Most people know about or have heard about PC culture before, whether you agree with the ideas being pushed by the movement or not. The idea of being politically correct is about using language, policies or ideas that avoid offending particular groups.

But there is a big problem here. Most people don’t like to listen to new ideas that go against their ideology. By not accepting new ideas, we won’t have coherent thoughts; everything just becomes a war against each other. PC culture keeps stretching the divide between us even further because people won’t have debates around sensitive issues, and that limits new ideas.

People are scared to share their ideas for the risk of offending someone, so they won’t give a true opinion or thought. They will just give a “Politically Correct” one.

PC culture has an admirable goal in mind, for people to act equally to each other. But most people abuse this or are so hypocritical about this that it devalues their points.

Take for example the phrase “white washing.” This phrase is used for a character in fiction, or usually film, who was not white, and then in a new adaptation the character becomes white. Recently, actress Sandra Oh talked about the film “Aloha” and how it converted an Asian character into a white character. This prompted the actress Emma Stone, who played the part of said character, to give a public apology.

Now, Oh seemed to be upset about the limited roles for Asian actors in Hollywood, which is very valid criticism, and that should be discussed. But, a director, no matter who they are, should have the ability to take a creative license with works of fiction. This would allow the film to have its own identity separate from the fiction or story it was based on.

If directors make a change to a work of fiction—say making a character a different gender, ethnicity or race—they should be able to explain those choices freely and how it best fits his or her vision. If a director is showing a direct pattern of racism, he or she should be rightfully called out for that, too.

People on the side of PC culture get extremely aggravated when this happens in media. But when a white character is changed to a person of color, it is considered diversifying. This just one example of the amount of hypocrisy in these ideas.

Another example is how one can make fun of white stereotypes, and it is apparently not racist. But the textbook definition of racism is, “Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race.”

There should be standards, for without standards this is just a mess of hypocrisy. If it is not directly promoting hateful ideas, then people should be able to joke and make fun of all stereotypes.

A place that has become so known for PC culture, a place that used to be about discovering new ideas and challenging one’s ideals is the college campus. It is well known that many college campuses have created “safe spaces,” which are described by those that support them as places to be protected from hate speech and discrimination.

In reality, these “safe spaces” are really ideological bubbles that prevent people from questioning their beliefs and hearing new ideas by others. Many times, “safe spaces” are used by people who just don’t want to get proven wrong and have others see how foolish their ideas really are. “Safe spaces” are places of protection, but only protection of one’s philosophies. This has never been more important than right now, with the digital age in full force. People like to just watch or read media that just enforces their ideas. People need debate on college campuses more than ever.

Then there are also the people who are looking for things to be offended by, instead of fighting against real discrimination. These social justice warriors are always try to find something to call sexist, racist or homophobic. If a piece of media isn’t directly promoting vile and despicable ideas or hatred, then why would you make a big deal out of it? Almost all of these pieces of media “promoting racism” were never intended to be received that way.

If you disagree with something, talk about it, have a debate. But don’t try to get someone or something excommunicated from the planet just for an idea they said or a piece of media they made or promoted.