Dawn Picken: Let's put the phrase 'political correctness' on the scrap heap

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COMMENT: Some phrases are so tired, we should give them the eternal nap they need. They're so ambiguous, they can mean anything. Or nothing. Do you want someone to tell you "read between the lines," or would you rather they say, "Page 6 of the Council submission details a proposed 5 per cent rate hike"?

Such is the case with a phrase dating to at least the late 18th century. At one time, "political correctness" might've enlightened a debate. But now, more than 100 years after the words came into the vernacular, they're trite and vague. They've been used to teach and to bludgeon. Words that may have once offered a molecule of meaning have been blasted to bits by everyone who has claimed them as a guiding principle and those who've disowned them as the province of tender-hearted fools.

What does it mean to be politically correct? Oxfordreference.com says Politically correct, meaning "appropriate to the prevailing political or social circumstances" has been recorded from the late 18th century, but did not become a fixed phrase until the early 1970s. That's when feminist writers used the term in their campaign against perceived gender bias.

By the late 1980s the view also developed PC could represent a puritanical approach - a potential enemy to freedom of thought and expression. "By the early 1990s, use of the term political correctness was nearly always pejorative, while the labels 'politically incorrect' and 'political incorrectness' often suggested the notion that the idea or statement described was bravely formulated."

Does political correctness mean I can't use derogatory words to describe someone because of their skin colour or sexual orientation?

I don't insult people because of immutable characteristics. I will however, skewer behaviour I find idiotic.

If your name is Stephen but you prefer I call you Steve, am I pandering to your PC whims by honouring your wishes?

A historian quoted in Harvardpolitics.com said political correctness used to encompass not only words, but also actions. "Republicans believed the anti-war protests during the late 60s to be 'politically incorrect' and Democrats considered support for civil rights legislation to be 'politically correct'." The term PC is at once a linguistic weapon, an insult and to some, a positive ideal.

Political correctness, according to the article, has become a term laced with partisan feeling, owned by the left and despised by the right.

PC is like clay - mould it into whatever you like.

Surely it's politically correct, during the global rise of nationalism and me first-ism, to tell someone to go back where they came from. If your politics are Trumpian, it's politically correct to call for a Muslim ban, to build a wall to keep out Mexicans, and relax or eliminate environmental regulations to the extent bald eagles are smoking unfiltered Marlboros in national parks while flying above open-pit mines.

Wouldn't these be "appropriate to the prevailing political or social circumstances"?

When asked about his history of controversial comments regarding women in 2016, then-Republican party frontrunner Donald Trump responded, "I frankly don't have time for political correctness." He did, however, have spare moments to brag to a TV reporter about the joys of grabbing women's crotches.

Have conservatives cornered the market on correctness?

Have liberals?

How about NZ First, Libertarians, Greens, the Destiny Church party, or any coalition trying to change or maintain the status quo?

We could probably all design a dozen different definitions for political correctness in less than 10 minutes.

How do we decide whose interpretation is right?

It must be tempting for some people to call the proposal to transfer a prime piece of historical land in Tauranga to a Māori trust "political correctness gone mad". That's the cheap shot. It's what you say when you have no facts or reasoning. I've spoken with people on both sides of the debate, and those who make the most sense scaffold their arguments using historical information (though often conflicting), local rules and an appeal to fairness. None of them told me "This is PC nonsense".

So I was surprised to see a billboard for Bay of Plenty Regional Council candidate Andrew von Dadelszen along State Highway 2 with the words, "Let's dispense with this PC nonsense!" Who is the candidate appealing to? Is it simply one of his favourite cliches? I don't know and hope other candidates will be more specific in their advertising - even if billboard space is tight.

Someone on von Dadelszen's Facebook page asked, "What PC nonsense?" to which the candidate replied (in part), "PC nonsense includes endless consultation with just selected groups, and thinking that they represent the community. The Climate Emergency is a good example … We have more than $2 billion in investment funds, and yet rates will be close to double in Tauranga this year. We need to get real, and undertake responsible governance - not lip service to staff and a few loony activists."

Okay, but I'd still ditch a phrase that requires at least a paragraph's worth of explanation that might send a message you don't intend.

It's not what you say. It's what we hear that matters.

As a voter, I'd rather see something more definitive, like, "Let's spend within our means", or "Let's protect the environment"; something that provides a clue about what a candidate stands for. Telling me you think political correctness is crap, in my opinion, says nothing about your plans or goals as a would-be elected representative.

Here's what I want to know about political candidates: tell me what you stand for, not what you dislike; tell me what you'll do, rather than what you won't do. Banish banality, dismiss dogma and craft your own message.

The kicker is this saga is the "PC nonsense" billboard was erected in violation of election signage rules. So was mayoral candidate Tenby Powell's billboard. Under Tauranga's City Plan, election hoardings are not allowed until six weeks from election. In this case, that would be August 26. Current regional councillor von Dadelszen's billboard has been up for weeks, but a city electoral officer says it's got to go. This, in my view, buys the candidate time to come up with a better pitch.

Candidates must say what they mean. Be specific. While politicians may struggle to find a slogan, they should search beyond cliche. Democracy is too messy for a more than century-old phrase that means anything to everyone and nothing to no one at once.