John K.Wilson

Calls to limit behavior or speech considered to be offensive to minorities have become controversial on college campuses because many people believe such efforts have grown into a movement—“political correctness”—that suppresses free thought and open dialogue. In the following viewpoint, John K. Wilson asserts that this political correctness movement is merely a myth promoted by conservatives to discredit liberal ideals. In an attempt to silence concerns about racial injustice, he contends, conservatives have exaggerated the effects of political correctness and have claimed that politically correct policies unfairly oppress conservative white males. Wilson is the author of The Myth of Political Correctness: The Conservative Attack on Higher Education, from which the following viewpoint is excerpted.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What is the origin of the phrase &ldquo...