1
00:00:06,382 --> 00:00:08,801
[narrator] If you go to the Netherlands
in late November,
2
00:00:08,885 --> 00:00:11,095
there’s a good chance you’ll see this:
3
00:00:12,055 --> 00:00:16,184
white people dressed up
as St. Nicholas' helper Black Pete.
4
00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:21,314
The character first showed up
in a Dutch children’s book in 1850,
5
00:00:21,397 --> 00:00:25,234
while slavery was still alive and well
in the Dutch colonies.
6
00:00:25,777 --> 00:00:29,781
By the 1960s, Black Pete
was a Dutch holiday staple,
7
00:00:29,864 --> 00:00:34,660
and people of European descent made up 99%
of the Dutch population.
8
00:00:34,744 --> 00:00:36,871
That changed in the '70s and '80s
9
00:00:36,954 --> 00:00:39,749
when tens of thousands migrated
to the Netherlands,
10
00:00:39,832 --> 00:00:43,836
along with guest workers
from southern Europe, Turkey and Morocco
11
00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,506
invited by factory and shipyard owners.
12
00:00:46,589 --> 00:00:49,467
Today, people of color make up
an increasing share
13
00:00:49,550 --> 00:00:50,927
of the Dutch population,
14
00:00:51,010 --> 00:00:54,764
and some of them don't see Black Pete
as a cherished tradition.
15
00:00:54,847 --> 00:01:00,770
[speaking Dutch] It's unacceptable
that such traditions continue to exist.
16
00:01:00,853 --> 00:01:05,274
If one child goes to school and is called
"Black Pete" and goes home crying,
17
00:01:05,358 --> 00:01:07,276
that's enough to change the tradition.
18
00:01:07,610 --> 00:01:12,657
[speaking Dutch] There is the history
behind this tradition of repression,
19
00:01:12,740 --> 00:01:17,620
murders that were committed
by white people against black people.
20
00:01:18,746 --> 00:01:19,956
[narrator] In response,
21
00:01:20,039 --> 00:01:23,960
Black Pete’s defenders often accuse their
critics of being politically correct.
22
00:01:26,170 --> 00:01:29,465
It's a phrase you now hear
from politicians all over the world.
23
00:01:29,549 --> 00:01:32,135
We can’t worry
about being politically correct.
24
00:01:32,218 --> 00:01:35,012
We have to
throw away political correctness.
25
00:01:35,096 --> 00:01:38,349
...and it is my duty,
to talk about the problems,
26
00:01:38,432 --> 00:01:42,353
even when the politically correct elite
prefers not to mention them.
27
00:01:42,436 --> 00:01:47,275
[narrator] In the US, a 2015 survey
found that four out of five Republicans
28
00:01:47,358 --> 00:01:50,695
and three out of five Democrats agreed
with the statement:
29
00:01:50,778 --> 00:01:54,574
"A big problem this country has
is being politically correct."
30
00:01:54,657 --> 00:01:58,119
The phrase pops up in debates
about movies and mascots,
31
00:01:58,202 --> 00:02:00,746
symbols and Super Bowl ads.
32
00:02:01,539 --> 00:02:05,459
On college campuses, comedy stages
and cable news.
33
00:02:05,543 --> 00:02:07,003
[all] Political correctness. [narrator] But what does it mean?
34
00:02:09,046 --> 00:02:11,966
What exactly is it
that we’re fighting over?
35
00:02:12,049 --> 00:02:15,678
Political correctness
has ignited controversy
36
00:02:15,761 --> 00:02:16,637
across the land.
37
00:02:16,721 --> 00:02:19,140
We're just doing this in the defiance
of political correctness.
38
00:02:19,223 --> 00:02:21,934
Here in the South, it means so much
to so many people.
39
00:02:22,018 --> 00:02:26,063
[man] ...and I think these people are
a fit subject for a mental health program!
40
00:02:26,147 --> 00:02:29,358
Offend? There's a funny thing.
There are words that offend me.
41
00:02:29,442 --> 00:02:30,568
[Megyn Kelly] Just because
42
00:02:30,651 --> 00:02:33,779
it makes you feel uncomfortable
doesn't mean it has to change.
