PC Is BS (Bad Speech)
By Harris R. Sherline
December 22, 2008
Has the endless barrage of "politically correct" (PC) rules that we are subjected to nowadays finally overcome our nation's treasured right of free speech? To me, PC is BS (Bad Speech). It is censorship pure and simple. What concerns me is that it stifles dissent under the guise of being sensitive to the feelings and values of others.
I, for one, am weary of Politically Correct demands and the PC straight jacket that has been placed around the minds and free expression of Americans. I don't know anyone any more who feels free to openly express their personal opinions.
PC influences expression about almost every subject and includes efforts to pass laws that not only try to force everyone to conform to some group's notion of "correct" speech, but even to what they are supposed to think.
Our language is becoming so codified and restrictive that we are no longer free to speak openly: "African-American," not black; "Latino" or "Hispanic," not Mexican; "Gay," not homosexual (gay used to mean happy); "Ms.," not Miss or Mrs.; "undocumented worker," not illegal alien; "challenged," not handicapped; etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum.
Many individuals and groups have become so hypersensitive about the speech of others that it is almost impossible to find the right expression to communicate effectively. Words that used to be simple statements have become pejorative slander in the eyes of many minority groups, and acceptable terms are periodically changed so that it becomes an artful dance just to find the right way to describe something or someone. It's counterproductive, and why Americans tolerate this kind of intimidation is a mystery to me.
The following are just some of the endless number of examples that illustrate the point:
Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania decided to ring in the holidays with music from various religions and cultures but was unable to find any programmed non-traditional music for their system, so members of the music department created their own. (Exactly how is it possible to write non-traditional holiday music without sounding traditional?)
The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau decided to rename their annual Christmas Parade the "Little Rock Holiday Parade," to make sure the event is "all-inclusive." (What is the "Holiday" if it is not Christmas?)
The City of Portland considered an ordinance to ban "transgender" discrimination. The law protects men who come to work dressed in traditionally female clothing, even if they still look like men and even if it drives customers away. (Who thinks of these things, anyway?)
An Arizona State University drama professor settled a lawsuit (for $395,000) against the school for wrongful termination because he taught the works of dead white males (Shakespeare and Moliere) over the objections of campus feminists.
A student at Eastern Michigan University reported that the school was pressured to change their team name, "Hurons." They picked "Eagles," and in spite of the fact that the Huron Indians wanted them to change it back, government pressure kept them from doing so. The student's reaction was, "All this civil rights B.S. is further erasing Native Americans from our history."
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