Category Archives: Political Correctness

Ben Carson, secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said on Tuesday that political correctness will destroy the nation.

The official was referring to the harsh criticism he received for an out-of-context comment he made at a staff meeting at homeless womens shelters in September that was allegedly offensive to the transgender community, the Western Journal explained.

The Washington Post published an article accusing Carson of referring to transsexuals as big, hairy men during the meeting.

However, a HUD official told the Post that although Carson said those words, he was referring to men who, pretending to be transgender people, were trying to gain access to federal shelters that were reserved for women.

Jennifer Wexton of Virginia urged the official to apologize to the transgender community during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on housing policy, CNN reported.

Carson clarified again on Tuesday that he did not use those words to describe transgender people, according to CNN.

I was relating a story that a womens group told me about big, hairy menwho are not transgender women, by the waycoming into your facility and having to be accepted because of the rules that were in place, Carson said.

No, added the HUD secretary, refusing to apologize for his words.

I think this whole concept of political correctnessyou can say this, you cant say that, you cant repeat what someone saidits total foolishness, and its going to destroy our nation and we need to be more mature than that, he added.

The danger for women

Currently and in the name of nondiscrimination against LGTBI individuals, male offenders, including violent offenders and sex offenders, are serving sentences in womens prisons in several Western jurisdictions, according to Quillette.

This is known as self-ID and means that their status as a man or woman is determined by their belief and what they claim and not by their actual biology.

Transgender prisoners enjoy privileges in prisons, such as the right to shower alone, to separate cells, and to request a change between male and female prisons.

Recently, the number of male prisoners who begin to perceive themselves as women and request their transfer to womens prisons is skyrocketing, leading to serious incidents that put the integrity of women prisoners at risk, according to The Telegraph.

A very symptomatic case is that of Karen White, a male rapist who was held in a womens prison in Wakefield, England, in 2017 and who in his first three months raped three women prisoners, according to Quillette.

In the UK, currently 1 in 50 male prisoners now claim to be women, according to an official prison control survey shared by The Telegraph.

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Political correctness will destroy our nation, says Ben Carson - thebl.com

It is hard to objectively judge comedy what makes someone funny greatly depends on the audience, and every comedian has the potential to offend someone.

But when the entire basis of a comedy act is based on stereotypes, one should rethink laughing at these jokes.

Jeff Dunham will be returning to the Bryce Jordan Center this Friday, where he can easily reach his target audience of conservative white folks the population generally found in central Pennsylvania.

Dunham is one of the worlds wealthiest and most successful comedians, and the majority of his scripts are based on stereotypes and racism. And while he does have a character mocking old white men, this does not justify the blatant racism behind his other characters.

As a ventriloquist, Dunhams performances consist of him having conversations with a variety of puppets, all created from his own mind. His most controversial characters include Achmed the dead terrorist and Jos Jalapeo, a Mexican immigrant.

Dunham has specifically stated that he knows making fun of 9/11 will never be funny, and Achmed was created to make fun of Osama bin Laden instead but making any jokes associated with the terror attacks on 9/11 should be condemned.

In his latest Netflix special which is tagged as politically incorrect on the streaming site Dunham jokes that he has been hesitant to bring out his beloved Jos Jalapeo since President Trump was elected. He also said in todays politically correct climate, some people dont think it is okay for him to talk to Jos.

It is not okay to make insensitive jokes about Mexican immigrants especially when this special was filmed in Dallas, a city that relies greatly on its immigrant populations and is greatly affected by Trumps policies.

Clearly, people find Dunham funny, and this probably will not change considering his ongoing success. But his fans should be sure to understand how problematic his characters are.

Dunham pokes fun at politicians as most comedians do, and has created a new character who serves as one of Trumps advisers. When telling Cincinnati.com about the character, he even said he has to be careful due to the political-correctness garbage present in the United States today.

He is also quoted saying he has only offended a small percentage of people, but how is it possible for him to know this for sure? How does he define offending someone and where are these numbers coming from?

