Letter: Political correctness issues on this campus

December 10th, 2009 | By Tim Hederman ’10 | Section: Opinion

It troubles me that there remains a contingent of students who feel as though there is little room for their opinions to be heard. While this concern is a legitimate one, I would like to explore how this anxiety for recognition may be misdirected in its attack on political correctness.

Political correctness may sometimes seem over the top, but most of the time it is rather simple. The basic crux is that we should do whatever we can to let people decide for themselves what they want to be called. What is more, while using gender-neutral pronouns or culturally appropriate labels isn’t perfect, it’s a first of many steps towards eradicating inequality entirely.

Its true that parodying and policing each other is neither productive nor enjoyable. However, maybe we should be more careful before we get rid of the whole kit and caboodle.