43
00:02:33,863 --> 00:02:38,201
We cannot afford
to be so politically correct anymore!
44
00:02:38,784 --> 00:02:40,786
[clamoring]
45
00:02:44,165 --> 00:02:46,792
[narrator] In the United States,
the term "political correctness"
46
00:02:46,876 --> 00:02:49,837
often comes up in connection
with college students.
47
00:02:49,921 --> 00:02:51,797
Some fear that so-called
political correctness
48
00:02:51,881 --> 00:02:54,550
is overtaking free speech
on college campuses.
49
00:02:54,634 --> 00:02:56,719
The environment that’s been created
on campus now,
50
00:02:56,844 --> 00:02:58,221
such having political correctness.
51
00:02:58,304 --> 00:03:00,806
If you needed more proof
that political correctness
52
00:03:00,890 --> 00:03:03,351
has run amok on college campuses,
we have it.
53
00:03:03,434 --> 00:03:07,438
People seem endlessly fascinated with
"what is up with these kids these days?"
54
00:03:07,521 --> 00:03:10,316
They were 20, 25 years ago
and they are today.
55
00:03:10,399 --> 00:03:12,318
In the late '80s, early '90s,
56
00:03:12,401 --> 00:03:15,196
we had the first episode
of the so-called PC wars.
57
00:03:15,696 --> 00:03:18,908
[narrator] The 1960s and '70s helped
remake the demographics
58
00:03:18,991 --> 00:03:20,785
of college campuses.
59
00:03:20,868 --> 00:03:22,036
And by the 90s,
60
00:03:22,119 --> 00:03:26,207
they were less white and less male
than they’d been in the past.
61
00:03:26,791 --> 00:03:29,877
All of a sudden you didn't just have
homogeneity on campus.
62
00:03:29,961 --> 00:03:32,338
You had women talking about rape
on campus
63
00:03:32,421 --> 00:03:34,173
and talking about discrimination
on campus.
64
00:03:34,257 --> 00:03:37,885
It’s almost like I dare anyone
to blame me, I really do.
65
00:03:37,969 --> 00:03:40,388
Because I will not take blame for this.
66
00:03:40,471 --> 00:03:44,100
[man] One guy was kicking me in the head.
They were yelling racial slurs,
67
00:03:44,183 --> 00:03:45,268
“Effing nigger.”
68
00:03:45,351 --> 00:03:48,104
[woman] Black students denounced
the beatings and took over
69
00:03:48,187 --> 00:03:50,439
a campus building for six days.
70
00:03:50,731 --> 00:03:53,567
[narrator] Some student saw responses
like "this is an overreaction."
71
00:03:53,651 --> 00:03:55,444
Every time some minor incident,
72
00:03:55,528 --> 00:03:57,863
such as a couple guys drinking beer
and get into a fight,
73
00:03:57,947 --> 00:03:59,949
one happens to be black,
one happens to be white, it’s instantly a rally against racism
74
00:04:02,118 --> 00:04:04,954
and they’re taking over buildings,
and they’re demanding the world.
75
00:04:05,037 --> 00:04:09,125
[narrator] These tactics weren’t new,
but the phrase used to describe them was.
76
00:04:09,208 --> 00:04:11,252
You could describe it as PC. -Politically correct.
-Political correctness.
77
00:04:13,462 --> 00:04:17,925
[narrator] One of the early mentions was
in a New York Times cartoon in 1990:
78
00:04:18,009 --> 00:04:20,177
politically correct person promises
79
00:04:20,261 --> 00:04:23,764
to guide those baffled
by a changing world.
80
00:04:23,848 --> 00:04:28,394
It even showed up on the big screen
in the 1994 movie PCU.
81
00:04:28,686 --> 00:04:31,856
[man] Politically correct. And it's not
just politics, it's everything.
82
00:04:31,939 --> 00:04:34,567
It's what you eat, it's what you wear,
and it's what you say.
83
00:04:34,650 --> 00:04:37,236
If you don't watch yourself,
you can get in a buttload of trouble.
