GLENN
C.
LOURY
611
At the same time, being aware that his speech act is subject to such
interpretation, and wanting to create a desired impression, a skillful
speaker will structure his message in a way that is mindful of the infer–
ences which listeners are inclined to make. He will try to use the patterns
of inference established within a given community of discourse to his ad–
vantage. He will avoid some expressions known to elicit negative judg–
ments or associations, and he will deploy others known to win favor
with his audience or to cast him in a positive light. He will edit or cen–
sor his speech if he wants to be effective.
From this strategic perspective a regime of political correctness can
be understood as a pattern of expression and inference within a given
community where listeners (readers) impute undesirable qualities to
speakers (writers) who express themselves in an "incorrect" way and, as a
result, most speakers avoid such expressions. [f known enemies of pro–
gressive ideals regularly make a certain argument, then one who wants to
be seen as standing on the right side of history cannot make a similar ar–
gument without the risk of being labeled a "reactionary." When there
are some real racists in our midst, if proponents of diversity insist that
blacks be referred to as African-Americans, and American Indians as
Native Americans, then a speaker who eschews that terminological fash–
ion in the course of an otherwise admirable argument about diversity in–
vites the conclusion that he is intolerant of ethnic difference. His more
prudent course is to use the PC terms, though he may prefer not to. In a
south Florida enclave, where hatred of Castro is universal, to argue that
the normalization of rclations with Cuba should be studied amounts to
announcing that the arguer cares nothing whatever about remaining in
good standing with his fellows. And in a nearby precinct, where reaction
against the Cuban immigration runs high, to question the wisdom of
making English the state's official language has a similar meaning-in-ef–
feet.
Ad hominem
reasoning lies at the core of the political correctness
phenomenon. A speaker's violation of protocol turns attention from the
worth of his case toward an inquiry into his character, the outcome of
which depends on what is known about the character of others who
have spoken in a similar way. When sophisticated speakers are aware of
this process of inference, many of them will be reluctant to express
themselves in a way likely to provoke suspicion about whether their ul–
timate commitments conform with their community's norms.
Though
ad hominen
inference is denigrated by the high-minded, it is
a vitally important defensive tactic in the forum. Knowing a speaker
shares our values, we more readily accept observations from him which
have unpleasant implications, or which are contrary to our initial sense
