Political Correctness Argument Analysis

Political correctness is a term or phrase used to describe a language, gender, race, culture, and physical abilities (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015). Many people in the U.S. are very conscience about offending other people due to racism and subconscious prejudices. For instance, a black individual who is born in the U.S. will probably not appreciate being called African-American, because the individual can argue they were not born in Africa. Black people who were born in the U.S. would prefer to be called black Americans or just simply blacks. I have heard black individuals being called Negros, colored people, blacks, and African-American. But what if a black individual was born in the Caribbean or Canada? We cannot classify a black person

The media has blown the slogan “black lives matter” way out of proportion, creating an image that all cops are racist against innocent black people. I read an article titled, “Political correctness almost costs an Alabama cop his life,” and it is devastating to learn how this detective hesitate using force on the suspect in order to protect himself from imminent harm. In summary, an Alabama detective was pistol whipped with his own gun, used by a suspect that he stopped on traffic. According to Slippers (2015), “The police detective says he chose not to use force against a man attacking him because he didn’t want to be another headline. The brutal beating occurred during a routine traffic stop” (p. 2). The detective could have used force on the suspect but was so concerned about media attention and political correctness. The detective escaped death and could have died by his own gun. It seems like no officers wants to be tagged as racist, and a murderer for killing an unarmed black

In the Houston Police Department, when officers requests for EMS medics over the radio, they are not allowed to indicate an individual’s race and ethnicity. An officer is not allowed to indicate the race of a suspect that is being detained and transported to the jail either (Houston Police Department General Orders, 2014). The only time officers are allowed to indicate an individual’s race, is when they relay a general broadcast over the air, describing a wanted suspect’s race, clothing, height, approximate age, facial hair, hair style, etc. I personally find this rule aggravating. Citizens and suspects alike do not want to be categorized as a specific race because what if they are not Hispanic, white or black. An individual may be dark complected, but they are not necessary black and are actually from Cuba. Somehow I feel like political correctness is making police work much more difficult and challenging. For instance, political correctness makes it harder for officers to identify a suspect or known gang member whose affiliations could be identified by tattoos, dress attire, and codes. I guess it is safer to broadcast a suspect over the air by saying, “the suspect is a human being, possibly looks like a man, and wears dark clothing with what appears to be a hoodie