We live in an age of conformity in the US. iPhone drones mimic each other in conversationless groups on the street. Same clothes, same hair styles, same everything...on the surface. This is an outgrowth of the Terror Years, developed and exploited by the political Right after the events in Manhattan on September 11, 2001.
Within this conformity culture is another culture of political correctness, which is intolerant and oppressive. Political correctness has become the new hypocrisy. It is actually a repackaging of the superficiality of the post-War 1950s. No wonder that tongue-in-cheek 'Mad Men', a TV series about that era, is so popular.
I believe that truthfulness trumps political correctness in any situation both for its value and its potential to stimulate growth in people and relationships. Civility does not require political correctness. Civil, polite and sensitive truthfulness, whether conforming to popular mores or not, is the hallmark of a person who believes in the practice of compassion and mindfulness. Blind, vehement political correctness can be the refuge of thoughtless liars, who choose conformity to manipulate their environment for their selfish needs and purposes.