84
00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:40,156
[narrator] Within a few years,
the term had graduated college
85
00:04:40,239 --> 00:04:42,533
and entered the nightly news cycle.
86
00:04:42,616 --> 00:04:48,456
Like when the state of Colorado overturned
Aspen’s LGBT protection laws in 1992.
87
00:04:48,956 --> 00:04:52,918
[woman] These Aspen ski slopes
are this holiday season a battleground
88
00:04:53,002 --> 00:04:54,879
over political correctness.
89
00:04:54,962 --> 00:04:58,257
[narrator] Or when the term
"African American" entered the lexicon.
90
00:04:58,341 --> 00:05:01,886
[man] Back in the 1960s,
"Negro" was replaced by "Black,"
91
00:05:01,969 --> 00:05:04,597
which is now being supplanted
by "African American."
92
00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:06,557
In the late '80s, early '90s,
93
00:05:06,682 --> 00:05:08,309
people started talking
about political correctness.
94
00:05:08,392 --> 00:05:13,564
It felt like this thing was a way
for white people who hadn’t thought about
95
00:05:13,647 --> 00:05:16,317
how to be inclusive,
as a way to sort of frame it. Like, why are we using these new words?
96
00:05:19,153 --> 00:05:22,156
Why are we, why are we--
Black people used to be "colored," now they're "black," "African American."
How come we keep changing the words?
97
00:05:25,326 --> 00:05:27,495
[narrator] Why did people want
to change these words?
98
00:05:27,870 --> 00:05:30,122
I feel more comfortable
with the term African American
99
00:05:30,247 --> 00:05:34,919
because that gives more focus on who I am
and not what I am.
100
00:05:35,002 --> 00:05:37,129
If you call me by the label that I choose
101
00:05:37,213 --> 00:05:39,590
instead of calling me by the label
that your group has chosen,
102
00:05:39,673 --> 00:05:41,258
it's just a cooler way to be.
103
00:05:41,342 --> 00:05:46,472
If people are saying,
"Oh, we should now use this terminology,"
104
00:05:46,555 --> 00:05:48,599
it might sound silly at first,
105
00:05:48,682 --> 00:05:52,728
but it's useful to listen
to people's reasoning
106
00:05:52,812 --> 00:05:54,939
for why it might help
107
00:05:55,022 --> 00:05:58,317
make the world a little bit easier
or more inclusive.
108
00:05:58,442 --> 00:06:02,738
[narrator] Even the smallest words
can hold a lot of power. Like "Miss."
109
00:06:02,822 --> 00:06:06,450
In the English-speaking world, most people
had never thought twice about it.
110
00:06:06,534 --> 00:06:07,993
Men were always Mr.
111
00:06:08,077 --> 00:06:11,372
But women... they were Miss
until they became a Mrs.
112
00:06:11,455 --> 00:06:13,124
and took their husband’s name.
113
00:06:13,207 --> 00:06:16,919
Unlike men, they were identified
by their marital status.
114
00:06:17,378 --> 00:06:22,675
Same for French, Spanish and Mandarin,
just to name a few.
115
00:06:22,758 --> 00:06:24,135
Which is why, in the US,
116
00:06:24,218 --> 00:06:29,432
Geraldine Ferraro’s 1984 vice presidential
campaign presented a dilemma.
117
00:06:29,515 --> 00:06:32,309
She was married,
but had kept her maiden name.
118
00:06:32,393 --> 00:06:35,563
So she asked reporters
to call her Ms. Ferraro,
119
00:06:35,646 --> 00:06:39,525
a title popularized
by the Women's movement in the 1970s.
120
00:06:39,608 --> 00:06:43,571
But most publications resisted “Ms.”
As one columnist wrote:
121
00:06:43,654 --> 00:06:46,365
“It seems like propaganda
for the women's movement.”
122
00:06:46,449 --> 00:06:48,534
The New York Times
called her Miss Ferraro
123
00:06:48,617 --> 00:06:50,369
in a 1982 profile,
124
00:06:50,453 --> 00:06:52,329
"Mrs." in 1983,
125
00:06:52,413 --> 00:06:55,416
then "Miss" again in 1985.