It is impossible for comedians to understand the experiences of every individual, so this should not be a standard for what is acceptable in comedy. But Dunham and his supporters need to better acknowledge that his jokes are offensive to many populations.

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EDITORIAL: Jeff Dunham's comedy act is more offensive than what should be accepted - The Daily Collegian Online

What does it take to run for City Council in Long Beach?

Some might tell you having a screw loose, because no one in their right mind would run for local public office.

I can say almost categorically, most of the time, that's not the case. During my time in Long Beach, we've been blessed with candidates who truly do want to help our community. Yes, I know there also have been a few who like the concept of having "power," who live for making decisions that impact other people or who have the mistaken impression that a City Council member lives a glamorous life with lots of perks and maybe even a bump in the bank account occasionally.

The one or two or three with that kind of attitude typically get brought back down to earth quickly. But those tales are for another column.

Back to what it takes to run for election.

The basics are, well, basic. This from City Clerk Monique De La Garza's website:

"A candidate must be: A U.S. citizen 18 years old on or before election day A registered voter living in the jurisdiction identified on the Nomination Paper at least 30 days prior to the end of the nomination period (Long Beach City Charter Sections 201 and 502). A candidate may not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction."

That bit about living in the jurisdiction a candidate is running from has tripped up several California and one or two Long Beach politicians over time. There's a state law that makes it illegal to live outside your district. And I can recall at least one instance in Long Beach where gerrymandering (changing, for you non-political types) City Council district boundaries took a fairly formidable opponent out of the running for the incumbent's next election.

Still, pretty simple requirements most Long Beach adults interested in being a public official can meet. The bar is so low precisely because we believe that in a real democracy, pretty much anyone should have the chance to run for public office and that's a good thing.

That's in a perfect world. There are a few more requirements to have much of a chance to win a City Council election.

Some experience in serving the public commissions, task forces, even being president of the school PTA is helpful. Support from others, particularly other Long Beach leaders, is a big plus. And there's money, or the ability to raise some. It doesn't have to be much, particularly in the less active council districts, but there are some bills filing fees, for example you have to pay.

Oh, did I mention having a spotless background? I'm not talking showing you are a convicted felon here. These days, spotless means having never taken a wrong step from college on, based on the current morality and political correctness. There's not a lot of deep background digging amongst council candidates, but if you go any farther up the political ladder

There's one last thing that's a prerequisite for becoming a City Council candidate. I call it fire in the belly. Others call it passion for a cause. It comes down to the same thing a desire to make a difference.

I saw quite a bit of that fire in the belly Monday night at a candidate forum for those running in a special election to fill the vacant First District council seat. I was one of a panel of questioners quizzing seven of the eight people who want to take now-State Senator Lena Gonzalez's place at City Hall.

I believe only one of the group has ever run for public office before. One or two have specific axes to grind, and they all have the causes near and dear to their hearts. That's as it should be. It takes that crusading feeling to light the fire in the belly.

I may be a Pollyanna, or maybe its just the faith I have in the essential goodness of people (that's pretty much the same thing), but I saw a sincere desire in each and every one of those candidates to help make Long Beach a better place to live. We might disagree on the definition of "better," but the motivation is in the right direction.

Give them the respect they deserve, and find out who's running and why. And if you live in the First District, cast a vote. It's the least you can do.

Continued here:

IN CLOSED SESSION : What It Takes To Run - Gazette Newspapers

The stereotypes and aesthetic associated with leftist activistsespecially liberal menare annoying, low-hanging fruit, but are not entirely out of touch with reality: Cucks. Snowflakes. Betas. The list goes on.

It is incredibly hard to be articulate and precise on this issue, but you know what I mean. The left has a perception problem that its not willing to admit.

Although this topic seems ridiculous, its undeniable that these representationswhether or not we may exercise significant control of themturn off many moderates and uninvolved political participants from the left. Our insistence on politicking to signal virtue and the manner by which we self-righteouslyand often hypocriticallyconduct ourselves shape these representations and certainly hold us back.

