Oh, I wrote a bit of a ramble. I don't normally delete my
comments but I wanted to fact check and when i did, I found out
that a few of my conclusions were based on things that I thought
were fact, but weren't. I couldn't figure out how to rewrite it,
so I let it pass.
Basically, I had experience with political correctness; it
became popularized around 1988 among certain campuses and by the
time I went to college in 1990 at Hampshire College, it was
spreading and considered the norm and a worthy goal. A nearby
college, Smith College, had issued a handout that year
summarizing political correctness - and quite seriously at that.
I tend to agree with the premise behind it, but the hypocrisy
was evident from the beginning just the same.
In short, it was primarily rich white girls being ultimately
patronizing towards many groups by placing them in "nice
stereotype" boxes instead of rude ones, and at the same time,
attempting to eliminate Western Civ from the curriculum
entirely.
I didn't mind it. I learned about all sorts of other cultures,
although my exposure to Western Civ. was limited then to what I
learned in high school. I made up for my "lost knowledge" after
college on my own, which was easy enough, although having been
exposed to multiple points of view, it was strange seeing the
single-viewed Western Civ history again - it seemed so narrow
suddenly.
Anyway, that's the gist of it, with proper corrections. It's
only tangentally related to what you're talking about; the
relatable point being: the disowning of one's own cultural
heritage in the process of becoming more inclusive is an
excessive step that can lead to problems. I see no reason why
both can't be embraced simultaneously.