126
00:06:55,499 --> 00:07:00,546
I think I just heard Mrs. Ferraro say that
she would do away with all covert action.
127
00:07:00,629 --> 00:07:02,548
Let me help you with the difference,
Miss Ferraro,
128
00:07:02,631 --> 00:07:06,385
between Iran and the embassy in Lebanon.
129
00:07:06,469 --> 00:07:07,803
[narrator] Today, Ms. has become
130
00:07:07,887 --> 00:07:10,556
the default prefix for women,
married or not.
131
00:07:10,639 --> 00:07:13,434
In France, the government removed
"Mademoiselle"
132
00:07:13,517 --> 00:07:15,936
on all its official forms in 2012.
133
00:07:16,020 --> 00:07:19,482
All men are “Monsieur,”
and all women are “Madame.”
134
00:07:19,565 --> 00:07:22,151
Basically, people very slowly
came around to "Ms.,"
135
00:07:22,234 --> 00:07:25,613
will use it and not even think twice
about it. We've become used to it.
136
00:07:25,696 --> 00:07:28,324
[narrator] The debate over "Ms."
wasn't just about language.
137
00:07:28,866 --> 00:07:30,367
It was about power,
138
00:07:30,451 --> 00:07:34,205
and refusing to adopt new language
can send its own message about power.
139
00:07:34,288 --> 00:07:37,333
Like when a reporter asked
then-candidate Donald Trump
140
00:07:37,416 --> 00:07:39,251
about the term "anchor babies."
141
00:07:39,335 --> 00:07:41,420
[man] That’s an offensive term.
People find that--
142
00:07:41,504 --> 00:07:44,673
You mean it’s not politically correct
and yet everybody uses it? All right.
143
00:07:44,757 --> 00:07:47,885
So you know what? Give me a different
term. What else would you like to say?
144
00:07:47,968 --> 00:07:50,596
[man] The American-born child
of an undocumented immigrant.
145
00:07:50,679 --> 00:07:52,014
Oh, you want me to say that. Okay.
146
00:07:52,097 --> 00:07:54,225
I’ll use the word "anchor baby."
Excuse me.
147
00:07:54,308 --> 00:07:55,768
I'll use the word "anchor baby."
148
00:07:55,851 --> 00:07:58,479
[narrator]
Or when Russian president Vladimir Putin
149
00:07:58,562 --> 00:08:00,523
uses the term political correctness
150
00:08:00,606 --> 00:08:03,526
to equate homosexuality with pedophilia.
151
00:08:03,609 --> 00:08:05,861
[speaking Russian] The excesses
and exaggerations of political correctness
152
00:08:05,945 --> 00:08:08,656
are such that there is serious talk
of registering a political party
153
00:08:08,739 --> 00:08:10,824
that aims to promote pedophilia.
154
00:08:10,908 --> 00:08:13,869
[narrator] Or when French politician
Marion Maréchal-Le Pen
155
00:08:13,953 --> 00:08:16,163
criticizes Islam and immigration.
156
00:08:16,247 --> 00:08:20,626
Massive immigration, Islamic lobbies
and political correctness.
157
00:08:20,709 --> 00:08:24,421
[narrator] But others criticize
new language because it can be confusing.
158
00:08:24,505 --> 00:08:30,261
[Glenn Beck] Where is the line of
what you can say and what you can't say?
159
00:08:30,344 --> 00:08:33,138
And all I keep coming back to is...
160
00:08:33,222 --> 00:08:35,641
there shouldn't be a line.
161
00:08:35,724 --> 00:08:39,395
Because it is the spirit
of the Enlightenment
162
00:08:39,478 --> 00:08:42,064
that brought us out of the Dark Ages,
163
00:08:42,147 --> 00:08:46,360
was a risky conversation
saying risky things.
164
00:08:46,443 --> 00:08:49,655
[narrator] Of course, what’s considered
"risky" changes over time.
165
00:08:49,738 --> 00:08:54,493
It was risky for CBS to even talk about
gay people in 1967.
166
00:08:54,577 --> 00:08:57,788
Most Americans are repelled
by the mere notion of homosexuality.