Although one can take the moral high ground and want to believe that we dont want those votes anyways, the reality of the situation is that the status quo is a hellscape for vulnerable populations and Democrats need to come into 2020 swinging. That means establishing themselves as confident, assertive, yet uncompromisingly progressive. We desperately need a makeover in 2020, but Im not exactly sure what that process looks like and whether it can ever be an ethical prescription.

But I do know that Im tired of supporting a movement that unequivocally defends the belief that when they go low, we go high. Im tired of insisting upon the innocence of corrupted institutions when the current state of affairs empowers deceit, outrage and spectacle in politics. We restrain ourselves, attempt to understand the other and ultimately forgive instead of seriously confronting them on Twitter or cable news and hardly attempt to change the rules of engagement entirely.

Democrats need to play to win because anything else condemns us to the status quo: a pitiful, whiny existence that always seems to place us on the losing side of political scandal. Im not arguing that we should collude with foreign governments to improve our representations, but simply to critically think about perception and to refuse to be a group of pushovers. People are counting on the left in 2020 and Im ready to engage in some McConnell-level tactical maneuvering and scheming if thats what it takes to deliver.

45 was rewarded with the presidency for his vulgarity. I dont think that the left or even the country as a whole wants to see us fix that by showing compassion. Im tired of a liberal politics obsessed with being virtuous and ultimately boring in the name of not offending those with disagreements.

The current political sphere is anything but business as usual and its entirely unconvincing to respond by suppressing our natural human emotions. For instance, Betos raw speech about Trumps comments on the El Paso shooting was a huge turn-on for voters and is probably the only thing keeping him alive at this point; dropping f-bombs wont necessarily win us seats, but I think its safe to say voters minimally want their politicians to be authenticand thus outraged.

Moreover, the right has successfully branded itself as the party of sexy big-businesses and independent thinkers fixated on telling the truth when blue-pilled liberals cant step outside of their fantasy land. Internet trolls and conservative influencers poke fun at the liberal participation trophy culture, safe spaces from outside criticism, and our obsession with losing often, but at least ethically. And quite honestly, these strategies work really well.

I feel a strong, internal embarrassment, for instance, when thinking about Democratic candidates pandering to people of color, Portland Antifa dressing up as bananas, and Hillary desperately pleading for us to Pokemon Go to the polls. Voters can easily sense whos being real and whos trying way too hard to take the moral high ground by being woke. Its hard to point to specific examples, but the method by which so many on the left self-righteously conduct themselves, particularly on the internet to appeal to young voters, is blatantly cringe-worthy.

However, this issue with the lefts representations doesnt stem from its core values of compassion or empathy. The basic tenet of empathy is not mutually exclusive with being inspiring and assertive. The fight for emancipatory politics can and should be made sexy through a deliberate refocusing from issues like political correctness to energizing struggles against unjust authority and political elites.

Groups like Black Lives Matter and policies like Medicare for All or the Green New Deal, for instance, are certainly controversial but definitely not cringy. In fact, the right often plays to romanticized and nostalgic narratives about police officers, veterans, blue-collar workers and natural disaster survivors to garner sympathy and compassion just as often. The relevant difference is certainly an issue of our energy and framing.

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On the internet, the logic of cancel culture, the focus on microaggressions, and the Ellen & Bush debacle are all excellent examples of how liberals empower an unconscious system of desire that ultimately restrains leftist politics and empowers Donald Trump. The right finds immense pleasure in name-calling because it ruptures and trolls the social authority that out-of-touch liberals have mandated. In this sense, there exists a masochistic structure of enjoyment. Knowing that Trump is bad for people is not enough to lessen the enjoyment of his regime and realizing oneself as problematic is irrelevant when the right offers a more appealing method of living; for many, it almost seems impossible to imagine liberals having fun without constantly talking about how ethical they are. Liberals will argue that they are nevertheless on the right side of the issue and that they claim a truer vision of politics but such concerns are at best merely tangential for those not already sold on the left.

