Political correctness, is it destroying our country?
(Again thank you Denea for the suggestion, and sorry so long to get a new post out, my carpal tunnel has been slowing me down.)
Some people would rather lose their left testicle or breast in order not to be politically incorrect. I have struggled with this issue myself. There are people I really like, and the idea of them thinking less of me for an opinion I have at the time is disheartening. A good example is the fact that I had a place to blog for 3 years now and yet my first one was just over a month ago. I have been one of those who occasionally allows others to set the tone instead of expressing my views, unless asked for my opinion or in situations that are clearly meant for discussion.
Part of it has been politeness. If you invite me into your home, it’s a bit rude to “take the stage” and express my views all over the place, no doubt making a mess in the process. Strangely though, I embrace it when others do it, I personally don‘t find it rude at all. Now if you invite me into your home and ask how I feel about the healthcare system, you’ll certainly get my 2 cents. However, in the area of public debate, being politically correct is definitely lowering the bar for political discussion.
One is forced to keep the real feelings on issues quiet in order not to be labeled. Fear of a label, or of being perceived as unpatriotic, is crippling our political discussion. The sad part is that speaking out is what makes us Americans. To not speak out is strictly unpatriotic to the highest degree.
Then of course you have people like Mitt Romney who portray themselves as saints, yet upon dropping out of the race he lets his true feeling show by saying that if you vote Democrat you are supporting the terrorists and destroying our country, along with other ridiculous statements. He suggested that America doesn’t have enough God, while the terrorists have too much God. What a dick and a hypocrite with no real grasp on the situation at hand. I do like his suggestion that his staying in the race was bad for America, even if his reasoning behind it was bullshit.
A patriot is defined as a proud supporter or defender of his/her country and/or his/her way of life. There is nothing about Government in there, though people often confuse the two. In order to support a country in a democratic society, one must take an active role in the administration and policies of the government controlling said county, which includes speaking out against said government if it is acting contrary to the welfare of the country. Basically, if the government is screwing the pooch, it’s your job to break out the water hose and save the pooch.
Blind support of the government is the absolute opposite of patriotism, reading the documents that define our country state this very specifically. As Jay Leno said at the end of a “Jay Walking” episode where many people could not identify the main frontrunners for president, “you get the government you deserve“. Like it or not, we are responsible for the halfwit in the Whitehouse now. Voting is a good start, but not nearly enough when that kind of situation presents itself. Ever wonder what the last 8 years would have been like had Gore taken his rightful post?
Another issue plaguing our political system is pigeon holing, or the act of labeling someone pro this or that. The problem is that the question itself is unfair. Take a sensitive subject like abortion. Are you pro life or pro choice? Either you’re a baby killer or rights killer. There’s no good answer to that question. Do you support our president or do you hate our country? My answer to both questions is neither…but if I were a politician that’s where the sound bite would end and the message would be lost on the masses. You then come across as indecisive and unstable, not leadership material.
There are a lot of political issues plaguing our country, and having to be PC is one of them, along with misdirection, spin, and straight out lying. So is there a place for political correctness?
Yes, in most situations. We do it everyday, as we should. Walking up to your gay neighbor and asking if taking it up the ass is worth burning in hell for is just wrong in so many ways. Tact is important, and should not be disregarded in an attempt to thumb your nose at political correctness. Not taking into consideration things that may offend others is socially irresponsible.
Part of the problem is globalization. Studies have suggested that the optimum size for any community is roughly 150 people. We’ve been that way for tens of thousands of years, or 6000 if you’re a Republican fundamentalist.
Before “civilization”, people lived in fairly small villages that typically split after reaching about 200 people. The morays and social ethics were well defined and offense was rarely an issue other than the foreign visitor unfamiliar with the customs. Now that we are global, there are very few things that transfer smoothly on a global scale. Somewhere, someone is pissed about what you are saying or doing. A piece sign could be an obscene gesture.
So there is no way to be politically correct all of the time. The importance rests with humility, respect, and a willingness to learn. I couldn’t think of anything this administration lacks more, aside from honesty and a soul. Being politically correct also affords you a larger and more receptive audience when you do speak, as you are not considered an insensitive loud mouth. You earn respect with tactful consideration. If I were to say all blondes were morons, not only would I be wrong, I would lose the respect of most blondes, regardless of what little favor I may curry with brunettes and red heads.
