Everyone seems to be a diplomat these days. There are many instances people prefer to use politically correct statements. But what does it mean to be politically correct?
To start off, one needs to think like a politician. As a president of nation, would you shoot down a plane filled with innocent passengers just to prevent a terrorist from crashing it into a skyscraper? If it is a matter of sacrificing one man for the sake of an entire nation, it would be considered politically acceptable. Yet when it comes down to a more personal level and that one person you could save was related to you, you might just ditch thinking rationally and do all you can to save the loved one. Try telling a mother of child that her child cannot be saved but she'll still do all she can even up to the last moment.
A politician thinks in terms of satisfying a majority and might forsake the minority. Yet when the situation is brought down to a micro level, human rationality becomes blurred. Numbers mean nothing when human emotions are involved. The truth is most of us are not diplomats or politicians and probably are not cut out to be one. To be a politician is to make decisions based on a macro scale and not many of us can make a call knowing that it will be painful.
Thus being politically correct or diplomatic is nothing more than just being acceptable to the majority and most of our everyday decisions should simply based on what is acceptable to ourselves.
2 comments:
Hi Zan,
You bring up an interesting topic of debate. When we talk about diplomacy or making decisions based on the common good, I think you also need to consider context. Saving a child can be a macro decision, but it can also be a micro decision depending on context.
Often in our daily lives macro decisions are not required. This is beacause our social system makes it so that we have somone else who makes the 'for the greater good' decisions: the diplomats, the executives, the presidents and the military to name a few. And if you become one of those, they will all have been trained or taught, or at the very least come to realise how important their jobs are, because they cannot take human emotion into account as much as they must take into account what is best for the bigger picture. If the people in these positions cannot see this, then they perhaps should reconsider their line of work. When you have millions of lives in your hands, it is entirely different to the mother only needing to consider the fate of her one child. You simply cannot take things by a case by case basis. It is just too difficult.
As to being politically correct as opposed to being politally acceptable, I think that there is a line you need to distinguish between those two definitions. Often 'politically correct' is used in terms of 'nice' statements about people. The infamous 'losing face' idea. You make statements that are palatable to the ear of both the recipient and any one else who walks in on the conversation. Statements that do not offend. They are politically correct statements.
Politically acceptable statements however can be construed in a number of different ways. In the case of decisions being made by mother over child as opposed to government over child, well, politically acceptable would imply political decisions being made based on society's acceptance of those decisions. There is a slight difference, based on where you wish to place the definition of 'political'. Do you get my drift? Or have I managed to confused all and sundry who are trying to figure out where I'm going with all of this? *rueful smile*
I see your point about only doing things that are acceptable to ourselves. Even diplomats and politicians have their consciences to think of. There are numerous movies and references in popular culture that I can think of to dredge up as examples of how conscience can often come into play when making major decisions. And unfortunately the reality is that making 'big picture' decisions will often come up against the morals and acceptabilities that people have of society.
However, as depressing as it may seem, often society in general are very passive. one of the reasons why the statement 'one person makes a difference' is such a rallying banner for people to support is simply because it is at its most basic, an ideal. While it may well be possible to achieve, the amount of effort this may take is often too much for most of us 'normal' denizens to contemplate. Often we choose to let other people make the decisions for us. It's just easier that way. And who are we to step in the way of those who wish to lead us?
Hi Enigmatic Butterfly,
It is always great to hear from you because you are able to present the topic from more than one perspective. Indeed i do agree with most of what you say. Or perhaps more appropriately, "my sentiments exactly".
The interesting thing is when someone says something politically correct, she/he intends it to be "nice" to hear but more often than not it is only "nice" to hear to the majority. Strangely there will always be people we cannot seem to please. ;P
i agree that most of us are "passive" when it comes to politics and most of us will willingly let politicians take the lead and hopefully decide for all of us based on the common good. But in a way that gives us more time to make micro decisions like what to wear, ... Ha ha!
Thanks!
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