30 Oct 1996 LBernier at tribune.com wrote:
> 
> >      Diana, there are those who claim that PC-ness, as defined by
> >      those who would treat ethnic groups with kid gloves (i.e.,
> >      always using the nom-du-maintenant when referring to said
> >      ethnic group, "sympathising" with their plight, etc.) is
> >      condescending, priggish, and generally racist, but oh so
> >      subtle.  The idea being that, in a perfect world, you plain
> >      wouldn't notice any difference, but would treat everyone the
> >      same, black, white, purple, whateber.  
> >      
> >      There is also the idea that multi-culturalism can be used to
> >      isolate and marginalize groups, by relegating them to some
> >      minority slot, and not allowing them to participate fully in
> >      the power structure.  There was an interesting article in
> >      Harper's a couple of years ago that pointed out the corporate
> >      cash-in aspect of multiculturalism as well.  Sorry, I don't
> >      remember the issue.
> >      
> >      Jean.
> >      
> >      
> >      
> > 
> > ______________________________ Reply Separator
> > _________________________________ Subject: Re: what's wrong with
> > being pc? Author:  Diana York Blaine <dyb0001 at jove.acs.unt.edu> at
> > Internet_tco Date:    10/30/96 8:46 AM
> > 
> > 
> > um, ted, did I miss something?  "Lady" bosses who are stupid?  I
> > was asking about political correctness and how it's ethnocentric. 
> > Since we are in America and I believed in the pap about equality,
> > I am just surprised that so many people take umbrage anytime some
> > marginalized group points out that it aint coming their way. 
> > Sorry for your troubles!  Diana
> >      
> > 
> 
> Bonnie L. Kyburz, Instructor
> Department of English			(602) 965-7756 (office)
> Arizona State University		kyburz at asu.edu
> Tempe, AZ  85287-0302			*or* surfus at chuma.cas.usf.edu
> 
> 

Keep Cool, but care. -- TRP
http://www.nicom.com/~gravity