Fake News: Political Correctness Gone Mad?
Prior to the 21st century, the term snowflake referred literally, to flakes of snow but, in the age of social media the term has taken on a new meaning. The Collins English Dictionary defines the term as; the young adults of the 2010s, viewed as being less resilient and more prone to taking offence than previous generations (Nicholson).
But how much of the offence is actually uncalled for? It appears that many so called snowflakes merely disagree with the discrimination against minority groups. It would seem that older generations take issue with the snowflake generation due to their striving towards a world of political correctness, where their outdated views are not welcome.
The issue of political correctness can be found time and time again in the comments of news articles shared to Facebook. It is common for these articles to spark debates between those who are largely right wing and those who are largely left wing politically. However, the articles themselves are not always completely factual, often exaggerating issues to create a particular bias either for or against a specific topic. These exaggerations accumulate to create news stories which fall into the category of fake news. According to Ogilvy, there are five types of fake news;
- Satire/parody
- Misleading news used in wrong context
- Sloppy reporting that fits an agenda
- Misleading news supporting an ongoing narrative rather than facts
- Intentionally deceptive
While satire/parody and intentionally deceptive fake news are largely found in relation to politics, it is the remaining three types which more commonly appear when a particular bias is created within a news story to gain clicks — and money. People, interests and beliefs which fall into the minority within society are usually the ones targeted as the news sites know this will cause more uproar with its readers.
It seems as though political correctness is now a term used interchangeably with a more accepting society. Younger generations, who are more accepting of social issues and in turn are more watchful for discrimination (Clarke), are mocked by their elders and in turn referred to as snowflakes. The growth in individuality and choice that people have these days — in terms of gender, sexuality, interests, beliefs etc.— has left many older generations confused and, in many cases, excluding this younger generation. News stories which refer to minority groups (often being angry or offended), such as transgender people, vegans and homosexuals, regularly exaggerate the amount of offence they are causing.
In October, a controversial tweet regarding tissue brand Kleenex went viral after a user called them out over their ‘sexist’ product Kleenex Mansize (@LisaMHancox). A number of media outlets picked up on the story, reporting that feminists were offended by the gendered product, despite the fact that it was a single tweet in question. While feminists may seek equality throughout society — including removing gendered products — it is unlikely that this issue was as big among the feminist community as many media outlets made it out to be.
Around this same time, another news story began circulating regarding the lack of feminism shown in Disney films. Hollywood actresses Keira Knightley and Kristen Bell revealed that they restrict the Disney films their children watch due to some sending out the wrong message if taken literally (BBC News). Feminism was once again viewed as the culprit with many stating that ‘they’re just films’ and mocking the actresses’ decisions to ban them. Whilst there was a large amount of ridicule over this decision, few chose to consider how the films could be problematic, disregarding this view completely before complaining that people were unnecessarily taking offence.
Both of these incidents received backlash towards feminism, arguing that feminists should focus on bigger issues such as genital manipulation, child marriages and sex trafficking. However, in both cases, it was a handful of comments which caused the outrage in the first place, leaving the readers to generalise these as issues which feminists consider a high priority.
When news sites choose to pick a bias against those in the minority within society, it can be difficult to understand whether the ‘issue’ at hand really is an issue after all. Without factual confirmation from communities such as the feminist one, there is often little proof that something is actually offensive, particularly to the so called snowflake generation.
Does society really think political correctness has gone mad, or do we just want people to be offended by our views?
References:
Clarke, Donald. “Political correctness hasn’t gone mad. It has made us nicer.” The Irish Times, 12 August 2017, https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/political-correctness-hasn-t-gone-mad-it-has-made-us-nicer-1.3182555
“Keira Knightley bans daughter from watching some Disney films.” BBC News, 18 October 2018, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45900794
@LisaMHancox. “ Hi @Kleenex_UK. M y 4yo son asked me what was written here. Then he asked, why are they called mansize? Can girls, boys & mummies use them? I said: I don’t know & yes of course. He suggests you should call them “very large tissues”. It is 2018.” Twitter, 10 October 2018, 04:34, https://twitter.com/LisaMHancox/status/1049986428107726848
Morley, Katie. “Kleenex to ditch Mansize tissues after gender inequality complaints.” The Telegraph, 17 October 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10/17/kleenex-ditch-mansize-tissues-gender-inequality-complaints/
Nicholson, Rebecca. “‘Poor little snowflake’ — the defining insult of 2016.” The Guardian, 28 November 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/nov/28/snowflake-insult-disdain-young-people
Watts, Nicola. “5 Types of ‘Fake News’ and Why They Matter.” Ogilvy, 5 July 2018, https://www.ogilvy.com/feed/5-types-of-fake-news-and-why-they-matter/
