Michael Bronski

Debates concerning political correctness should be discussed honestly and civilly, argues writer and activist Michael Bronski in the following viewpoint. Inspired by the social movements of the 1960s, political correctness faced a backlash in the 1990s as cultural critics and conservatives claimed that they felt oppressed by societal expectations to be sensitive to the needs of various minorities. This backlash, however, often trivialized the fact that women, gays, and minorities still faced discrimination. At the same time, those reacting against political correctness also addressed complex issues in which demands for cultural sensitivity clashed with the right to free speech. It is time for people to discuss such issues in a way that neither censors thought nor ignores real problems, the author concludes.

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