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Melanie Tannenbaum has written several interesting blog posts about ambiguity intolerance and its connection to the early popular support Donald Trump is currently enjoying. Roughly speaking, people who are not comfortable without a plan of action or a path forward are said to have more ambiguity intolerance.
What may be surprising, however, is the research showing that people high in ambiguity intolerance feel so profoundly uncomfortable with the idea of uncertainty, they will often prefer a slightly negative yet certain outcome to a potentially-more-positive, uncertain one. In other words, people may find Donald Trump to be disagreeable, abrasive, or downright unlikeable. But because of his reputation for "telling it like it is" and "being honest to a fault," they also feel certain that they can believe Trump when he says he's telling the truth.
Tannenbaum points out that despite a record of Trump making contradictory comments in the past, people tend to believe his convictions on what he says because nobody would say those "non-normative" things if they really didn't believe it.
(Score: 4, Informative) by ikanreed on Wednesday August 19 2015, @12:52PM
Well, the term's early history is indeed one of censorship.
It originally referred to a soviet practice of denouncing research that wasn't compatible with communism. It could be scientifically correct, but still be called wrong because it was politically wrong.
That has little bearing on its modern meaning, which loosely translates to "not being a racist(or otherwise bigoted) ass spouting ignorant opinions." Much as the right wing's persecution complex demands it, there's no politically correct filter on academic publication.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 19 2015, @02:11PM
That has little bearing on its modern meaning, which loosely translates to "not being a racist(or otherwise bigoted) ass spouting ignorant opinions."
That's a rather liberal interpretation if you forgive the terrible pun. In the real world, PC means language rules on speech one finds offensive [merriam-webster.com].
Much as the right wing's persecution complex demands it, there's no politically correct filter on academic publication.
Not according to this professor [archive.is].
As a case-study, very recently a prominent scientist [wikipedia.org] was fired over a fabricated outrage for a grossly misrepresented statement which wasn't even that offensive even if taken in the most damning interpretation.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday August 19 2015, @03:08PM
That is both an insightful and informative post. But, let's take that a step further.
Political correctness was a tool in the Soviet to control thinking. Today, policical correctness is again a tool, being used to control how people think.
I see no difference, really. So the SJW's don't have the power or the authority to send me to the gulag - yet.