Growing up during the second half of the 20th Century, living through the 50s, 60s, and 70s in particular, my heroes included Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Leonard Bernstein, Lenny Bruce, Gloria Steinem, John F. Kennedy and Sylvia Rivera. These were just some of the pioneers who changed America and put us on the road to defeating bigotry; at the very least to exiling bigotry to the dark obscure corners of bad taste and very wrong.
At the beginning of my childhood, segregation and submissive women were the norm. Coloreds, Jews, and sometimes Catholics as well were not admitted, and women served men. By the 60s the world had changed - ignorance was on the run and from the White House on down the message was clear: This is America and all men "and women" are created equal regardless of race, color, or creed.
So how, when, and why did we revive the beast? At what point did the term "politically correct" become a joke? I'm not talking about politically incorrect humor. In fact, the civil rights explosion of the 50s and 60s gave birth to a new type of American humor: the right and the freedom to poke fun of bigotry and ignorance. Lennie Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor. More heroes.
But how did "politically correct" became an object of disdain? The punchline?
The serious side of political correctness had to do with guidelines for civility, respect, and consideration, opposition to discrimination, bigotry, hate language, and behavior. Politically incorrect humor allowed us to poke fun at ourselves and our own foibles.
And then it all went terribly wrong and was turned upside down. People like Ann Coulter, Rick Santorum, Bill O'Reilly, Pat Robertson and so many others portrayed "politically correct" as treasonous and unholy.
At some point, the Bible replaced the Constitution as the standard for the American way. Right-wing politicians and pundits speak about sexual minorities with utter self-righteous contempt. So-called Christian organizations openly advocate gay bashing of children in our schools. A woman is fired from her teaching job because she is a woman, and the Bible says that women must be obedient to men.
A little over a week ago nine black children attending a Louisiana elementary school were directed to the back of the bus by a white driver who designated the front seats for white children. The bus driver has yet to be fired. And of course this is not something you even knew about because the national media was mostly indifferent to the matter.
A prominent Republican politician and presidential hopeful publicly calls an American of color a monkey and a visitor to "real America" at a political rally and is then rewarded by fund raising support from the President of the United States. When the White House was challenged for not only remaining silent on this incident but rewarding it, the White House deputy press secretary shot back that the Senator who called the darkie a monkey had already apologized, and that the White House had accepted the apology." (Feel free to bang your head on the wall over that one.)
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - JustOneMan
Yaaaawwwnnnnn.....
2 - Baronius
Richard, I think most of your article is off-base, but that Shreveport story is just amazing. I'll have to keep watching that one.
3 - pleasexcusetheinterruption12
O for fucks sake, off base? Godamnit the President's mother is out there cracking jokes about poor people.
4 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Richard,
You just woke up now and are smelling the coffee? What you are describing is the tip of an iceberg - a froshbeiss (tiny snack meant to be a preview of the meal to come). Pay close attention and don't worry about the big "bigotry" issues. Jews are also on the chopping block...
With a name like Rothstein...
5 - RedTard
This point of view represent the most ill informed, moronic view of the world I've encountered recently. This disgusting viewpoint that blacks and women are discriminated against in mass has exactly zero evidence or support.
Why did political correctness become a joke? Because of lunatics who take your position.
The only group who is discriminated against by the US government are white, Asian, and Jewish males, end of story. Unlike the above malarcky a simple perusal of government forms for 'disadvantaged' or 'underutilized' groups will uncover the fact that everyone qualifies except certain males. In fact, the forms could be much shortened by asking 'are you a white male? -- we don't want you'
The school bus incident was a media make up to feed the imbeciles who blame everything on race. Bus drivers sometimes are required to assign seats. If your black and you get picked up first, like these kids did, then guess what? Your going to the back.
Here's a quote from a left leaning manipulator way back in 1914. See if you can see the results of this cynical ploy today:
"We must realize that OUR PARTY'S MOST POWERFUL WEAPON IS RACIAL TENSION. By propounding into the consciousness of the dark races, that for centuries they have been oppressed by the whites... While inflaming the Negro minority against the whites; we will instill in the whites a guilt-complex for their exploitation of the Negroes." - Israel Cohen, 1914
Sounds like the plan is still working to me. Of course, you thought that you were following the truth, not bowing to some political manipulation to get you to vote a certain way.
6 - Dave Nalle
You've got this article pegged, Red. When I first read it I didn't bother to comment because I just didn't know where to begin.
As far as I can tell to this author it's as if the real world of political correctness gone wild doesn't exist, which runs so counter to actual reality that there's almost no starting point for a discussion in the article if you want the discussion to make any sense.
Dave
7 - Nancy
Actually, usually the bus driver makes you sit up front, if you're a troublemaker. I suspect there's more to this story than has come out so far, if indeed it isn't made up.
8 - Asian Media Watch
Below is link to a graphic showing the cast from the last four seasons of Survivor (Seasons 8-12) which shows Survivor's poor track record for racial diversity in casting. Survivor is now just trying to profit by race-baiting Americans. Asian Media Watch
[Personal contact info deleted]
9 - Lady Dragonfyre
The author of the news article didn't mention WHY exactly the driver made the nine kids sit in the back. Maybe the kids were troublemakers and assigned to the back as a punishment. Perhaps they got pissed at this punishment and told their parents it was a racial thing.
Maybe the boys had to move to the back to allow students with crutches or physical disabilities to sit up front. Maybe some kids had to sit in the front because they were very young and needed extra supervision. Who knows?
There's too many "maybes" in this story.
On PC:
PC is now an excuse to guilt-trip white folks, most of whom bear no ill will or racist attitudes toward men and women of color as a group. It's an excuse to deny qualified students admission to colleges because the schools haven't met their "race quota" yet. It enables frivolous lawsuits and encourages a victim mindset.
