--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a grosser irony about Politically…" description: "\"“There's a grosser irony about Politically Correct English. This is that PCE purports to be the dialect of progressive reform but is in fact--in its Or..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/david-foster-wallace-161_social-equality_there-s-a-grosser-irony-about-politicall_1426225.jpg" --- # There's a grosser irony about Politically Correct English… ![“There's a grosser irony about Politically Correct English. This is that PCE purports to be the dialect of progressive reform but is in fact--in its Orwellian substitution of the euphemisms of social equality for social equality itself--of vastly more help to conservatives and the US status quo…” quote by David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/david-foster-wallace-161_social-equality_there-s-a-grosser-irony-about-politicall_1426225.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/david-foster-wallace-161_social-equality_there-s-a-grosser-irony-about-politicall_1426225.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/david-foster-wallace-161_social-equality_there-s-a-grosser-irony-about-politicall_1426225.jpg) > ““There's a grosser irony about Politically Correct English. This is that PCE purports to be the dialect of progressive reform but is in fact--in its Orwellian substitution of the euphemisms of social equality for social equality itself--of vastly more help to conservatives and the US status quo than traditional SNOOT prescriptions ever were. Were I, for instance, a political conservative who opposed using taxation as a means of redistributing national wealth, I would be delighted to watch PC progressives spend their time and energy arguing over whether a poor person should be described as "low-income" or "economically disadvantaged" or "pre-prosperous" rather than constructing effective public arguments for redistributive legislation or higher marginal tax rates. \[...\] In other words, PCE acts as a form of censorship, and censorship always serves the status quo.”” [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critique of politically correct language as a tool that preserves existing power structures rather than advancing progressive goals. **In simple terms:** PC language can unintentionally support the status quo. Key Takeaway Beware of language that masks substantive action. Themes politics language power censorship Mood critical skeptical Type analytical political When to use this quote - public policy debates - media discourse - academic writing - activist strategy Key Concepts Orwellian substitution social equality conservatism Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape political outcomes? - Can we balance respectful language with effective advocacy? A Different Perspective May overlook genuine reform needs while focusing on terminology. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Politically correct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politically-correct/) [Social equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-equality/) [Status quo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/status-quo/) [Time and energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-and-energy/) ## Related quotes > [There's a grosser irony about Politically Correct English. This is that PCE purports to be the dialect of progressive reform but is in fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/there-s-a-grosser-irony-about-politically-correct-english-this-is/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Free milk will be provided in Hoxton and Shoredith, in Eton and Harrow. What more social equality can you have than that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-wilkinson/free-milk-will-be-provided-in-hoxton-and-shoredith-in-eton-and-harrow/) [Ellen Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-wilkinson/) > [“I am a convinced advocate of economic and social equality because I know that, without it, liberty, justice, human dignity, morality, and the well-being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/i-am-a-convinced-advocate-of-economic-and-social-equality-because-i/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [Incidentally, the next time some war-mongering wise-ass tries to tell you that one reason we're in the Middle East is to enhance the civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/incidentally-the-next-time-some-war-mongering-wise-ass-tries-to-tell/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [For the record, feminism by definition is: 'The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/for-the-record-feminism-by-definition-is-the-belief-that-men-and/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [ Our vulnerability \[to ressentiment\] is unavoidable (and probably incurable) in a kind of society in which relative equality of political and other rights and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/our-vulnerability-to-ressentiment-is-unavoidable-and-probably/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [The form of government and the condition of society must always correspond. Social equality is therefore a postulate of pure democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/the-form-of-government-and-the-condition-of-society-must-always/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [“Feminist efforts to grant women social equality with men of their class neatly coincided with white supremacist capitalist patriarchal fears that white power would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/feminist-efforts-to-grant-women-social-equality-with-men-of-their/) [bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [Anarchists are extreme libertarian socialists , "libertarian" meaning the demand for freedom from prohibition, and "socialist" meaning the demand for social equality . ...Complete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rooum/anarchists-are-extreme-libertarian-socialists-libertarian-meaning-the/) Donald Rooum > [The concepts of social equality and social justice are not always the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/the-concepts-of-social-equality-and-social-justice-are-not-always-the/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [I just don't feel that we've traveled very far in the realm of social equality. There just seems to be a little bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-paulson/i-just-don-t-feel-that-we-ve-traveled-very-far-in-the-realm-of-social/) [Sarah Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-paulson/) > [“Historically, American liberals have been idealists, pressing forward toward the goals of greater freedom, social equality, and more meaningful democracy. The articulate exposition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/historically-american-liberals-have-been-idealists-pressing-forward/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [The wisest among my race understand that agitations of social equality is the extremist folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all privileges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/the-wisest-among-my-race-understand-that-agitations-of-social/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [If you're talking about intellectual and social equality for women, we're not much better off.America is still very much a male-dominated society. Most American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/if-you-re-talking-about-intellectual-and-social-equality-for-women-we/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) > [I am influenced more than ever before by the conviction that social equality is the only basis of human happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-am-influenced-more-than-ever-before-by-the-conviction-that-social/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## More by David Foster Wallace > [“I felt more solidly composed, now that I was horizontal. I was impossible to knock down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-felt-more-solidly-composed-now-that-i-was-horizontal-i-was/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“We all have our little solipsistic delusions, ghastly intuitions of utter singularity: that we are the only one in the house who ever fills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/we-all-have-our-little-solipsistic-delusions-ghastly-intuitions-of/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“It's no accident that in a bureaucracy getting fired is called 'termination,' as in ontological erasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-s-no-accident-that-in-a-bureaucracy-getting-fired-is-called/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Footnote: 79) The anchor is gigantic and must weigh a hundred tons, and -- delightfully -- it really is anchor-shaped, i.e. the same shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/footnote-79-the-anchor-is-gigantic-and-must-weigh-a-hundred-tons-and/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“The paradoxical intercourse of audience and celebrity. 