167
00:08:57,871 --> 00:09:00,666
[narrator] It was even riskier
to be openly gay at work.
168
00:09:00,749 --> 00:09:03,502
We do not employ homosexuals knowingly,
169
00:09:03,586 --> 00:09:06,839
and if we discover homosexuals
in our department, we discharge them.
170
00:09:06,922 --> 00:09:09,049
[narrator] Or to be open
about their sexuality in public.
171
00:09:09,133 --> 00:09:12,761
...and I think these people are a fit
subject for a mental health program!
172
00:09:12,845 --> 00:09:15,180
[narrator]
American attitudes are changing,
173
00:09:15,264 --> 00:09:17,683
but societies don’t change all at once.
174
00:09:17,766 --> 00:09:20,019
The first stage of acceptance
is toleration.
175
00:09:20,102 --> 00:09:23,272
You know, "I'm a little bit...
I feel uncomfortable around them,
176
00:09:23,355 --> 00:09:25,941
but they're human beings,
we shouldn't treat them like trash."
177
00:09:26,025 --> 00:09:27,818
The second stage would be legitimization.
178
00:09:27,901 --> 00:09:32,573
We start talking about their rights
and opening up possibilities...
179
00:09:32,656 --> 00:09:35,242
that may not have been opened
to them before.
180
00:09:35,326 --> 00:09:37,119
The third stage of acceptance is...
181
00:09:37,578 --> 00:09:42,625
when people recognize that the prejudice
is often unconscious.
182
00:09:42,708 --> 00:09:45,878
One of the main issues that comes up
over and over again
183
00:09:45,961 --> 00:09:48,297
in conversations
about political correctness...
184
00:09:48,380 --> 00:09:52,426
is that now that we live in a world
where social media connects all of us,
185
00:09:52,509 --> 00:09:57,014
you have people at these various different
stages interacting with one another,
186
00:09:57,097 --> 00:10:00,517
and people might resent someone saying,
187
00:10:00,601 --> 00:10:03,479
“Oh, you can't use that word.
That's offensive to people.”
188
00:10:03,562 --> 00:10:06,690
Political correctness
is this interesting phrase
189
00:10:06,774 --> 00:10:10,611
for all the ways we're self-conscious
in our conversations across difference.
190
00:10:10,694 --> 00:10:13,822
Especially when you know the moment
you say one thing
191
00:10:13,906 --> 00:10:16,492
that someone doesn't like
or that someone finds offensive,
192
00:10:16,575 --> 00:10:18,243
they can often jump on you,
193
00:10:18,327 --> 00:10:21,330
which makes you even more likely
to just bottle things up.
194
00:10:21,413 --> 00:10:26,669
The problem comes where...
I don't even know the rules.
195
00:10:26,752 --> 00:10:32,091
Who's making up the laws of all of this?
Who's giving us these rules?
196
00:10:32,675 --> 00:10:37,805
I play DnD and when I have to introduce
a minority character,
197
00:10:38,263 --> 00:10:43,936
I'll often find myself asking,
"Can I describe this character as black?
198
00:10:44,353 --> 00:10:47,731
Is that too blunt?
Would that seem racist to just say that?
199
00:10:47,815 --> 00:10:51,527
Why would I need to describe that? Is that
an integral part of their character?
200
00:10:51,610 --> 00:10:54,154
Is it racist to not say they're black?"
201
00:10:54,321 --> 00:10:58,033
One example from the French language
is this new idea of inclusive writing,
202
00:10:58,534 --> 00:11:02,371
which is a set of rules that aims
to write French in a gender-balanced way.
203
00:11:02,454 --> 00:11:05,874
In practice this means using the form
of words you see in the dictionary
204
00:11:05,958 --> 00:11:10,671
with both of the gender endings
spelled explicitly, separated by a point.
205
00:11:15,008 --> 00:11:16,927
And of course,
206
00:11:17,010 --> 00:11:21,098
it does nothing to address the exclusion
of women from a lot of space in society.
207
00:11:21,181 --> 00:11:22,808
Recently I was in a meeting,
208
00:11:23,225 --> 00:11:26,270
and I was addressing to people as "guys"
as I normally do like,
209
00:11:26,353 --> 00:11:30,065
"Okay, guys, let's do this.
