POLITICAL CORRECTNESS: DEFINITION OF THE TERM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34132/mspc2025.02.13.01Keywords:
political correctness, ideology, liberal ideology, politically correct ideology, political movement, speech behavior, public communication.Abstract
The article presents an analysis of the emergence of the term «political correctness» in the USA as a component of social movements of the 1960s-1980s, in particular the movement for the rights of African Americans; the feminist movement; the struggle for the rights of people with disabilities; the LGBT rights movement, etc. It is noted that the understanding of political correctness today still has a dual perception: positive (political correctness is a way of forming a democratic and inclusive society), negative (political correctness is considered a tool of censorship that limits freedom of speech and creates excessive sensitivity in society). The term «political correctness» has become entrenched in the dictionaries of modern English as a norm of speech etiquette, an ideological principle, a component of liberal ideology that promotes equality, inclusiveness, and protection of minorities. It is emphasized that political correctness is a product of democratic transformations of the second half of the twentieth century, aimed at overcoming discrimination and fostering an equal society.
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