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Why we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/to-me-at-least-in-retrospect-the-really-interesting-question-is-why/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“If you’re subjected to enough great salesmen and salespitches and marketing concepts for long enough—like from your earliest Saturday-morning cartoons, let’s say—it is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/if-you-re-subjected-to-enough-great-salesmen-and-salespitches-and/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“Why is the truth usually not just un- but anti-interesting?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/why-is-the-truth-usually-not-just-un-but-anti-interesting/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“She almost reminds the engineer of certain types in high school whom everyone adored because you sensed it made no difference to them whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/she-almost-reminds-the-engineer-of-certain-types-in-high-school-whom/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [To be, in a word, unborable… It is the key to modern life. If you are immune to boredom, there is literally nothing you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/to-be-in-a-word-unborable-it-is-the-key-to-modern-life-if-you-are/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“It is within your power to experience a crowded, loud, slow, consumer-hell-type situation as not only meaningful but sacred, on fire with the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-is-within-your-power-to-experience-a-crowded-loud-slow-consumer/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“The happy pleasure of the person alone, yes?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-happy-pleasure-of-the-person-alone-yes/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [There is such a thing as raw, unalloyed, agendaless kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/there-is-such-a-thing-as-raw-unalloyed-agendaless-kindness/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) [Explore all 999 David Foster Wallace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) ## More Politically correct quotes > [Writing code means always having to say you're sorry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ford/writing-code-means-always-having-to-say-you-re-sorry/) [Paul Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ford/) > [ Donald Trump has opened \[ politically correct enforcement\] up wide. He's made a very bold statement and he's backed it back just a little… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/donald-trump-has-opened-politically-correct-enforcement-up-wide-he-s/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [“Even at the tender age of twelve, when I knelt in front of the bishop for my confirmation, I had the sneaking suspicion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-edwards/even-at-the-tender-age-of-twelve-when-i-knelt-in-front-of-the-bishop/) Megan Edwards > [“Claiming to be offended is a great way to elevate yourself at the expense of others: “Look at me! I'm a much better person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/claiming-to-be-offended-is-a-great-way-to-elevate-yourself-at-the/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [Contrarian thinking at its best simply asks, Is this really true? It speaks up when the politically correct answer or the conventional wisdom doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-osborne/contrarian-thinking-at-its-best-simply-asks-is-this-really-true-it/) [Larry Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-osborne/) > [We live in a world where it has become politically correct to avoid absolutes. Many want all religions to be given the same honor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-live-in-a-world-where-it-has-become-politically-correct-to-avoid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It appears fashionable these days, and almost politically correct, to blame hard-working immigrants, especially those from Mexico and Central America, for the social and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mahony/it-appears-fashionable-these-days-and-almost-politically-correct-to/) [Roger Mahony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mahony/) > [I have never claimed to do the right kind of things and make politically correct statements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrukh-khan/i-have-never-claimed-to-do-the-right-kind-of-things-and-make/) [Shahrukh Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrukh-khan/) > [It takes zero politically correct people to screw in a lightbulb because they are perpetually in the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/it-takes-zero-politically-correct-people-to-screw-in-a-lightbulb/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [ \[T\]he politically correct are above the rules of ordinary civility, once they have identified you as an unbeliever in their religion. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/t-he-politically-correct-are-above-the-rules-of-ordinary-civility/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I like to be honest, and after all these years I can't be bothered being politically correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-osbourne/i-like-to-be-honest-and-after-all-these-years-i-can-t-be-bothered/) [Sharon Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-osbourne/) > [All this discussion though politically correct, is dead beyond destruction though it leaves me quite erect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/live-band/all-this-discussion-though-politically-correct-is-dead-beyond/) [Live (Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/live-band/) > [The way that you eliminate bad and ugly is either through activism and policy making that never tolerates evil -- instead of the liberal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/the-way-that-you-eliminate-bad-and-ugly-is-either-through-activism/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I so wreak of logic and commonsense that it is obviously very refreshing in this world of otherwise soulless politically correct denial and dishonesty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/i-so-wreak-of-logic-and-commonsense-that-it-is-obviously-very/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [And when you come back to Japan next summer, let's have that date or whatever you want to call it. We can go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/and-when-you-come-back-to-japan-next-summer-let-s-have-that-date-or/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Browse all 289 Politically correct quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politically-correct/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There's a grosser irony about Politically Correct English. This is that PCE purports to be the dialect of progressive reform but is in fact--in its Orwellian substitution of the euphemisms of social equality for social equality itself--of vastly more help to conservatives and the US status quo than traditional SNOOT prescriptions ever were. Were I, for instance, a political conservative who opposed using taxation as a means of redistributing national wealth, I would be delighted to watch PC progressives spend their time and energy arguing over whether a poor person should be described as \"low-income\" or \"economically disadvantaged\" or \"pre-prosperous\" rather than constructing effective public arguments for redistributive legislation or higher marginal tax rates. 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