- Will the latest round of political correctness change our attitudes?
In June, the American people were peppered with a powerful dose of political correctness (PC). Following the shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, there were calls for the removal and elimination of Confederate flags across the country as it was claimed the flag was nothing more than an icon of bigotry. Retail titans Walmart and Amazon were just two of the major companies who panicked and removed the flags from their shelves. This was followed by several other calls to eliminate any trace of the Confederacy in the South be it on bumper stickers, license plates, or changing the names of parks and removal of statues. While this was going on, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages in all fifty states. These two events polarized the country. Southerners defended their flag, not as a symbol of bigotry, but as representative of their ancestors' heritage. Heterosexuals were aghast the biblical sense of the word "marriage" was being distorted by a government institution.
These two instances will likely not change the opinions people hold about these two issues. If anything, they will reinforce attitudes and reinvigorate disagreements between people, thereby dividing the country further. It also demonstrates you cannot legislate thinking patterns. Regardless if South Carolina removes the Confederate battle flag from the state capitol, or the Supreme Court's ruling on gays, attitudes about these subjects will only solidify, not dissipate. Only political maneuvering, such as PC, can alter the perspectives of people.
The intent of political correctness is to subliminally alter our perceptions and values. In the Confederate flag incident, it is intended to distort our sense of history. Personally, I never thought too much of the flag. I was raised a Yankee for the first half of my life and was proud the Union won the Civil War. However, I have lived in the South for the last thirty years and have come to understand the South's view of the war. I have learned it is more about states rights as opposed to slavery. I will not argue there is no bigotry in the South, nor will I argue there is no bigotry in the North, on both sides of the color line I might add. However, we have been asked to make a rush to judgment, simply for political correctness.
As we should all know by now, PC is primarily intended to influence our thinking processes, our vocabulary, and even our sense of humor, as American comedians are just now discovering. Make no mistake, it is nothing more than social engineering in sheep's clothing. Our attitudes, perceptions, and moral values are being constantly tweaked by the liberal press, and not necessarily for the better; to illustrate:
PC does not make us better workers - In fact, it make us impotent in terms of achieving results.
PC does not make us better citizens - Instead, it will distort our sense of history, civic duty, and patriotism.
PC does not make us better people - We'll become rather bland with little imagination and no desire to challenge the status quo.
I remember when I first heard the expression, "The N Word." This was driven home in the first OJ Simpson trial in 1995. Now we have a "Word" for just about every letter of the alphabet. Frankly, people are getting tired of this and a push back is likely in the offing. For example, Christians will no longer be apologetic for their religion; Capitalists will no longer be ashamed of their entrepreneurship and being successful; Whites will no longer feel guilty for the color of their skin; Conservatives will no longer be apologetic for their political views, and; people will continue to wave Confederate flags and not alter their definition of marriage.
As I said at the beginning, PC is intended to divide us, not to bring us together.
God, how I miss Sam Kinison, one of the most politically incorrect comedians we ever had. We could really use a strong dose of Sam today.
Related article:
Political Correctness - Let us be bland (Feb 3, 2009)
Political Correctness - Let us be bland (Feb 3, 2009)
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
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