Realizing the extremity of political correctness on college campuses
I was raised in international schools my whole life and my last school had just over 60 nationalities; this convergence of people from all around the world skewed my perspective of American politics towards progressivism and globalism. I initially thought that politically correct people were just normal people who coined the term political correctness to hold the right accountable for outdated and archaic rhetoric. Little did I know about the lack of direction and lack of substance of this sometimes radical group on campuses.
Before I move on, I want to say that most people exaggerate the effect of pc culture; at the end of the day colleges are large and people usually hang out with people that agree with or tolerate their own views. I only noticed this pc police when I interacted with a large amount of students who even moderates would call “SJWs”. I never realized how bigoted and closed-minded people who call others bigoted and closed-minded could be. It was as if their lives were centered around creating a tantrum about social injustice instead of talking about how structural, cultural and economic problems can be solved.
The safe space, which is now receiving growing mainstream criticism, is their retreat to safety from this evil world. But if your reading this you’ve probably already heard a lot about safe spaces, so I’ll move on. What I noticed that was most disheartening was not the delusional political reality they bought into, neither their anti-industrial views, but just their extreme sensitivity. It was as if something, somewhere along the way scarred them from facing reality. During my interactions, I felt like I was being chastised for listening to rap through their passive aggressive ways of communication. I felt like that my silence when they bounce off the same opinion off each other thinking they are having a discussion was seen as a form of protest against views.
These are not people who ever stop to appreciate all the time and effort that is put in industry to make the things they use digitize their opinions. As an engineering student studying computer science, I am occasionally marveled by humanity’s centuries long chain of knowledge that allows the technology we see today to exist. But when I introduced myself as an international student who is an engineer, privilege and sell-out were the impressions on their mind. I have to say I find the company of rural, gun loving, patriotic students a more human than SJWs, even though they may not believe in addressing climate or allowing abortions, at least you can speak to them, and have a discussion with them without committing a micro-aggression.
