Acceptable discourse: Social norms of beliefs and opinions

Abstract

This paper develops a theory of social norms of beliefs and opinions, which provides an account of political correctness and the backlash against it. Social norms about opinion expression emerge as equilibria of a signaling game in which expressing an unpopular opinion leads to bad judgments about one’s values, but may also be attributed to one’s factual beliefs. Multiple equilibria may co-exist, corresponding to norms with more or less conformity and social pressure. Additionally, motivated reasoning and persuasion allow norms to influence privately held opinions and underlying factual beliefs. This gives us a new account of normative social influence on beliefs. People convince each other, and themselves, of the beliefs that make their opinions more socially acceptable. The theory helps us understand how public discourse shapes beliefs, for example, when communities with stronger norms of political correctness keep a lid on racist opinions, yet believe that racism is more prevalent.