This paper first examines and looks into the definitions, development and sources of political correctness as a cultural concept, which has significantly been coined in a certain direction since its first occurrence. Beforehand, as a framework and to put it into a sociological relevant perspective, Pierre Bourdieu, Bruno Latour and their findings about the connection of language, society and their mutual influence will be discussed. Furthermore, putting theory into practice, three speeches of three different politicians representing anti-PC-strategies via three different sorts of media will be analysed. Moreover, respective repercussions in society will be outlined and associated with results of the analysis.
"Political Correctness belongs in the dustbin of history", Alice Weidel, faction leader of the far-right populist German party AFD enthusiastically demanded on the nationwide party´s conference in 2017. This statement made her and her party´s position regarding political correctness perfectly clear. When it comes to the emotional debate about being pro or anti political correctness, it seems to be that the far-right parties across Europe and many conservative politicians in the United States have similar attitudes to this topic.
The urgency of exploring and revealing strategies which connect PC and far-right propaganda and thereby coin a dangerous cultural narrative, can be observed for instance in Germany in respect of the predominantly anti-muslim blog Politically Incorrect News (PI news), which is under surveillance of the Bavarian constitution protection and counts 10.000 daily visitors in 2017. The blog´s operators describe their site as against mainstream, pro-American and pro-Israeli, and in a constant battle for the German constitution against the ´ideology´ of multiculturalism.
Now, the United States of America have been functioning and still work in many diverse realms of cultural and respective political changes as a blueprint and virtually as a forecast for developments in Europe. This has been and still is the case with political correctness as a phenomena, which seems to be a connecting piece of society and politics. Consequently, examining and understanding PC and anti-PC as a presumed strategy of politicians of the right means tracing it back to its origins in the U.S.. Eventually, analysing its effects and consequences can possibly provide an idea how to counteract the difficulties which it also causes in Europe.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Sociological perspectives
2.1. Pierre Bourdieu’s “Language and symbolic power”
2.2. Bruno Latour´s “Power of association”
3. The attempt of defining PC and anti-PC
4. The controversial development of PC – a weapon in Culture War?
5. American public discourse and the population´s perception of PC
6. Political rhetoric, propaganda and its characteristics
7. George Bush Sr.´s speech at Michigan University in 1991
7.1. Speaker and historical context
7.2. Speech content analysis
7.3. Fact checking: Threat by speech codes on universities?
7.4. Aftermath - the economic profit of PC and its spread
8. Propaganda 2.0 – the role of new media
9. Brian Kemp´s YouTube video “So conservative” in 2018
9.1. Speaker and temporal context
9.2. Video speech analysis
9.3. Fact checking: Threat by undocumented immigrants?
9.4. Aftermath
9.4.1. Study effects of anti-PC-campaigning
9.4.2. The medium YouTube in general and the video´s resonance in particular
10. Donald Trump´s tweet in 2017
10.1. Speaker and political context
10.2. Twitter, Trump and PC – a dangerous connection
10.3. Tweet analysis
10.4. Fact checking: Threat by banned immigrants
10.5. Aftermath
10.5.1. Respective reactions on Twitter
10.5.2. Trump´s speech – climax of anti-PC evolution?
10.5.3. The “Trump effect”- theory and beyond
11. Conclusion and outlook
Research Objectives and Themes
This work investigates the anti-PC strategies employed by political right-wing actors in the United States to maintain social and political power, specifically examining how they influence and manipulate public discourse through the instrumentalization of "Political Correctness" as a tool for polarization.
- The role of language and power structures in sociological perspective.
- Deconstruction of political propaganda techniques used by conservative actors.
- Analysis of specific case studies: George H.W. Bush, Brian Kemp, and Donald Trump.
- Exploration of how the digital medium (YouTube/Twitter) facilitates anti-PC narratives.
- Assessment of the sociolinguistic impact and public perception of "PC" in the U.S.
Excerpt from the Book
The attempt of defining PC and anti-PC
Since PC is a concept which continually has changed in its meaning and form, defining the term and, thus the term anti-PC, in a scientific manner means comparing its definition over time and selecting its decisive features, which have stayed the same.