We cant control what the right calls us, but we can certainly alter the behaviors that enable such stereotypes. My vision is not a shift away from our current policy stances, but rather a refusal to solely rely on seeming trendy and virtuous. Those tangibly affected by the enactment of progressive policies dont care about our perceived moral high ground, or at least not enough to choose being ethical over a leftism that is fed up and willing to do what it takes to win back the White House and Senate.

David Min is a Trinity sophomore. His column, "milk before cereal," runs on alternate Thursdays.

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'Cucking the libs' - The Chronicle - Duke Chronicle

MADRID (AP) The grandson of late dictator Gen. Francisco Franco said that Thursdays planned exhumation of his grandfathers body is a profanation and that Spains interim government wants to turn it into a rally before a Nov. 10 general election.

Francisco Franco Martnez-Bordi spoke to The Associated Press hours before Francos remains were due to be moved from a grandiose mausoleum to a more discreet cemetery.

Its an all-out desecration, said Franco Martnez-Bordi, accusing Supreme Court judges who ruled in favor of the government the Catholic Church and center-right Spanish parties who didnt impede the reburial of being accomplices of prime minister Pedro Snchezs Socialists plan.

The government, he said, had to hop over several obstacles with the complicity of those people to arrive on time and be able to use the exhumation as part of the electoral campaign.

Spain, he said, is under the dictatorship of political correctness.

Associations of relatives of those who died in the 1936-39 Civil War and the ensuing dictatorship regard Francos presence at the gargantuan Valley of the Fallen as an insult.

The government says that its also against Spains standing as a modern democratic state and that no dictator should be enshrined in a state mausoleum. Snchez had initially promised to get the exhumation done by the end of 2018, but he faced a long legal battle with Francos seven grandchildren and political opposition.

Franco Martnez-Bordi, 64, and 21 other relatives will be attending Thursdays exhumation behind closed doors and a private Mass at the reburial graveyard in the outskirts of Madrid. Authorities have banned protests in the area and cameras will only be allowed outside of both sites.

What they want is to humiliate as much as possible, said Franco Martnez-Bordi, who criticized that the government has not allowed state honors in tomorrows ceremonies despite Franco having been Spains head of state and government for decades.

But the family has plans to use a Spanish flag with a black eagle, symbols associated with the Franco regime, over their grandfathers coffin on Thursday, when the hearse heads from a helicopter to the Mingorrubio cemetery. The flag is the same used for the original burial on Nov. 23, 1975.

The Supreme Court last month granted the government the right to rebury the dictators remains in the Mingorrubio cemetery, where Francos late wife Carmen Polo has been resting since 1988, over the relatives choice of Madrids Almudena Cathedral, where they own a grave slot. Authorities feared the cathedral could become another pilgrimage site for nostalgic fascists.

Franco Martnez-Bordi said the family planned to take their case to the European Court of Human Rights hoping to be granted permission to move Francos remains to the cathedral.

He also dismissed as a lie that relatives of victims buried alongside the dictator at the Valley of the Fallen had been asking for Francos removal from the site for decades.

Nobody, or almost nobody, gives a damn where my grandfather is buried, he said. Im not going to say that there isnt somebody around, but both winners and losers (in the war) are all dead. Their grandchildren are being influenced by the media and the associations who represent their grandparents.

Francos exhumation stems from amendments of a 2007 Historical Memory Law that aimed to seek redress for the estimated 100,000 Franco victims who are buried in unmarked graves across Spain, including thousands at the Valley of the Fallen.

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AP Interview: Franco grandson blasts Spain over exhumation - The Associated Press

A bill to outlaw the B-word the term for a female dog that is commonly used to slander women is being slammed on both ends of the political spectrum as a case of government overreach and censorship.

While I detest the use of the B-word and the N-word and the word fag, etc., I love the Constitution more and question the constitutionality of bills like this, said Arline Isaacson, co-chairwoman of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus. The concern is specifically about the right to free speech, including speech that I hate.

Its a very, very slippery slope and at the end of the slippery slope is the anti-Websters, the dictionary of words we can never use, conservative political consultant Chip Jones told the Herald. We continually replace the right and responsibility of people to defend themselves from physical and emotional harm with government intervention. When we replace an individuals right or responsibility to defend themselves, we weaken people and society.