Okay, guys, let's wrap the meeting up."
210
00:11:30,482 --> 00:11:34,236
And after the meeting one of my friends,
who was a male friend,
211
00:11:34,611 --> 00:11:36,697
walks up to me and says that,
212
00:11:36,780 --> 00:11:39,992
"You know, I don't know, but maybe
we shouldn't call everybody 'guys.'
213
00:11:40,075 --> 00:11:42,494
Maybe we should call them 'folk'
or 'people.'"
214
00:11:42,578 --> 00:11:45,539
This is pushing political correctness
too far.
215
00:11:45,622 --> 00:11:48,917
One thing that I encounter a lot with
my students is they're really unwilling
216
00:11:49,001 --> 00:11:51,879
to talk about issues of race and gender
217
00:11:51,962 --> 00:11:54,631
because they're afraid
of offending people,
218
00:11:54,715 --> 00:11:57,968
but instead of watching what they say,
they just don't talk at all.
219
00:11:58,051 --> 00:12:01,680
People might be afraid to do
certain studies on immigrants,
220
00:12:01,764 --> 00:12:04,475
because we're afraid
of what the data might show.
221
00:12:04,558 --> 00:12:08,395
Even though it seems so simple
as using one word over another,
222
00:12:08,479 --> 00:12:13,150
it kind of becomes this whole thing
about "the left will not take us over."
223
00:12:13,233 --> 00:12:15,736
One complaint you'll hear sometimes is,
224
00:12:15,819 --> 00:12:19,865
"You know, I have to watch
every word I say,
225
00:12:19,948 --> 00:12:23,452
because I will get criticized,
I will get called racist,
226
00:12:23,535 --> 00:12:26,955
I will get called sexist
if I say the wrong thing."
227
00:12:27,039 --> 00:12:29,166
It's a complaint
in which someone's saying,
228
00:12:29,249 --> 00:12:33,837
“I don't like that I can't say this thing
without being criticized."
229
00:12:33,921 --> 00:12:37,257
A lot of times comics, when they're told
they can't say the n-word,
230
00:12:37,341 --> 00:12:39,176
or they can't make jokes about rape,
231
00:12:39,259 --> 00:12:41,553
they suddenly go, "Oh, come on.
That's... but it's funny!"
232
00:12:41,637 --> 00:12:45,641
But really, you're being challenged
to do something different.
233
00:12:45,724 --> 00:12:49,186
I had a solo show, and in the show
I would tell a story
234
00:12:49,269 --> 00:12:51,897
about the first time I ever felt black.
235
00:12:51,980 --> 00:12:54,149
I think I was six years old,
in first grade.
236
00:12:54,233 --> 00:12:56,610
And me and a bunch
of other white kids were playing,
237
00:12:56,693 --> 00:12:58,529
like, "Doctor" or "The Kissing Game,"
238
00:12:58,612 --> 00:13:02,699
and it was this white girl’s turn to
kiss me, and she didn’t want to kiss me.
239
00:13:02,783 --> 00:13:06,161
Maybe I wasn't a cute kid and she didn't
want to kiss because I wasn't a cute kid.
240
00:13:06,245 --> 00:13:10,123
I show a picture of myself at six,
looking adorable,
241
00:13:10,207 --> 00:13:11,625
empirically so adorable.
242
00:13:12,125 --> 00:13:16,171
And in the joke, I would go,
“Yeah, look at me. I was cute.”
243
00:13:16,255 --> 00:13:19,716
And the joke at the time was,
"That little bitch was racist!"
244
00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:21,510
[audience laughing]
245
00:13:21,593 --> 00:13:24,054
A friend of mine came and saw the show,
246
00:13:24,137 --> 00:13:27,766
and she was like,
"Huh. Why do you say 'bitch' there?"
247
00:13:27,850 --> 00:13:29,226
Like, "It's funny!"
248
00:13:29,309 --> 00:13:30,978
Maybe I called her politically correct.
249
00:13:31,061 --> 00:13:33,188
"You don't get it,
you don't get how comedy clubs work."
