Political correctness seems to be the boogeyman of this campaign, a sworn enemy of candidates and voters alike. This election season is a great time to look at what that means, since we have two opposing characterizations of what it looks like to abandon political correctness: Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Let’s use these cases to study how getting away from political correctness can be done to the benefit of democratic dialogue. Both candidates consistently and unapologetically say bluntly what traditional politicians would delicately tiptoe around. The difference is, Sanders is speaking hard truths about our society that we often don’t like to admit or deal with, while Trump is voicing racism, over-simplification, and misconceptions.

Before getting into this, let’s define political correctness. For the purpose of this discussion, I’m defining it as when politicians avoid speaking openly and honestly about issues for fear of offending someone, or because their beliefs may not be the most politically advantageous stance. This means Republicans shying away from talking about immigration because maybe a voting block is anti-immigration but their funders benefit from cheap illegal labor. Or it means Democrats being hesitant to talk about how to reduce income inequality because the way to do it would be objectionable to their major donors. Political correctness here refers to the way politicians skirt the tough subjects, the hard realities, in order to win votes and funding relying on easy crowd-pleasing slogans. It has become the way the game is played.

Now, with that definition, let’s say we agree that we don’t like political correctness. We want politicians to speak their truths, so we know who they are and what they’re about, instead of just knowing what they think we want to hear. However, if we agree that we don’t like political correctness, can we agree that we still want correctness? Can we appreciate that someone is being honest with us without ignoring the substance of their honesty?

Donald Trump uses political correctness as a scapegoat, a firewall against criticisms of his absurd and often factually inaccurate comments. Instead of having to respond to the realities of why it is an abhorrent idea to impose a ban all Muslims from entering into the United States, Trump has been able to rally more supporters with the bravado of claiming he’s the only one brave enough to take on the “PC Police”. To many who would potentially vote for him, this is enough to distract from what are very real, very strong arguments against this proposal. We saw a similar story line play out when Trump called Mexican immigrants rapists, and accused Megyn Kelly of only asking him tough questions because she was on her period. People should be revolted by these comments not because he said them bluntly, in a non PC way, but because they’re ignorant, bigoted, and just plain stupid.

Now, in a way, it’s a good thing that Trump is willing to say these things. At least we know what’s on his mind, when other candidates may have similar ideas that they refrain from stating. For example, it’s entirely possible that Cruz actually agrees with Trump, but is just a sly politician who knows better than to say it. However, that benefit goes away when we celebrate a lack of political correctness rather than express dismay over horrendous ideas.

A step across the aisle to the rogue Democratic candidate shows us the right way to denounce political correctness. Although he hasn’t made it a cornerstone of his campaign the way Trump has, Sanders has run a campaign that relishes in the politically unpopular. Sanders wants to “break up the largest financial institutions in the country”, dramatically increase taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations, and create a socialized health care system. In the traditional political game, these are all almost unspeakable things. Sure, establishment Democrats have long been saying we need to close corporate loopholes in the tax code and reign in on reckless financial activity, but they always do so in a way that tries to paint it as still good for the businesses themselves. And yes, it’s a popular election claim that we should have a progressive tax system, but it’s always clouded in phrases about prosperity and the American Dream. Even in the health care conversation, where Obama has made it abundantly clear that he wants every American to be insured, he has made progress only with a heavy emphasis on his plan being based on the private market.

Bernie’s ideas aren’t really what’s revolutionary about his campaign. What is revolutionary is his abandonment of the game of political correctness in favor of speaking openly about his goals. Bernie’s non-PC style is to engage with the politically difficult, and speak the hard truths. Economic inequality will not be ameliorated without higher taxes on the wealthy. Health care will not be universal while it’s still privatized. These realities have elevated the conversation, forcing Clinton to engage with the complexities of today’s issues rather than sticking to the broad, pleasant strokes of a typical campaign. In comparison, Trumps non-PC style has brought the GOP primary into a downward spiral that ignores reality, celebrates bigotry and bravado, and emphasizes drama over substance.

I don’t think we can blame political correctness for all of our woes, as some have tried to do. On the other hand, I think we stand to gain a lot by embracing the honesty and openness characterized by Sanders. I also think we are poised to make a tremendous mistake by letting Trump blame political correctness for backlash against him, when really it’s just reason and thoughtfulness that causes us to be revolted by him.