The Evolution of Political Correctness - Conclusion

Friend or Foe?

It’s truly odd to me how often scientific facts slip from public favor into a state of “re-call”. Every time I turn on the news there is another fact being dismissed or re-called. And although it shouldn’t happen, it does. Re-calls on once deemed healthy foods, or once deemed desirable products.

But although it only takes 10 or 12 complaints for a consumer product to be re-called, philosophical notions, though not near so rigorously tested, are seldom, if ever, re-called. Maybe because it so hard to track down the few individuals that direct the Social Conscience of a country. But even if we knew, I don’t think there would be re-calls. Problems may arise, there may be modifications, but still there is never an out-and-out re-call of any new ideologies. They are just given a new sophisticated name within the subset of ‘progressive thinking’ and let loose without proper introduction.

So we have ‘progressive thinking’ and within that subset we have ‘political correctness’. And for either one, there will never be a re-call. But, truthfully, if the two were more accurately named for what they are – say as ‘induced thinking’ and ‘cloned correctness’ – I think we might eventually reach a point in time when a re-call might be considered.

I’m one of the very few that would like to see a re-call. My reasons for thinking this are fairly basic. It seems to me that when internal whisperings of the mind are fenced in by superficial definitions, rather than set free, we destroy truth and the measure of who we are, whether good or evil.

Who determined that we must bite our tongues and speak pleasant reveries? Reveries that hide the darkness within savage breasts. Or conversely, reveries that cause questioning of the validity of the light that radiates from virtuous and commendable souls. It may sound Utopian, but utopian thinking is as impractical as it is idealistic and stylistic and so is political correctness. It leaves us in a superficially ‘nice’ place, but at the same time, a place where there is no obvious separation between friends and foes. It is a form of legalized voice-speak that destroys communication at the basest level.

So you might say to me, how can be benefit from having to listen to mean, distressing commentaries? Well, if ‘practice makes perfect’, the more crap we sort through the more adept we will become at sorting through crap. Young people need to hear some crap in order to learn to adeptly sort through concepts of good and evil. When all they hear is political-correctness, they cannot adroitly assess the overwhelming proportion of lies mixed with truth. It is hard to sort crap from salvage when gracious words are hiding the darkest of evil intent. When so many are living a lie.

Political correctness makes the enemy as invisible as the enemy is in the unending war in Iraq. It seems to me that even when troops eventually pull out of Iraq, the war will not end there. How can it when the enemy is invisible, and with that invisibility so easily able to infiltrate without causing a ripple? The same invisibility will come into play if we continue to pursue the idea of Political Correctness?

I would rather know who I am dealing with. Though I may not like what I hear, I nevertheless appreciate the little nuances or bold outrages that cue me to remove myself from association with some people. That suggest that I need to be on guard. If we want to protect our children, we want to know where convicted child-molesters reside. But even more so, we need to know where inauspicious hazards lie. And it may well be that the slightest latitude in casual conversation (if that conversation is not impeded by political correctness) can serve as an early warning system that an evil sickness resides within persons in our own community, family, or social group.

I think it is better to understand emotions than deny them. I think we are better off to understand that we will have days when others will cause us anger, sadness, disappointment, discouragement, and pain. Progressive thinking is learning to deal with it. Can we not accept this is how things are and return to honest interchanges cushioned by this simple bit of insulation?

“Sticks and stones may break my bones
But names will never hurt me!”

I think the greater unrest is perpetrated by legislating political correctness. I don't know about you, but I am more frightened by invisible threats than visible ones.