The bill, along with about 70 others, went before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary for a hearing Tuesday at the State House. House and Senate Chairs Rep. Claire Cronin and Sen. Jamie Eldridge did not respond to requests for comment.

The legislation titled An Act regarding the use of offensive words, states: A person who uses the word bitch directed at another person to accost, annoy, degrade or demean the other person shall be considered to be a disorderly person. Penalties for a disorderly conduct conviction include a $150 fine for a first offense and $200 or 6 months in prison for subsequent offenses.

Rep. Daniel Hunt(D-Dorchester) told the Herald Monday that he filed the measure upon request from a constituent, who he did not identify. He took to Twitter late Tuesday afternoon to defend his decision.

One of the responsibilities of all Representatives is to serve as a conduit for direct petitions from our constituents to the General Court. Its a long-held tradition that gives every Massachusetts resident a voice inside the halls of the State House and a chance to raise their personal interests before the legislature, Hunt wrote. While this specific instance may amuse some and alarm others, it remains a important process for self-representation.

Jones argued that the legislation would not pass constitutional muster and speaks to a national trend of political correctness. He also questioned whether the measure reflects gender equity.

If were going to ban the word bitch, why are we only protecting 51% of the population from having their feelings hurt, Jones posed. Why are my feelings less important than a womans? And the answer is, men have become second class citizens. Toxic masculinity. People dont like men much anymore.

Jones emphasized that it is absolutely unacceptable to call a woman the B-word and that he believes men and women are equal, but I also know that men and women are not equivalent and that the differences between men and women make the world a better place.

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Bill to ban the B-word heard at State House - Boston Herald

HUD Secretary Ben Carson warns political correctness will DESTROY the US (VIDEO) Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson took aim at political correctness at a contentious committee hearing, warning that the impulse to control speech and expression would destroy the country.

During Tuesdays House Financial Services hearing, Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-Virginia) raised previous comments Carson had made about big, hairy men, widely understood to be directed at transgender women, inviting him to apologize, but the secretary was having none of it.

I think this whole concept of political correctness you can say this, you cant say that, you cant repeat what someone said is total foolishness and its going to destroy our nation, Carson shot back, adding: We need to be more mature than that.

Carson, a Republican, went on to deny that he was referring to transgender women in his prior remark made at a HUD meeting last month arguing that he was merely relating a story a womens group told him about men entering their facility and having to be accepted because of the rules that were in place.

While he said he could not recall the group who told him that story, Carson added that they were based in Alaska.

Wexton later took to Twitter to lament the exchange, slamming Carson for his refusal to apologize and stating that hateful words translate into discriminatory policy.

The Democratic representative has previously quarreled with Carson, decrying a new HUD policy rolled out earlier this year which allowed federally funded homeless shelters to turn away transgender people on religious grounds, a move she called incredibly dangerous.

Carson has been something of an anti-PC warrior for years, well before the highly politically incorrect president entered the Oval Office in 2016, regularly shredding the concept in media appearances and warning of a society where people are afraid to say what they actually believe at times even drawing comparisons to Nazi Germany.

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HUD Secretary Ben Carson warns 'political correctness' will 'DESTROY' the US (VIDEO) - Conrad Courier

Tuesday, 22 October 2019, 12:46 pmColumn: Gordon Campbell Gordon Campbell on Simon Bridges trying to painthimself as a warrior against political correctnessFirstpublished on Werewolf

Having failed all year atbeing a credible alternative Prime Minister, National leaderSimon Bridges has lowered his aspirational target this weekto something more within his range. On radio yesterday,Bridges did his best to come across as Nationalsalternative to Shane Jones. Yep, another prince of ordinaryblokery willingto take a crack at the forces of PoliticalCorrectness:

The National Party leader told MagicTalk he wants to "make sure that people can say what theythink even where it's a bit un-PC [politically correct] Ithink we've got a situation through education and the media- certain parts of the media - there's things that areoff-limits in New Zealand that we're not allowed to talkabout, and I think that's not healthy.

