Has political correctness gone mad? Trevor Phillips and the backlash thesis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.85.10250Abstract
The concept of political correctness, or more accurately, anti-political correctness has re-emerged in the last decade as a major interpretive framework in the media. Populist politicians such as Trump in the US and Farage (a key advocate of Brexit) and Johnson in the UK for example routinely draw upon a discourse featuring political correctness as a bete noire. While the attack on PC is typically made by conservatives, I focus in this paper on a left wing critic, Trevor Phillips who argues that the prevasiveness of PC has fueled a populist backlash. It is argued, contrary to Phillips, that it is not PC but an anti-PC discourse that lies behind the success of populist politicians in the UK and US and that the campaign against political correctness plays well with their supporters.
References
Ackroyd, J. & Pilkington, A (2007) ‘“You are not allowed to say that” Minefields and political correctness’, Caribbean Quarterly, 53: 1&2, pp. 49-62.
Alibhai-Brown, Y. (2018) In defence of political correctness, London: Biteback Publishing.
Baer, U. (2019) What snowflakes get right, New York: Oxford University Press.
Beckett, A (2020) ‘The Tories’ culture war is a reminder that the right isn’t as fearless as it seems’ The Guardian, 9 October retrieved from The Tories’ culture war is a reminder that the right isn't as fearless as it seems | Society | The Guardian Accessed 9 February 2021.
Bloom, A (1987) The closing of the American mind, New York: Simon and Schuster.
Bouattia, M. (2017) ‘Trevor Phillips blames and shames a whole generation for a problem we did not create’, Huffington Post, 24 February retrieved from Trevor Phillips Blames And Shames A Whole Generation For A Problem We Did Not Create | HuffPost UK (huffingtonpost.co.uk) Accessed 15 March 2021
Bulman, M & Oppenheim, M (2020) ‘Backlash as ministers vow to ditch focus on “fashionable” fight against inequality’, The Independent, 17 December retrieved from Backlash as ministers vow to ditch focus on ‘fashionable’ fight against inequality | The Independent Accessed 25 February 2021.
Caldwell, C. (2021) ‘Trump was inept – but his instincts weren’t wrong’, Sundat Times, 17 January retrieved from Donald Trump was inept — but his instincts weren’t wrong | World | The Sunday Times (thetimes.co.uk)
Clark, T (2019) ‘Free speech? New polling suggest Britain is “less PC” than Trump’s America’, Prospect Magazine, 16 February retrieved from Free speech? New polling suggests Britain is "less PC" than Trump's America -Prospect Magazine Accessed 16 February 2021.
Coe, J. (2018) Middle England, London: Penguin Viking.
Davies, W. (2018) ‘The free speech panic: how the right concocted a crisis’, The Guardian, 26 July retrieved from The free speech panic: how the right concocted a crisis | Freedom of speech | The Guardian Accessed 9 February 2021.
Dorling, D. & Tomlinson, S. (2019) Rule Britannia, London: Biteback Press.
Duffy, N. (2020) ‘Gavin Williamson rejects calls to “decolonize” history curriculum, saying Britons should be “proud of our history”’, I news, 19 June retrieved from Gavin Williamson rejects calls to 'decolonise' history curriculum, saying Britons should be 'proud of our history' (inews.co.uk)
Fazaackerley, A. (2021) ‘Gavin Williamson using “misleading” research to justify campus free-speech law’, The Guardian, 27 February retrieved Gavin Williamson using 'misleading' research to justify campus free-speech law | Higher education | The Guardian Accessed March 1, 2021.
Foucault, M. (1980) Power/Knowledge, Brighton: Harvester.
Fry, S., Peterson, J., Dyson, M. & Goldberg, M. (2018) Political correctness gone mad? London: Oneworld Publications.
Hirsch, A. (2019) ‘The struggle for equality is real. The “woke police” are a myth’, The Guardian, 26 September retrieved from The struggle for equality is real. The ‘woke police’ are a myth | LGBT rights | The Guardian
Hirsch, A (2020) ‘Boris Johnson does have a strategy on racism after all. It’s called a “war on woke”’, The Guardian, June 17 retrieved from Boris Johnson does have a strategy on racism after all. It's called a ‘war on woke' | Black Lives Matter movement | The Guardian Accessed 10 February 2021.
Hitchens, P. (2020) ‘I fear anyone who dissents from today’s pervasive culture of political correctness will be visited by the Thought Police’, Mail Online 15 March retrieved from PETER HITCHENS: I fear anyone who dissents from PC will be visited by Thought Police | Daily Mail Online Accessed 9 February 2021.
Hope, C. (2021) ‘Statues and monuments given safeguard from “baying mobs”’, The Telegraph, 16 January retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/01/16/historic-statues-get-official-protectionbaying-mobs-tough-new/?li_source=LI&li_medium=liftigniter-onward-journey Accessed 23 February 2021.
