【Editor's Note】This article is authorized by the founder of the Great Diplomatic Think Tank to authorize the "Qin'an Strategy" headline platform to be published exclusively and originally, and reprinted from the public account "Kuzhi Jiaotong University". The author is Yin Chenhuan, a trainee commentator of the Great Diplomatic Think Tank "Zhiben Qingyan".
First, Disney's "LGBTQ+" storm
According to U.S. media reports on March 31, Disney announced that it will introduce more LGBTQ+ minorities such as male (female), bisexual, transgender and other LGBTQ+ minorities in its animation works, and by the end of this year, the proportion of these characters will increase to at least 50%. Disney's decision caused a lot of controversy, with cheers from the LGBTQ+ community and complaints from netizens. Many parents have said that they do not want their children to be indoctrinated by ideology and forced political correctness too early, and Disney should stay away from politics and do its job - entertaining the public.
Screenshot of Disney LGBTQ+ storm related news reports (Source @ Observer Network)
According to the relevant person in charge of Disney, this decision is a response to the previous Florida "Gay Act". The bill requires that the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity be prohibited from kindergarten to third grade. The bill sparked resentment and protests from the LGBTQ+ community, and Disney, florida' 80,000 employees, initially remained silent before being found to have made donations to the state and the bill's sponsors, and was increasingly criticized by the sexual minority, and even some Disney employees participated in the protests, including former Disney CEO Bob Iger and Abigail, granddaughter of Walt Disney co-founder Disney)。
Disney has launched a rainbow series of products to show support for the LGBTQ+ community (source @ Bing)
It can be said that Disney's decision to increase LGBTQ+ roles by more than 50% this time is undoubtedly deeply influenced by the "political correctness" in the United States. The United States has always advocated the value orientation of freedom and pluralism, and the emergence of the enhanced social inclusiveness and reflective trend of thought in the United States has also formed a so-called "political correctness" in its domestic respect for minorities and vulnerable groups. However, due to the problem of "overcorrection" in the specific implementation, this development of "political correctness" seems to have gradually deviated from the original pursuit of equality and pluralism. Therefore, this is undoubtedly a topic worthy of our attention.
Second, the development of "political correctness" in the United States
In layman's terms, political correctness is often used to describe language, policies and measures, and through the provision and use of these languages, policies and measures, it is aimed at avoiding offending members of specific social groups (mostly vulnerable groups and marginalized groups) and preventing them from being insulted and marginalized. The greatest manifestation of "political correctness" is "correct wording", using relatively neutral language to avoid any discrimination and unconscious prejudice. In addition, "political correctness" also includes the "correctness" of policies and measures, and cannot violate the position that is considered "correct".
At the end of the postwar golden age in the 1960s, as capitalism fell into a cyclical crisis, reflectivism prevailed in the United States, especially represented by the anti-mainstream ideology of young people, pursuing individuality and self-assertion. Dissatisfied with mainstream cultural and social realities, and sympathetic to the plight of minorities and women, American youth launched a "rebellious" campaign that gradually developed into a widespread social protest movement, in which the critical spirit remained as a legacy and became the source of various ideas under "political correctness" in the future.
The student movement in the United States in the 1960s (Source @ Baidu)
In the 1970s, The president of the National Women's Organization of the United States, Carindique, for the first time publicly put forward the view that language should pursue "political correctness", criticizing the discrimination against women in English, and the term "political correctness" quickly entered the public eye and received widespread response. In the following decades, the idea of "political correctness" was gradually accepted by the American people and subconsciously dominated by it.
Feminist activities in the United States in the 1970s (Source @ Pengbai News)
By the 1980s, "political correctness" at this time was more of an academic point of view and moral norms, but by the 1990s, "political correctness" had become popular throughout American society, and historical reflection and respect for marginalized groups had become a new social trend. However, the original intention of avoiding the taboo of language and behavior that discriminates against marginalized and vulnerable groups seems to be gradually developing into a "law" that cannot be violated and questioned.
Third, the performance of "political correctness" in the United States
In recent years, the connotation and extension of "political correctness" have far exceeded the time when it was proposed, and the impact has become increasingly deep into all aspects of American society, especially the continuous fermentation of gender, LGBTQ+, and racial issues, which has caused widespread controversy about the phenomenon of "political correctness" in the United States.
(1) Gender issues
Equal rights for men and women in the United States is an enduring issue. After a long period of women's liberation movements, the status of women in the United States, including political power, has greatly improved, but there are still huge shortcomings in some traditional issues, such as sexism and domestic violence. In addition to the behavior of violating and hurting women, there are also differences in different values.
