Topic > How Political Correctness Is an Attack on the First Amendment

The definition of political correctness says: “The term political correctness is used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society." Political correctness is, at best, idealistic, but the problems with these ideas stem from those who are accustomed to censoring others. If our representatives are forced to censor themselves to ensure they do not offend any groups of people is not good for our freedom of speech, but people who speak choose whether they want to use politically correct language. But the problem arises when people are forced to speak in a way that does not represent their true beliefs for fear of risk their eligibility, credibility and future opportunities to express their opinion. Say no to plagiarism Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The current culture around the Politically Correct (PC) movement is predatory, the people pushing for this language are using their perceived outrage to silence the argument of those they disagree with. We would be failing the First Amendment if we allowed our speech to be moderated by those who seek only to advance their own political agenda. The problem is obvious; the university can control who speaks, where on campus they can speak, and whether they can speak at all. Many universities with these rules are liberal, making it extremely difficult for conservative speakers to be admitted to those campuses. Extreme members of the PC movement call for legal regulation of speech that causes distress to a person or group of people. One author believes that enacting laws to limit our freedom of speech is a worrying proposition, but laws are unlikely to be put in place as they go against the constitution. The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech.” But the application of political correctness does not originate from the law, but rather from the rules and regulations in areas that support the concept of political correctness. Many workplaces, universities and private organizations use a “speech code,” which is any regulatory rule that limits, restricts or prohibits speech beyond the legal limits of free speech. Speech codes may have good intentions, but the First Amendment already has its limits that protect the legal rights of others from hate speech, actual threats, incitement, and other extreme language. Language codes aim to limit an individual's freedom of expression and the vague terms of the rules are worrying as, depending on their application, they could be subject to abuse. Many of these policies prohibit offensive language and/or disparaging comments. These speech codes can be, and have been, abused to limit many protests/demonstrations in free speech zones or off campus. Many of these protesters must first request permission to demonstrate on campus, which may be accepted and denied at the discretion of the University. The FIRE Foundation, or Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, states: If universities enforced these rules to the letter, leading voices of public criticism, satire, and commentary would be silenced on American campuses and on some of our greatest authors , artists and directors. would be banned. These codes also lead students to believe that they have the absolute right to be free from offense, embarrassment, or discomfort. As a result, other students begin the compromise of self-censorship. The years.