A Review of

“Political Correctness”: A Short History of an Ideology

Edited by William S. Lind

Washington D.C.: Free Congress Foundation-Center for Cultural Conservation

2004. 37 pages.

Reviewed by

Glenice Joy D. Jornales

Political Science 103

Selected Readings in Political Theory

Professor Darwin J. Manubag

Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology

Iligan City

August 5, 2008

The e-book entitled Political Correctness: A Short History of an Ideology would

most likely catch the attention of the feminists into criticizing it. It is divided into six

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chapters, but the first chapter speaks of its core idea as it opens with an imagery of the

1950s American family, and then transports them to the present century, presenting the

horrible scenarios that would be experienced by them.

The book is actually filled with criticisms on the ideology they call Political

Correctness. It tries to provide reasons why this ideology should be defied by those who

dare to defy it. William Lind, the editor of the book clearly transmits that PC destroys the

American culture and should be confronted by Americans. However, the book contains

arguments that are quite questionable, and some assertions are very offensive.

In the introduction of the book, Lind asserted that America today had become a

Third World nation “overrun by crime, noise, drugs and dirt”, something that is very

offensive to the Third World countries. It is not right to say so, especially since in the

first place, these problems do not originate from us, and that it is the First World

countries that have brought these down to us (visit

http://www.stuartxchange.com/Shabu.html, http://www.scaruffi.com/history/, and

http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/coc01.htm for further clarification of my point)1. Also,

these problems are still more prevalent in the US than most Third World countries.

Aside from that, Lind also asserted in this book’s opening chapter that the most

important point of conservatism is that it is “against all ideologies”. Isn’t conservatism an

ideology? If that is so, then it contradicts itself. This is one major setback of the book,

especially since it can be read in the book’s introduction.

Also, when the book tried to present the connection of feminism and how

feminism destroys the American culture, it fails to present the various feminisms and

1
I preferred to give the exact websites over the webpage owners to stress my point on this statement.

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focused only on the radical feminism. A question surely arises when we read this

chapter: Do all feminisms take their roots from what they say is cultural Marxism in

Germany? Or is it just radical feminism? Here, it could be viewed that this can be the

actual application of the assertions in the introduction of the book; the suppression of

certain reality to solidify an ideology’s argument. What he failed to mention was the

strategy of presenting those which would suit their purpose of strengthening their

arguments while shunning the reality that contradicts their assertions.

Moreover, their argument on their attack of those curriculums that contains

subjects on multiculturalism does not suffice. It is very clear that we need to learn about

the various cultures of the different people that we have to live with in order to develop

tolerance and understanding of these cultures, especially since we are living in the

societies with very diverse cultures. Understanding other people’s culture is deemed to

be a very important aspect if we want to have peace in this era. More than ever, we’ll

have to do this in the present (and more likely in the future) era, to avoid cultural

clashes that might escalate into conflicts and eventually into war, especially since war

today could mean the destruction of a whole country or more, with the recent

innovations on weaponry.

The intention of the writers might be good, and that is to present why PC is a

threat to the American culture, but it would have been better if they presented the

foundations of the ideology and the reason for its emergence first (Does it want

anarchy? How bad are its goals and objectives?), then present the weaknesses and the

negative sides of it.

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 The book is a candy for those who are anti-feminist, traditionalist, and those who

wanted to bring back the America of the 1950’s (with timid women tucked obediently

beside their husbands), but it has not clarified its main subject—Political Correctness

(PC). Instead of giving a clear definition of the said ideology, it went forward to criticizing

the said ideology without establishing and defining first what is PC, thus, giving indistinct

ideas on what the book is all about.

Also, although some chapters are filled with facts and data relevant to their

arguments, most chapters of the book seem to be opinionated essays, backed by feeble

facts. It might be that the reason for this is that most arguments of the writers are on the

theoretical aspects of the ideology, but the book has not been a historical reference of

an ideology, as what I thought it is, but ends up to be more of a collection, a compilation

of criticisms by writers who are against Political Correctness ideology. Even those who

might have the faintest idea of what PC is all about would be misled by the title.

Readers, upon seeing the title, would conclude immediately that it presents a brief

history of PC. However, upon reading the early pages, they would learn that the book is

in fact a criticism of the said ideology. It may perhaps be good to change the title of the

book into a more appropriate one, such as “A Critique on Political Correctness”.

This book, which is supposed to be a brief historical reference of an ideology in

the US seems more like something written by masochistic men who wants to bring back

the days when women have no options but to stay at home and obey their husbands.

As Lind wrote, “Ladies should be wives and homemakers…” Clearly, they do not want

the woman of today; the woman who dares to wield power and decides over what to do

with life n its entirety.

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 If they truly want to change the society back to its 1950s norms, I doubt if they

can still change everything to what it once was, especially now that today’s woman have

discovered how great it is to have her own career, her own decisions, and her own life.

Bibliography

IX, SX. 2007. Shabu. Online: http://www.stuartxchange.com/Shabu.html, Date of

Access: August 5, 2008.

Piero Scaruffi. 2002. Piero Scaruffi's History of Rock Music. Online:

http://www.scaruffi.com/history/, Date of Access: August 5, 2008.

Recreational Drug Information Website. 2007. Cocaine. Online:

http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/coc01.htm, Date of Access: August 5, 2008.