250
00:13:33,272 --> 00:13:35,190
She's like, "Yeah, but that joke
doesn't really reflect you,
251
00:13:35,274 --> 00:13:38,110
because you wouldn't call a woman
in your life a bitch."
252
00:13:38,193 --> 00:13:40,195
And so because we were playing Doctor,
253
00:13:40,279 --> 00:13:42,322
at the end when I show the picture
of how cute I was. "Look how adorable I am!" I go...
254
00:13:44,533 --> 00:13:46,827
"That little doctor was racist."
255
00:13:46,910 --> 00:13:48,579
-And it still got a big laugh!
-[audience laughing]
256
00:13:48,662 --> 00:13:50,664
And so from that point forward,
I was like, "Huh.
257
00:13:50,956 --> 00:13:52,374
There's actually ways to get around this."
258
00:13:52,457 --> 00:13:53,876
[narrator] Why do we laugh?
259
00:13:53,959 --> 00:13:57,963
Sometimes it’s because a joke takes
something we’ve experienced privately
260
00:13:58,046 --> 00:13:59,548
and makes it public.
261
00:13:59,631 --> 00:14:02,509
Then that experience loses some
of its power.
262
00:14:02,593 --> 00:14:05,012
Like when comedian Richard Pryor
talked about
263
00:14:05,095 --> 00:14:09,349
how different it felt being black
in Africa compared to America.
264
00:14:09,433 --> 00:14:12,644
I know how white people feel
in America now.
265
00:14:13,395 --> 00:14:14,479
Relaxed.
266
00:14:14,563 --> 00:14:16,899
-[audience laughing]
-That's right!
267
00:14:16,982 --> 00:14:19,943
'Cause you hear, like,
a police car comin',
268
00:14:20,027 --> 00:14:22,070
you know it ain't comin' after your ass.
269
00:14:22,154 --> 00:14:24,239
[narrator] Then there are jokes
where the punch line is a person
270
00:14:24,323 --> 00:14:25,449
who's outside a group,
271
00:14:25,532 --> 00:14:28,869
and people laugh to show
that they’re definitely inside the group.
272
00:14:29,828 --> 00:14:30,954
Ethnic jokes.
273
00:14:31,038 --> 00:14:32,539
Do you think Mexicans are spicy?
274
00:14:32,623 --> 00:14:33,624
[audience laughing]
275
00:14:33,707 --> 00:14:34,541
[narrator] Gay jokes.
276
00:14:34,625 --> 00:14:36,919
...them like a gay French king.
277
00:14:37,002 --> 00:14:39,630
[narrator] As the groups who use
to be the punch line
278
00:14:39,713 --> 00:14:41,965
of these jokes gain power and visibility,
279
00:14:42,049 --> 00:14:45,260
they also gain more power
to socially punish the people
280
00:14:45,344 --> 00:14:47,387
who say things that offend them.
281
00:14:47,471 --> 00:14:50,515
Electric cars... are gay.
282
00:14:50,599 --> 00:14:53,143
[man] Well, that preview
has now been pulled.
283
00:14:53,226 --> 00:14:57,481
Was pulling the coming attraction
pinheaded or patriotic?
284
00:14:57,731 --> 00:14:59,232
Bullying comes from somewhere.
285
00:14:59,316 --> 00:15:02,277
It comes from social attitudes
that are often perpetuated
286
00:15:02,361 --> 00:15:04,321
by comedies that are telling jokes.
287
00:15:04,404 --> 00:15:07,491
We gotta do something to change,
288
00:15:07,574 --> 00:15:10,619
to make those words unacceptable
'cause those words are hurting kids.
289
00:15:10,702 --> 00:15:14,164
I'd never tell a comic not to do a joke.
Say all the words you want to say,
290
00:15:14,247 --> 00:15:15,958
but you've to deal
with the consequences.
291
00:15:16,041 --> 00:15:18,543
[narrator] But some people worry
those consequences
292
00:15:18,627 --> 00:15:20,587
could end up shutting down debates.
293
00:15:21,129 --> 00:15:24,883
And on some college campuses,
this is getting a lot of media attention.