In May 2019, several U.S. states passed the Anti-Abortion Act, triggering protests from numerous women who claimed to be a violation of women's reproductive freedom. On the issue of abortion, "political correctness" is expressed in support for the permissibility of abortion, so the introduction of such bills can be seen as a counterattack against "political correctness".
U.S. women protest the "anti-abortion bill" (image source @ Bing)
In addition, there is the #Metoo# movement, a 2017 campaign launched by American actresses against the scandal of American gold medal producer Harvey Weinstein that swept the world and expanded into politics and business, targeting the upper white male group.
The American drama "Morning News" has explored this issue. Unlike the one-sided tendencies in other film and television dramas, when the male news anchor was accused of sexual assault and his life was ruined, he angrily complained at home about the women who accused him of sexual assault. He believes that he is wronged, that the increasingly large "me too" movement is persecuting men, "it is all you love me", "one-night stands are so common", "when an affair becomes a illegal thing". There is no doubt that violations against women are subject to severe legal sanctions. However, this action, which is supposed to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of women, will not have an irrational trend under the intervention of "political correctness" and cause everyone to endanger themselves, which is indeed worthy of our deep consideration.
Lines in the first season of the American drama "Morning News" (source @ Douban)
(2) Sexual minority issues
Many U.S. states have allowed same-sex marriage, but as a country with a deep Christian tradition, a significant portion of the conservative population is unacceptable. However, the principle of "political correctness" is positive for homosexuality, and under the propaganda of some media and public figures, it has become a universally accepted law, which will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among traditional people. In the face of the conflict between the "political correctness" claims of the gay community and religious beliefs, whether the religious freedom of traditional Christian believers is respected when expressing sympathy for gay couples.
In addition, it is also noteworthy that sexual minorities will be used by politicians as a political means of co-opting minorities. For example, the First Transgender "Four-Star General" in the United States, the first transgender person in the United States just appointed by the Biden administration, U.S. Assistant Health Secretary Levin, even though he or she never served in the army, easily became a four-star general because of his special status. Wouldn't that be unfair to soldiers who worked hard in the military? Will it further tear American society apart?
American netizens jokingly called "Biden's colorful cabinet" (source @ Baidu)
(3) Racial issues
Racial issues in the United States are epitomized by conflicts between people of color and whites, with the sharpest contradictions focused on the black community. As mentioned earlier, "political correctness" in the treatment of racial issues is particularly evident in Hollywood, which is inseparable from Hollywood's domination by leftist elites who support "political correctness."
The 2016 U.S. presidential election exacerbated social polarization. In this context, Hollywood, which originally belonged to the left, intensified its left-leaning trend and became a defender of "political correctness" and a living force against Trump. Therefore, since 2016, the selection of the Oscars for three consecutive years has shown a great political orientation, and the 89th Academy Awards in 2017 for best foreign language film was awarded to the Iranian film "Salesman" in the context of the Trump administration's "ban on Muslims"; the 90th Oscars in 2018, the horror film "Escape from Desperate Town" reflecting racial issues, won the best original screenplay award.
Screenshot of the movie "Escape from Desperate Town" (source @ Douban)
"Green Book" and "Black Panther", which gained favor in 2019, are both subjects involving people of color. In addition, from 2017 to the present, the "political correctness" principle of the Academy Awards has become more and more obvious, and there is even a tendency to surpass the artistry of the film itself.
"Black Panther" poster embodies the elements of colored people (source @ Bing)
epilogue
"Political correctness" aims to eliminate discrimination and has a certain degree of rationality, and this protection of minorities has also spread to various fields such as politics, education, culture, religion and so on, bringing about many positive changes.
However, we cannot ignore that the phenomenon of "political correctness" has also aroused the negative sentiments of a considerable number of people, and the problems and controversies it has caused in specific practice cannot be avoided. More and more Americans are finding that "political correctness" is losing its original equal nature and moving toward over-sensitivity to over-correction, covering up real problems by avoiding problems.
From ancient times to the present, the legitimate demands of minorities have often been ignored by us, so we need our attention and respect. But does deliberate protection of minority interests allow the weak and minorities to indulge themselves, indulge themselves, thereby evading personal responsibility and ignoring the denial of problems within the group, thereby infringing on the legitimate rights of the majority? By forcing ordinary people, companies, or a range of people and things that have nothing to do with ideology to make choices on sensitive issues, does it create another kind of "unfreedom"? In such a society, the original minority marginal groups have more sense of superiority, other voices of doubt are directly and easily labeled as racists and fascists, and other people must hide their political beliefs and religious beliefs.
These are all questions that deserve our consideration and vigilance.