OPINION

  – By G. Miller Thompson –

Ronald Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”  I agree with President Reagan wholeheartedly, but there are two more increasingly terrifying words that may soon win the “most terrifying words” award:  political correctness.

There is a large and rapidly growing group of individuals in America known as the PC Police, PC being an abbreviation for political correctness.  Our nation has become so self-absorbed and sensitive that anything said in the public square must be politically correct.  By not adhering to this “norm,” one can expect to be subjected to ridicule from the PC Police.

Perhaps the most prevalent example of this comes to us courtesy of the Duck Dynasty patriarch, Phil Robertson.  You may remember a few months back when Robertson made some blunt comments on homosexuality during a magazine interview.  As a result of his far from politically correct comments, the A&E network suspended Robertson and barred his affiliation with the Duck Dynasty brand.  Why?  Because the network was worried about offending a group of people, so much so that Robertson was all but fired for defending his faith and stating his beliefs.

Political correctness makes me sick.  Rather than being a nation of adults, we act as if we are children who are upset by the most ridiculous things.  Collectively, we have grown to be so self-interested that we believe those with opposing points of view ought to be silenced.  Politicians and leaders of influential special interest groups like to float the term “tolerance” in discussions of this issue.  Intolerant, however, is what America is becoming.

I have been a proud citizen of the United States for nearly 20 years and look forward to many more.  Even so, the America I live in today is not the same America I was born in to.  Maybe I am just crazy, but I strongly believe that debate is a healthy element of our democracy.  The ability to disagree and still be productive is one of the building blocks of American society.  See, tolerance means understanding that the world does not revolve around you.  It means welcoming opposing points of view and intellectually discussing policy matters to find the most effective way forward.

The PC Police will not have this.  Believe it or not, there exists within this group a faction that believes public schools should not be legally required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance because it might be offensive to students of international origin.  One must tread lightly when discussing issues relating to race because the term racism is thrown out as soon as someone gets the least bit upset.  Christians cannot stand for their beliefs without being labeled nuts or bigots.

We have stood around for far too long and allowed the PC Police to perpetuate their nonsense.  It is high time for the adults in our nation to finally mature and act with some dignity.  It would be a great comfort to see debate welcomed in the chambers of Congress and the halls of the White House.  It would be a nice change of pace to be able to freely discuss one’s perspectives on the public square without fear of endless ridicule.  America needs to man up (and woman up for those who might be offended by my use of the generic “man”) and get over such sensitivity.

The next time someone hurts your feelings, get over it.  Move on with life and do something productive.  Wow, what an America that would be.

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The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Edgefield Advertiser.

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