294
00:15:25,175 --> 00:15:28,595
Protests at Middlebury College
in the great state of Vermont devolved
295
00:15:28,679 --> 00:15:33,100
into censorship and a violent mob
over recent guest speaker Charles Murray.
296
00:15:33,183 --> 00:15:36,520
Because Murray wrote The Bell Curve
about cognitive stratification,
297
00:15:36,603 --> 00:15:39,856
they would not let him speak.
This is an outrage.
298
00:15:39,940 --> 00:15:42,651
The incident and others like it
bring into sharp relief
299
00:15:42,734 --> 00:15:45,404
a growing tendency
on American campuses:
300
00:15:45,487 --> 00:15:49,491
an intolerance for freedom of speech
and a challenge to intellectual diversity.
301
00:15:49,574 --> 00:15:52,577
When I read The Bell Curve,
I was very upset.
302
00:15:52,661 --> 00:15:56,373
[woman] The Bell Curve implies that blacks
underachieve and are in poverty
303
00:15:56,456 --> 00:15:59,543
because genetics influences
their lower IQ scores.
304
00:15:59,626 --> 00:16:02,462
Someone who reads this,
what are they then gonna think
305
00:16:02,546 --> 00:16:05,507
about the next black person
that they meet?
306
00:16:05,590 --> 00:16:07,843
So, that to me was very dangerous.
307
00:16:07,926 --> 00:16:11,388
[all] Go away!
Racists, sexists, anti-gay...
308
00:16:11,471 --> 00:16:13,765
[narrator]
But for a lot of students a person's ideas
309
00:16:13,849 --> 00:16:15,559
seeming offensive or dangerous
310
00:16:15,642 --> 00:16:17,936
is exactly why they want
to hear them speak.
311
00:16:18,020 --> 00:16:19,771
When I brought Murray to campus,
312
00:16:19,855 --> 00:16:23,692
that was one of the first things
that I wanted to ask him about.
313
00:16:23,775 --> 00:16:28,113
I now have a better understanding
of how he truly does see it
314
00:16:28,196 --> 00:16:29,489
as an honest argument.
315
00:16:29,573 --> 00:16:32,617
That's something I could've only gained
by talking to him.
316
00:16:32,701 --> 00:16:34,786
I don't think it's a good idea
to shut down speakers
317
00:16:34,870 --> 00:16:37,080
or to make it
so that speakers can't be heard.
318
00:16:37,164 --> 00:16:38,498
I think that's a bad idea.
319
00:16:38,582 --> 00:16:43,837
When speakers get shouted down
or not allowed to speak or disinvited,
320
00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:47,841
they become cause celeb,
even if their message is nonsense.
321
00:16:47,924 --> 00:16:53,055
The desire to limit speech, while I
deeply disagree with it on principle,
322
00:16:53,138 --> 00:16:55,307
stems from a good place.
323
00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:57,768
The way that translates into action...
324
00:16:58,769 --> 00:17:00,937
that's where the problem really rests.
325
00:17:01,688 --> 00:17:05,025
[narrator] As cultures change
and new groups gain power,
326
00:17:05,108 --> 00:17:09,696
they push societies to rethink language,
symbols and traditions.
327
00:17:10,155 --> 00:17:12,824
What exactly are we referring to
when we say political correctness?
328
00:17:12,908 --> 00:17:15,243
To me, in some sense,
it's an umbrella term
329
00:17:15,327 --> 00:17:17,579
that encompasses a wide range of...
330
00:17:18,038 --> 00:17:20,040
interactions and incidents.
331
00:17:20,248 --> 00:17:23,460
Are you referring to student activists
on campus
332
00:17:23,543 --> 00:17:25,045
who don't want to hear from speakers?
333
00:17:25,128 --> 00:17:28,632
Are you referring to a comment
that someone feels is degrading?
334
00:17:28,924 --> 00:17:31,134
[narrator] One person's
political correctness...
335
00:17:31,218 --> 00:17:34,221
It's time to move the flag
from the capitol grounds.
336
00:17:34,304 --> 00:17:36,932
...is another person's sign of progress.