Political Correctness Essay

Words: 1074
Pages: 5

Political correctness is not a recent phenomenon. In fact, the term can be dated back between the early and mid-20th century (Hughes, 2011). Initially, the term ‘politically correct’ emerged in the west in the 1970s in various new social movements, the New Left more specifically (Hamilton, 2015). The more popular and recognised definition of the term ‘politically correct’ is the conscious effort of selecting words, or undertaking actions, which avoid offending people who belong to minority or oppressed groups (Kohl, 1992).

Konye (2016), suggests that the term gained popularity in the 60s and 70s as it was an ironic reference to Mao’s 1957 speech which, roughly translated to English, was entitled “On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among
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Heinz, the world’s leading tuna producer at the time, introduced ‘Dolphin Safe’ labelling in 1986 which is still in use today (Brown, 2005). It has become evident in recent marketing research, like that of Chawla (2016), consumers are only attracted to advertisements which appeal to their customs, norms and values. Now, more than ever, culture and societal values have had a greater impact on consumer preferences and marketing strategy which, Chawla (2016) claims, was not considered an overtly important factor in early advertising, due to traditional, one-way media structures. This would explain why politically correct movements and agendas have successfully made changes to advertising pitches, campaigns and strategies in recent times. The political correctness movement has had an astounding effect on the advertising industry. It has forced companies to become more aware of morals and ethics which has led to companies being aware of their image, ethics and being held accountable for their behaviour. There has been an obvious shift in advertising and there are more ethical and positive advertisements in media because of it, according to Miller