Smagorinsky quoted in the Washington Post on Trump's anti-PC stance

Peter Smagorinsky, Distinguished Research Professor of English Education in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, was recently quoted in the Washington Post on Donald Trump's controversial anti-PC stance.

According to the article, the term politically correct, or PC, has been politically loaded throughout its history. In fact, the idea that politically correct speech can sometimes limit the discussion of certain topics and expressions has been growing within the political realm for almost three decades.

However, many people view the term politically correct with a sense of irony, especially when used by politicians like Trump, who claim they are asserting their right to free speech. This is because the term is "often used as a put-down, a way to brush off the offended person as being overly sensitive." The article asserts that Trump is calling into question the listener's right to complain about what he's saying.

"I think with political correctness, in the world of Donald Trump, it's used to bully people out," said Smagorinsky. "Trump's use of the term allows [people] to be Trumpish in the way they say this nasty discriminatory stuff."

With one paradox after another, the writer, Colby Itkowitz, ends her article on an ironic note: People who are offended by Trump's idea to ban all Muslims from entering the country may end up unintentionally boosting his words by proving First Amendment rights are at stake.

Smagorinsky's work is unified by a sociocultural approach to understanding literary teaching. A major component of his research is the study of written and artistic compositions, as well as group discussions oriented to literary interpretation and interpretive texts.

Read the full article on the Washington Post's website.

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