PC IS a joke. it's just a rat's nest of fear, suspicion, personal irresponsibility, and entitlement
10 - Josh
#4
"With a name like Rothstein..."
Are you insinuating that negative responses to this article are a result of the author being Jewish? It appears that way.
11 - Martin Lav
The fact of the matter is that their are differences in people, cultures, sexual orientation and on and on. Each different group generally doesn't mix with the other and each poke fun of the generalizations of each group. That's fact, right or wrong. However, what happens is that if any of the groups, step up and claim bigotry, prejudice or unfair treatment because of the makeup of their group, the rest of the groups get pissed. As long as everyone stays in their group, don't take themselves too seriously and realizes that all the other groups make fun of them, think their different and can't relate and no one protests or plays the makeup of their groups "card" then PEACE is had by all.
12 - JustOneMan
The story about the "blacks in the back of the bus"..has already been outed as an overblown story by some parents who dont want to take resposibility for their kids bad behabviour...sond familiar...again rather than admit that thier kids were bad they had to use the classic "its am be becuz we be black"
Ruvy and Josh...you guys are just as bad..."why us why us...its because we are Jews"
Not so..people disagree with you because you are just wrong NOT because you are Jewish...I guess its easier to "be a victim" than defend your position...
The culture of victimization flourishes...
13 - Martin Lav
JOM,
I would have agreed with you, but your written impersonation of a presumably African American helps the authors cause.
Mel the famous Movie Jew was the king of the NON-PC movie and I would love to hear what he has to say about this.
14 - JustOneMan
Helps the authors cause??? What are you the PC police?
15 - Martin Lav
"its am be becuz we be black"
"be a victim"
The PC police are the thought police by virtue of their own actions, after all Mel Gibson would have been PC if he wasn't so drunk.
16 - JustOneMan
what am be yo point?
17 - JustOneMan
Could it be that Mel had to deal with discrimination since he was a minority in his profession? Those controlling the deals may have treated him poorly because he's not a "member of the tribe"?
How come thats not allowed to be discussed?
18 - Martin Lav
Oh Jom....what happened to your blunt talk?
Now you are being PC. "Member of the tribe" what does that mean? Scientologists? Youth? I mean Mel has made a good movie since Mad Max, but he's aged you know.....
19 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Josh asks,
With a name like Rothstein... Are you insinuating that negative responses to this article are a result of the author being Jewish? It appears that way.
No Josh, not at all. Did you read the rest of the comment at all? There is a great deal of what the author writes that I agree with.
The issue I'm raising with the author is that he should stop worrying about American bigotry issues and remember WHO HE IS - remember his roots - and pick up his ass and do what I did. COME HOME! He can do that, you know.
He's describing the tip of an iceberg of race-hatred and Jew-hatred that is slowly resurfacing where he lives. He has a homeland to return to where he need not worry about such crap...
20 - JustOneMan
"He has a homeland to return to where he need not worry about such crap..."
No just suicide bombers, missles nad crazed Muslims...the US is so much worse that Israel...
Ruvy...take your US passport and shove it up your ass...the US is the only place in the WORLD where a Jew can live and raise their family in peace....
21 - JustOneMan
Martin "Member of the tribe" refers to being Jewish....
22 - Martin Lav
I know the 12 tribes of Israel of course, just trying to incite you like gruvy is.
Yeah the US is full of bigotry and hatred towards Jews and minorities and gays right?
That's why we are taking crosses and nativity scenes off the public lawns. No pledge of Allegiance allowed, no one will fund a movie about the "Passion of Christ". No movies getting made about Cowpokes on the big screen. No racial profiling at the airports.
Get real Ruvy, who are you trying to kid?
This Rothstien (stein, steen ??) kid has made his point, yet your iceberg is just a cube.
23 - JustOneMan
Martin..your right on target...the US has gone made with this nonsense we can teach "Sally has two Mommies" "And Freds Mom is a Man" but we cant say Jesus, all european explorers commtted genocide...
In my sons 2nd grade class the spent 3 days on Martin Luther King....an assembly, in history,etc. and less than 1 hour on Christopher Columbus! When I called the teacher she stated that due to the forced ciriculum they didnt have that much time...give me a fucking break!
We have become a third world country....as a country if we dont remember our "true" past our future is doomed!
24 - pleasexcusetheinterruption12
Personally, I dont put much standard in being PC either. As far as I know, I hold no rational hatred of any particular group. And yet I frequently find myself making slip of the tongue remarks about gays, christians, etc. I would hate to think my failures at being PC make me a bigot.
And yet, I think the author is right. Through several of his examples, and just my own personal sense, I feel people are becoming more intolerant and less compassionate. Maybe Im just becoming more aware of it or something, and as several of the posts point out, this intollerence is rarely put openly into law.
At the same time, when I turn on the TV, I am overwhelmed by the narrowmindedness of it all.
Republicans vs Democrats
Christians vs sinners
Christians vs gays
liberals vs rednecks
Nazis vs everyone else
America vs muslims (how many times have I seen the 72 virgin comment posted here on blogcritcs?)
And most of this dialogue going on is just name calling in both directions.
And ill never understand why the relatives of 9/11 victims recieved huge lump sums of cash, while the relatives of Katrina victims got practically zip. Is there something particularly honorable about dieing while filing an expense report to your boss?
25 - Matthew T. Sussman
"In my sons 2nd grade class the spent 3 days on Martin Luther King....an assembly, in history,etc. and less than 1 hour on Christopher Columbus!"
I had no idea you lived in the West Indies.