Political Correctness

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If the culture war appears to favor the Right, it stems from their own perceptions. This book offers a sharp critique of the so-called debate on political correctness, highlighting it as a cultural non-phenomenon constructed by neoconservatives. Longing for the clear moral dichotomies of the Cold War, the conservative Right has fabricated an internal enemy, labeling multiculturalists and postmodernists as part of a McCarthyite agenda that demands action from the virtuous. Richard Feldstein argues that the moralism attributed to political correctness by conservative critics is, in fact, a projection of their own values. The fixation on judgment and morality that makes political correctness seem objectionable is a hallmark of right-wing ideology, projected onto those who embrace more nuanced views. Feldstein likens this to psychological projection, where individuals transfer their intolerances onto others. He asserts that in cultural projection, this transference is often intentional. Through analyses of pivotal neoconservative texts, Feldstein traces the rise of this narrative from Reagan’s era through the Bush-Quayle administration and into the Clinton years. This work serves not only as an essential tool for understanding how the Right wields political correctness as a weapon but also as a guide for resisting these tactics in our media-driven society, acknowledging the complexities of our multicultural, postmodern reality.