I suppose the biggest issue lies with the media. FOX is probably the biggest threat to our society, with a few exceptions I’m sure. The spin they broadcast and the tones of their discussions are down right scary, not just ignorant and ridiculous. To wrap it up in one simple thought, Fox hired Carl Rove! I can’t imagine a more blatant disregard for ethics.
Politicians are, as you would expect, the epitome of this problem. Obama sparked so much debate by not wearing an American flag pin. He did his best to explain, in a politically correct fashion, that actions are what define your patriotism, not the amount of “flare” on your lapel. Which is a good point, even if softened up for the public.
I would imagine if public opinion weren’t so compartmentalized, he may have said that Bush has cheapened what our flag stands for. Furthermore, decking out your clothes, home, and car has almost disgustingly been identified with the so called “patriotic right“, the same right that would vote away our very right to vote due to pure and unbridled ignorance to the issues. The same people who claim to support the troops by pushing war, while supporting those who weaken and overextend our military. It’s not wanting to identify with those who have been so clearly duped. I’m just speculating that’s what he might say...I have no idea how he really feels about it.
Personally, I never imagined a time where waiving our flag might not be a good thing, but old W has managed to do it. Would you waive a Halliburton flag? How about a Blackwater bumper sticker? Probably not, since you might disagree what they stand for. Now I can say that because I’m a relative nobody. You could never fit any of that crap into a sound bite with a positive spin. Since much of the political discussion hinges on sound bytes, being honest or out there has to be either idiot proof or mainstream. Otherwise shut up or loose the election.
So, our political process has been dumbed down to the lowest denominator, the uninformed voters who vote based on sound bites. I was deeply troubled when someone very close to me thought Obama was horrible, since he would not salute our flag and took his oath on the Koran, neither of which is true. It was a rumor that spread faster than the truth. Our political process suffers immensely as a result. You don’t hear Democrats explaining that their position on religion is that you are free to believe anything you want, and others should have the same rights to do so without prejudice. Other religions should be understood, not shunned. Sometimes all that heard is that democrats support religions other than Christianity, so they must be anti God. The spin process is out of control.
Trying to explain that living in fear is not the way to go somehow means you’re soft on terrorism? WTF? And since when is global opinion not important so long as you‘re being tough on terror? Lack of concern for global opinion creates terrorism! If you want someone to hate you, just treat them in an insignificant manner and they will go to great lengths to prove otherwise.
As a true example of how incredibly off base public opinion is, candidates were initially shunned for saying they wouldn’t use nuclear weapons on a terrorist base. What kind of sick, deranged, incredibly stupid person would ever believe a nuclear weapon is an answer to anything remotely close to our current situation? One who has no idea of what that would entail, that’s who. Even the right answers are wrong these days, since the sound byte was “Obama afraid to use nuclear weapons”.
I’ve used Obama as an example here, but it translates across the board and political lines. The ultimate truth hear is that media is a big problem, but it is out of hand because of us, the consumer. If we were collectively more intelligent about our news sources and our knowledge about current issues, shows that produce the spin and sound bites would be off the air in no time. I personally can’t stomach much more than 3 minutes of Fox news. If others knew enough to know they were being mislead, they would likely also choose not to watch.
So is political correctness killing our country? No, I don’t think it is. I think irresponsible media and an uninformed public at large is killing our country, making suppression of relevant issues by way of political correctness commonplace. I think if the public were better informed and the media not so eager to twist words, walls would come down and a greater political discussion could take place.
Information and truth are bought and sold like anything else, though it is done through advertising and ratings rather than swiping your card when you turn on the TV or open a newspaper. We need to be wise consumers of our information, “buying” it from sources we can rely on, and complaining and threatening to go somewhere else when the information is false or misleading. We need to look skeptically at the information we use to add to our general knowledge. We need to avoid those who would sell us bad information, since information comes without a warranty, and there is little recourse. Ever wish you could get a refund on the initial information sold to you on the Iraq War? And I doubt you would continue to eat somewhere that has repeatedly sold tainted food, so why tolerate tainted information?
Demand better information, become better informed, and then political correctness as a problem will cease to be a major issue. If we all paid attention to our government, our government would have little choice other than to improve. The sad part is that most of us would rather not bother with the whole thing and let others deal with it.
We get the government we deserve.
Please comment, and don’t be afraid to speak your mind!
