Segment from Politically Incorrect

Words Don’t Always Mean What We Think They Do

The hosts discuss the evolution of the concept of political correctness in America.

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Now Be A Good Communist

The term “politically correct” goes as far back as the 1930s. According to historian Jon Zimmerman, politically correct appeared in Mao Tse Tung’s “Little Red Book” and was attached to the Nazi party by American newspapers.

00:06:14

Coming To A Campus Near You: Speech Codes

Historian Nicole Hemmer talks about how college campuses in the mid-1960s led the way in determining what should and shouldn’t be said.

00:05:27

Watch Your Mouth

The debates about political correctness spilled from the college campuses into the workplace and onto the airwaves. Historian Brian Rosenwald helps explain the tension between language and politics.

00:05:31

Words Don’t Always Mean What We Think They Do

The hosts discuss the evolution of the concept of political correctness in America.

00:03:56

Talk Like A Sailor

University of Oklahoma history professor Paul Gilje gets salty with Ed Ayers. (Actually, they talk about swearing and American sailors. Cover the young ones’ ears.)

00:07:54

How About Your Wife?

Ted Cruz and Donald Trump weren’t the first politicians to bring each other’s wife into a debate. In 1828, Andrew Jackson’s wife was dragged through the press. More from BackStory producer Nina Earnest and Catherine Allgor.

00:09:36

Don’t Say The “S” Word

Historian David Blight tells the hosts how not even President Lincoln wanted to say the word “slavery” during the 1864 election.

00:08:52

So Guys, What Have We Learned Today?

Peter, Ed and Brian wrap up by considering the unique expressions of political correctness in American history.

00:02:28