PCDC is an acronym for "Politically Correct Damage
Control". This strategy is employed by the handlers of celebrities, athletes,
politicians and or anyone attached to a marketed brand to feign remorse, save face,
stop the bleeding and prevent further possible reputation and economical losses and most importantly to uphold the illusion of the public persona that has been carefully constructed. It is absolutely imperative that the people who are being entertained not experience to much of an interruption regarding their regularly scheduled programming.
Those who use this strategy will often learn their lesson within a
single daily news cycle while it often takes regular people who do not have image consultants and brand managers much longer. Often it is quite fascinating how some people who otherwise can not form a sentence suddenly have the ability to express themselves and their "guilt" quite well.
While people on occasion are genuinely remorseful for their behavior, this is usually just another aspect of the
grand theater that is American
society.
"I am truly sorry for what I did/thought/believed/insinuated/portrayed and so please allow me to employ some PCDC. I realize now after you have
seen behind the curtain and my carefully crafted image has taken a hit and how important it is to maintain this idealized false
reality so that I may continue to acquire vast sums of capital and be marketed as a role
model to those who struggle to think for themselves. From this
day forward I vow to keep up this charade so that you are not burdened with the responsibility of realizing that I am just like you, flawed, ignorant and prone to making mistakes both in
action and thought. I hope that we can put this behind us and return back to the comfortable state of ignorance we have so enjoyed."
