DEbate Section

In our debate section, we’ll be talking about some contentious issues, with the aim of encouraging debate and engagement with big ideas. The articles in our debate section do not reflect the views of the METIOR editorial staff, but rather those of the individual authors. Some of the viewpoints expressed may be offensive to you, and you may not agree with our decision to give a platform to some of these articles.
If you strongly disagree with any of the articles found in METIOR, send your response to metior@murdochguildstudents.com.au telling us why we’re full of shit, and you might just find your article in the debate pages.

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Political Correctness Isn't What You Think It Is
Political Correctness Isn't What You Think It Is

By Jaiden Coonan

Political correctness is not protesting against racism, or protesting against the suppression of rights and freedoms of marginalised individuals; and nor is it stopping the use of offensive language directed at marginalised individuals.

Brave New Girls
Brave New Girls

By Michael Wood

A male university student in 2018 writes the sentence “When a doctor first assesses a patient he must…” and receives feedback from their tutor that they should use non-gendered pronouns; a female high school student in 1984 writes “I’d like to become chairman of an international corporation,” and is told that she cannot, because it says “Man” right there in the word. Which of these scenarios sounds more like language being used to limit one’s self-expression?

“Inclusive Language”: The Newspeak Of The 21st Century
“Inclusive Language”: The Newspeak Of The 21st Century

By Nat Price

This move towards “inclusive language” is part of recent trend I’ve noticed rearing its ugly head on the political spectrum’s left wing.

Free Speech: Does It Really Make Us Free?

By Gabrielle Hart

When we talk about hate speech, anti-discrimination and anti-terror laws, we’re not just trying to prevent our feelings from getting hurt – though the fact that discriminated groups in our society have higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide should really make you question why that would be a bad thing.

Political Correctness Scares Me. Does It Scare You?

By Kyle Williams

The term political correctness also came in use in the US Communist Party in the 1930s and 1940s, where it described the proper words to be used and positions to be held by party members. From its inception, political correctness was not about respect, but rather conformity to the orthodoxies of explicitly totalitarian ideologies.