Earlier today a friend of mine told me about a small argument he had with someone in a linguistics class about political correctness, its motivation and its effect on everyone.  From what I gather, the whole episode started with someone expressing displeasure with the ever-present influence of censorship that he/she feels limits the things that he/she is “allowed” to say during a given day.  My friend, who is not one to shy away from expressing his own opinions, responding by directing a rather crude comment at his classmate and then saying something to the effect of, “See, I can say whatever I want.  So can you.”  I don’t remember what happened after that, but it got me thinking about the role of political correctness in our society and the ultimate reason for its growing influence on our behavior as a culture.

            I can’t help but think that the pressure of being politically correct has been catalyzed by the general population’s overwhelming concern with “saving face” and somehow controlling what everyone else thinks of us rather than protecting the feelings of those who may be offended by “politically incorrect” statements.  Considering this alongside the advent of internet-based networking tools like Facebook and MySpace and the technological advancement of transportable communication (i.e. cell phones, laptops, BlackBerries, etc.) I can’t help but notice our culture imposing growing pressure on us to constantly maintain, protect and expand our social networks.  I wonder what drives this.  By the definition proposed in class, popularity can be thought of as a measure of the size and extension of our social networks.  Perhaps the mere feeling of power and importance that accompanies social popularity is responsible for our society’s desire to build and improve the devices that allow us to communicate so easily. 

            I must admit that, on some level, this bothers me.  I find nothing wrong with popularity and political correctness or those who pursue it, but I sometimes question and worry about the influence it has on everyone.  I think some of us are tricked into thinking that if we do what is expected of us, say what we think others want to hear and try to establish social-links with as many people as possible we will feel the sensation of accomplishment and the reward of popularity.  But if being universally recognized or trusted is something you want out of life, consider those individuals who have achieved immortality in our minds by doing things differently.  I find it somewhat ironic that while we celebrate certain individuals for protecting their rights and refusing to do things that were expected of them, the influence of our society discourages people from being different or speaking their mind.