One of its first definitions in the Oxford Dictionary of 1997 says the following: “Conformity to a body of liberal or radical opinion on social matters, […] and the rejection of language and behaviour considered discriminatory or offensive.” On the one hand, there is a clear assessment since it has been defined as a liberal or even radical opinion, which also means a distinctive deviation from the norm, and on the other hand, the behaviour considered discriminatory leaves much space for interpretation. Merely one year later, this has significantly changed, as the following definition describes PC in 1998 as: “the avoidance of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize or insult groups or people who are socially disadvantaged.” Here, the assessment has been omitted and discriminatory behaviour has been defined in a more clear-cut form. Nevertheless, stating the expressions and actions as perceived excluding, marginalizing, etc. still leaves the possibilities of interpretation what actually is discriminating or not. Additionally, the opposite of political incorrectness is not mentioned at all.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the central thesis regarding the negative instrumentalization of political correctness by far-right populist movements in the U.S. and Europe.
2. Sociological perspectives: Establishes a framework using theories from Pierre Bourdieu and Bruno Latour to analyze the intersection of language, power, and social norms.
3. The attempt of defining PC and anti-PC: Explores the evolving definitions of PC and the subsequent rise of an anti-PC stance as a manipulative rhetoric tool.
4. The controversial development of PC – a weapon in Culture War?: Traces the transition of the term PC from an internal leftist critique to an external target of conservative agitations.
5. American public discourse and the population´s perception of PC: Analyzes statistical shifts and public sentiment regarding PC, focusing on polarization and the "eclipse of the middle."
6. Political rhetoric, propaganda and its characteristics: Defines the theoretical basis for identifying propagandistic techniques and enemy images in contemporary political discourse.
7. George Bush Sr.´s speech at Michigan University in 1991: Investigates the historical context and rhetorical strategies used in Bush Sr.’s speech to frame PC as an enemy of American values.
8. Propaganda 2.0 – the role of new media: Discusses how digital platforms fundamentally alter propaganda distribution and the consumption of political identity-driven content.
9. Brian Kemp´s YouTube video “So conservative” in 2018: Examines a modern conservative campaign video to identify the use of violent imagery and dehumanizing language to foster ingroup solidarity.
10. Donald Trump´s tweet in 2017: Analyzes Trump's utilization of Twitter as a direct communicative tool to bypass traditional discourse and frame policy-making through an anti-PC lens.
11. Conclusion and outlook: Synthesizes findings, concluding that anti-PC strategies serve to maintain power structures by emotionalizing political discourse and obscuring rational debate.
Keywords
Political Correctness, Anti-PC, Propaganda, Culture War, Rhetoric, Polarization, Identity Politics, United States, Populism, Social Media, Discourse Analysis, Language and Power, George H.W. Bush, Brian Kemp, Donald Trump
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of the study?
The study investigates how political right-wing actors in the U.S. use the concept of "Political Correctness" as a tool for a "Culture War" to maintain power, influence public opinion, and manipulate societal discourse.
What are the primary themes analyzed?
Key themes include the intersection of language and power, the evolution of the term "PC," the use of digital propaganda in modern campaigning, and the phenomenon of political polarization in contemporary America.
What is the central research hypothesis?
The work posits that political figures exploit the concept of PC to create identity-driven enemy images, thereby distracting the public from complex political realities and consolidating support among core constituents.
Which methodology is employed?
The author uses qualitative content and discourse analysis, combined with close reading techniques, to deconstruct speeches and campaign materials of selected political actors.
What is covered in the main body?
The main body examines three specific instances: George H.W. Bush's 1991 commencement address, Brian Kemp's 2018 gubernatorial campaign video, and an influential 2017 tweet by Donald Trump.
Which keywords define this work?
The work is defined by terms such as Political Correctness, Propaganda, Culture War, Identity Politics, Polarization, and Populist Rhetoric.
How is the "black box" concept applied in this work?
The work adopts Bruno Latour's concept of the "black box" to illustrate how certain political associations and norms become established and unquestioned, serving as a basis for further ideological manipulation.
What is the significance of the "Trump effect" discussed?
The "Trump effect" refers to Trump’s role in expanding anti-PC rhetoric into overt, aggressive hostility, effectively lowering the bar for what constitutes acceptable discourse in the U.S. political realm.
Does the work address the audience's role?
Yes, the work addresses how different audience segments—specifically conservatives and liberals—interpret and react to anti-PC messaging, noting that anti-PC frames are highly effective at strengthening ingroup cohesion among conservative voters.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Jessica Ulrich (Autor:in), 2020, Anti PC-Strategies. How Actors of the Political Right Use the Concept of Political Correctness to Maintain Power and Influence the American Public, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1348448
