We recently received a comment from a guy who called us “idiots” and suggested that freedom of speech and political correctness cannot co-exist. We beg to differ with his theory, and we also do not consider responding to sexist remarks to be an attempt to enforce political correctness.
It is our understanding that the intent of our country’s founders regarding freedom of speech was to ensure that citizens were able to speak their minds about important matters (how the country is governed, for example) without fear of recrimination. To us, that is vastly different than having the freedom to spew hateful (and unfounded) sentiments about an entire segment of the population (be it about race, gender, or sexual orientation).
We also do not believe, as our post-er suggested, that we want to say what we think but do not want others to have the same privilege. We simply believe that public discourse should be the exchange of ideas designed to create positive outcomes for all involved. The freedom-of-speech concept was never intended to provide people with an opportunity to be hateful or demeaning to others.
One of our favorite quotes in response to the “anti-political correctness police” has already been posted on this site, but perhaps it bears repeating here. During a 2006 speech, Professor Jack Russell of the University of North Dakota explained why sexist and other hateful comments inhibit women students’ opportunity to get an education:
When you cultivate hateful acts, you interfere with [your colleagues’] ability to get an education as well as your own because you contribute to an environment of alienation and fragmentation. In the school context, the right to respect, the right not [to] be offended, trumps the right to free speech, because you are part of a voluntary association that promises an equal opportunity to education to all who join. And if you hide behind the veil of the “politically incorrect,” you are not only interfering with the rights of others, you are also doing it in a dishonest and cowardly way. You are being hateful and lacking the courage to admit it.
We suspect that many other cogent arguments have been made about freedom of speech and political correctness—ones that didn’t begin with words like “idiots” or end with phrases like “grow up.” And we generally have chosen not to give voice on this site to those who opt for the low road with regard to public dialogue.
This time, however, we felt compelled to respond because our current poll is showing that overwhelmingly respondents are greeted with negative reactions or silence when they respond to sexist remarks. So far, no one has reported receiving a positive reaction.
It is experiences with people like our recent post-er that make it difficult for women to respond to sexist comments. Such people have an angry tone, and if you challenge their sexist words, no matter how gracefully or intelligently, they will simply attack you—sometimes using issues that matter, like freedom of speech, to silence you.
We will not be silenced. Nor will we tolerate sloppy arguments, filled with rage, that so often simply serve as cover for a person’s inability to present their ideas in a logical manner. Instead, we will look with disdain at those who use arguments about political correctness as a weapon or who present a point of view that seeks to harm rather than help our growth as a people and a nation.
We will continue to speak up in the face of sexist comments. We hope that you will join us.
Cynthia and Steve
