Political Correctness
The Munk Debates
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
The twenty-second Munk Debate pits acclaimed journalist, professor, and ordained minister Michael Eric Dyson and New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg against renowned actor and writer Stephen Fry and University of Toronto professor and author Jordan Peterson to debate the implications of political correctness and freedom of speech.
Is political correctness an enemy of free speech, open debate, and the free exchange of ideas? Or, by confronting head-on the dominant power relationships and social norms that exclude marginalized groups are we creating a more equitable and just society? For some the argument is clear. Political correctness is stifling the free and open debate that fuels our democracy. It is also needlessly dividing one group from another and promoting social conflict. Others insist that creating public spaces and norms that give voice to previously marginalized groups broadens the scope of free speech. The drive towards inclusion over exclusion is essential to creating healthy, diverse societies in an era of rapid social change.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Two pairs of notable public figures face off in the semiannual Munk Debate, a Canadian series addressing contentious issues in public policy, on the topic "what you call political correctness, I call progress," transcribed here along with interviews with the participants. New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg argues that challenges to political correctness are actually attempts to "delegitimize any attempt for women and sexual and racial minorities to overcome discrimination." Academic and journalist Michael Eric Dyson (Tears We Cannot Stop) claims that narrow minority group identifications originated with majority groups anxious about maintaining their privilege. Professor and author Jordan Peterson (12 Rules for Life) emphasizes that free speech and the sovereignty of the individual are paramount. Actor Stephen Fry, who identifies as gay, liberal, and "soft," posits that political correctness is more concerned with being right than being effective. The most heated interactions come when Peterson is on the defensive, with Dyson calling Peterson a "mean white man" and Goldberg calling Peterson out for his public criticism of the #MeToo movement. The sense of spectacle that the creators of this event must have intended by choosing these debaters does not fully come through in the text-only version, but readers who love or love to hate any of the participants will be intrigued.
