Cordial Civility vs Polictical Correctness

When I was a young man growing up, we had a mechanism for avoiding thoughtless, hurtful speech which may insult or hurt someone's feelings.  It had many names - diplomacy, discretion, civility, class and consideration are a few, and it was practiced by those of good moral character and fine breeding.  We didn't want to offend anyone then as now, but then it was voluntarily.  Now, not so much.  Unfortunately that noble concept of voluntarily allowing oneself and others the right to free speech, while self governed by a notion of restraint, has been bastardized into the vile censorship we know of today as political correctness.

In contrast to cordial civility, political correctness is simply censorship; the idea that certain ideas and positions must not be spoken of.  In fact, in the paragraph above, I've made several violations of political correctness, just by insinuating that one human could be better bred than another.  Horrors!

Political correctness is the weapon of the radical left, those whose egalitarian worldview is not burdened by logic or direct observation, but by a deep and unyielding belief system.  PC seeks to go all in by stomping out any and all challenges to that belief system, and goes much further than just conversation.

What can be done?   That's easy.  Make a conscious effect to avoid being politically correct, and at the same time be conversationally and cordially civil.  Take the power of the language back from those who seek to pervert it, and use that power to make your voice heard.  Don't let the shrill and rabid shout you down, silence or intimidate you.  Tell the truth, have common sense, and those things will never fail you.