I never felt beliefs being “pushed” on me with regard to religion. I always just saw them as ideas to be analyzed and discussed ... true, politically, and therefore legislatively this can happen, but my moral standards were always more stringent than any legislation, so I suppose my non-offense. Interestingly, political correctness does feel “pushed” upon me because it has reached an uncomfortable level. Though sometimes we need to let things run their course at an uncomfortable level to fight an even worse disease. This is how I have reconciled the “push” of things immediately disagreeable. Biology shows us nausea, vomiting, fever and other unpleasant purges as ultimately part of healing. So I try to think of bothersome, even ridiculous human behaviors (especially in elected officials) much like societal bodily reactions to being ill.
I believe that maybe the Baby Boom Generation has such a problem with political correctness because of fundamental flaws in their collective psyches. As a first year X-Gen (Not any better as a group) it dawned on me sometime ago that while the Boomer generation has been the most productive in history, humanity had also lost something from the previous generation. Millennials may take political correctness to extremes but, if humanity is going to survive into the distant future, respectful discourse is a prerequisite. I am having a tough time adjusting to it myself, but I think it's necessary. I do agree with you that bringing the older generation's flaws to the surface will ultimately result in their elimination (the flaws I mean) the older generations will survive well past our usefulness to society without vast personal growth.
As an Xer myself I relate. We should be careful though and recognize that hyper PC is a form of censorship, and that sanitizing the intellect too much causes weakened intellectual immunity. The body injected with weakened polio virus develops anti-bodies that then can kill a strong virus. The mind never challenged may never gain strength outside a safe space, or worse, be damaged by reality.
What about ‘imposed’ then? When religions successfully influence curricula, policies and laws, they are imposing their worldview on others. Abortion rights, access to alcoholic beverages, religious symbols on public property, public school science texts, prayers in public proceedings, the insertion of God on currency and in the Pledge to the flag, denials of service on so-called religious grounds, etc. are some of the many ways that religion imposes itself on society. These impositions are always seen as virtuous by the majority, even as they are ‘pushed’ upon the minority. Religions have generally been very pushy when it comes to their agenda.
Yes, this is true. I meant interpersonally. I mentioned legislatively being non-offensive because my morals tend to be more stringent than law, and I am tolerant of “god” mentioned as a respect for the unknown. I do believe that most in the US assume Jesus and the holy trinity when this is mentioned, but I think it could be eveloved to be a more agnostic reference.