Despite assertions to the contrary, Political Correctness did not come from the "touchy-feely Greeny Lefty" side of politics.

It had origins from the Conservatives during the Reagan era who feared that US moral standards were in decline and was just another way of controlling social behaviour.

It's a self-inflicted vague concept that is ultimately powerless. Nobody has ever been imprisoned, let alone charged for saying something that is not deemed threatening or obscene under existing law.

Armchair Critic ; A strong welfare state and social wage, as well as a democratic mixed economy - does not mean "the end of civilisation". There are many economic and social models the world over. Australia has been drawing closer to the US model. A receding social safety net and high levels of inequality. If anything that is worse for social stability. A strong democracy has to support the right to dissent. To deny peoples' rights to fight for their interests - and for justice - is in the end harmful to democracy. At the end of the day there is more than one model of democracy ; People have the right to choose ; and that does not mean "the end of civilisation".

I am so buoyed right now, at reading the comments on this topic.
Those who know of me, know this is a pet topic of mine.
It is so good to see so many people come out in rejection of PC, it is quite heartening.
At first I was not going to comment, as it seemed a little self serving, but I was convinced to do so because not commenting may have sent the wrong message to the similarly minded commentors.
So, here I am, and kudos to you all, with these kind of numbers backing this kind of sentiment it is clear that it should not be too much longer before PC is dead and buried and anyone caught speaking in PC will be immediately dealt with.

Hi Tristan Ewins,
(Sorry for previously misspelling your name)

Once again, thanks for having the courage to respond to commenters criticism.
I didn't think you would and I wish more content authors would be prepared to back up their arguments.
- Progress cannot occur until we seperate arguments that do hold merit from those that don't. -

QUOTE>>A strong welfare state and social wage, as well as a democratic mixed economy - does not mean "the end of civilisation".<<

That's a vague kind of a statement, and you really need to elaborate on exactly what you mean.
In the case of 'a strong welfare state', well that certainly does have the potential to destroy the country.
I'm well aware that you can use this ideology as a means to forward your own socialist agenda, do not think I'm blind to it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloward%E2%80%93Piven_strategy
The Cloward–Piven strategy is a political strategy outlined in 1966 by American sociologists and political activists Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven that called for overloading the U.S. public welfare system in order to precipitate a crisis that would lead to a replacement of the welfare system with a national system of "a guaranteed annual income and thus an end to poverty".

As for social wage, I had to look that up to figure out what you were talking about.
http://keithrankin.co.nz/krnknsocw_wp.html

"...public expenditure on health, education, housing and social welfare. Raising the social wage is seen as a 'left-wing' alternative to tax cuts as a means of spending public sector surpluses."

So if we still owned Ports, Rail, Telecommunications and Energy infrastructure;
and if those public sector utilities generated a profit, we'd resdistribute that money to the benefit of all.
- We don't own any of that stuff anymore - who pays for it then - but I digress...

It's a self-inflicted vague concept that is ultimately powerless. Nobody has ever been imprisoned, let alone charged for saying something that is not deemed threatening or obscene under existing law
rache,
Those who lived through the national sozialist era of 1930's Germany would disagree.

Individual,

Why go back to 1930s Germany?

Look at 21st Century Australia.
Julia Banks - who has spoken out against
bullying, intimidation, and a broader culture
problem inside the government party was not
found to be "political correct" behaviour.
She's been accused of being a traitor and
a political rat. Although as Rache has pointed
out she at least was not jailed for it -
although the men left in droves during her speech.