Independent Editorial (2020) ‘A dangerous game is being played with equality’, The Independent, 18 December retrieved from Liz Truss and the government are playing a dangerous game when it comes to equality | The Independent Accessed 25 February 2021.
Lea, J. (2009) Political correctness and higher education, London: Routledge.
Malik, N. (2019) We need new stories, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Malik, N. (2020a) ‘The right’s culture war is no longer a sideshow to our politics – it is our politics’ The Guardian, 31 August retrieved from The right's culture war is no longer a sideshow to our politics – it is our politics | Politics | The Guardian Accessed 9 February 2021.
Malik, N. (2020b) ‘Right wing media slurs will not halt Black Lives Matter’, The Guardian 21 September retrieved from Despite being vilified in the rightwing media, Black Lives Matter will endure | Black Lives Matter movement | The Guardian Accessed !0 February 2021.
Moore, J. (2017) ‘Boris Johnson’s tribute to Prince Philip proves that he is the most unsuitable person in the country to be Foreign secretary’, The Independent, 3 August retrieved from Boris Johnson's tribute to Prince Philip proves that he is the most unsuitable person in the country to be Foreign Secretary | The Independent | The Independent Accessed 21 February 2021.
Morgan, P. (2020) Wake up: The world’s gone nuts’, London: HarperCollins.
O’Brien, J. (2018) How to be right in a world gone wrong, London: Penguin.
O’Hagan, E. (2020) ‘The “anti-woke” backlash is no joke – and progressives are going to lose if they don’t wise up’, The Guardian, 30 January retrieved from The ‘anti-woke’ backlash is no joke – and progressives are going to lose if they don’t wise up | Race | The Guardian Accessed 10 February 2021.
Pilkington, A. (2021). Has political correctness gone mad? Trevor Phillips and the backlash thesis. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal,
Olusoga, D. (2019) ‘Britain cant be reborn while we’re still lost in fantasies about the past’, The Guardian, 2 June retrieved from Britain can’t be reborn while we’re still lost in fantasies about the past | Brexit | The Guardian Accessed 15 March 2021.
Phillips, T. (2017a) ‘Students flee reality, and the far right rises’, Sunday Times, 19 February retrieved from Students flee reality, and the far right rises | News Review | The Sunday Times (thetimes.co.uk) Accessed 14 March 2021.
Phillips, T (2017b) ‘The day I was accused of being racist, I knew political correctness had gone mad’, Daily Mail, 23 February retrieved from Political correctness had gone mad, writes TREVOR PHILLIPS | Daily Mail Online Accessed 14 March 2021.
Phillips. T. (2020a) ‘When you erase a nation’s past you threaten its future’, Times , 19 September retrieved from Trevor Phillips: When you erase a nation’s past, you threaten its future | Comment | The Times Accessed 11 February 2021.
Phillips, T. (2020b) ‘The march of wokeism is an all-pervasive new oppression’, The Times, 7 November retrieved from The march of wokeism is an all-pervasive new oppression | Comment | The Times Accessed 10 February 2021.
Riley, C. (2021) (ed) The free speech wars, Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Shipman, T. (2020) ‘Voters seek return to common sense in revolt against political correctness’, Sunday Times, 24 May retrieved from Voters seek return to common sense in revolt against political correctness | News | The Sunday Times (thetimes.co.uk) Accessed 9 February 2021.
Syed, M. (2020) ‘Don’t speak in code on race: Truth saves lives@, Sundat Times, 2 August retrieved from Don’t speak in code on race. Truth saves lives | Comment | The Sunday Times (thetimes.co.uk) Accessed 14 March 2021.
Turner, J. (2020) ‘The woke left is the new Ministry of Truth’, The Times, 11 July retrieved from The woke left is the new Ministry of Truth | Comment | The Times Accessed February 10 2021
Waterson, J. & Bakare, L. (2020) ‘“Trump-like culture war”; Boris Johnson wades into Proms row, The Guardian, 25 August retrieved from ‘Trump-like culture war’: Boris Johnson wades into Proms row | Proms | The Guardian
Weigel, M. (2016) ‘Political correctness: how the right invented a phantom enemy’, The Guardian, 30 November retrieved from The right's culture war is no longer a sideshow to our politics – it is our politics | Politics | The Guardian Accessed 9 February 2021.
Younge, G. (2019) ‘Our glorious past is what we remember. The brutality behind it we’ve forgotten’, The Guardian, 31 May retrieved from Our glorious past is what we remember. The brutality behind it we’ve forgotten | Politics | The Guardian Accessed 15 March 2021.
Zindulka, K. (2020a) ‘Racism: Top UK schools reject scholarship funding for poor white boys’, Breitbart, 1 January retrieved from Racism: Top UK Schools Reject Scholarship Funding for Poor White Boys (breitbart.com) Accessed 14 March 2021
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Andrew Pilkington
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