No, perishthe thought. Perish the thought that we should be at allconcerned about extremist speech online. These days, blokesin Parliament and blokes in boardrooms, and ordinary jokersin the nations pubs never get a chance to get a word inedgeways, what with the feminists and the gays and thegreenies and the migrants from Lord knows where hogging themike. All of them making a bloke feel bad about chucking offat them, and for saying whatever they want to whom so-everthey like.

Thats the New Zealand way. Blokes talk,sheilas listen and gays and Chinamen are nowhere to be seenoutside of hair salons and Chinese restaurants. Perish thethought that in the increasingly diverse 21st century, thatour budding Prime Minister should be trying to take the leadin avoiding us giving unnecessary offence to one another.Bugger the PC brigade, Bridges told his radio audienceinstead. Hes such a maverick.

Bridges chose a peculiarexample to convey to his radio listeners the evils of thepolitically correct. Earlier this year, he explained, hedcopped flak for criticising PM Jacinda Ardern as apart-time leader for visiting the Tokelaus during asitting week of Parliament. But no other sitting PrimeMinister, Bridges noted scornfully, had visited the Tokelaussince 2004! Perhaps the comments below by the government ofTokelau might explain what had really annoyed Bridges aboutthe whole episode:

The Ulu o Tokelau, FaipuleKelihiano Kalolo, on behalf of the Council and people ofTokelau, acknowledges with deep appreciation the recentvisit by the Prime Minster of New Zealand, Rt. Hon. JacindaArdern, to Tokelau.

It was only the fourth primeministerial visit to Tokelau in their 93-year constitutionalrelationship. And Tokelauans have noted that all of thesevisits were by sitting Prime Ministers from Labour-ledgovernments.

The people of Tokelau felt the warmempathy shown by the Prime Minister especially towards ourschool children. Her visit served to remind ordinary Kiwisthat Tokelauans are also New Zealand citizens and part ofthe Realm of New Zealand with Cook Islands, and Niue,stated Hon Kalolo.

Climate change impacts in thePacific. Regional diplomacy. New Zealands personal role(in unison with Australias aid and defence efforts) incombatting Chinas inroads in the Pacific. In short,Arderns visit to these New Zealand citizens in our nearneighbourhood was an entirely legitimate part of the PMsworkload. None of it evidently, had registered with thisparticular blokey bloke.

Week after week the fawningover the Chinese Communist Party, the scoring of anown-goal over an immigration case that actuallyoccurred on Nationals watch etc Bridges has amplydemonstrated his incapacity for the top job. He now seems tobe trying to turn his liabilities into virtues: it is to betreated as just the natural fallout from a straight shooterspeaking his mind. Let the cards fall where they may. Judgehim not by what he says (usually rubbish ) but on how hesays it. Hey, in 2016 it got the current US Presidentelected.

P.C. and History

Politicalcorrectness may have become the phantom menace of the IdiotRight, but it actually began life in the 1970s as a termused by the moderate left, to describe those further totheir left. On one level it is obviously absurd that themost privileged and powerful groups in society whitemales in politics and business should be claiming tobeing muzzled by a few feminists, trans activists andacademics. But that is to ignore the psychological dynamicsof the situation. As the article below reminds us, everydemagogue needs an enemy, and the liberal elites happen toprovide a convenient one. Donald Trumps message on thecampaign trail was that not only had the liberal elitescaused the problems being faced by ordinary folk, but thatthe same elites were now conspiring to prevent thepeoples champion (ie, himself) from even talking aboutit.

The special interests, the arrogant media, and thepolitical insiders, dont want me to talk about the crimethat is happening in our country, Trump said to aSeptember 2016 rally. They want me to just go along withthe same failed policies that have caused so much needlesssuffering. But bugger the PC brigade hewould not be muzzled from speaking out on behalf of ordinaryfolks!

Trump claimed that Barack Obama and HillaryClinton were willing to let ordinary Americans sufferbecause their first priority was political correctness.They have put political correctness above common sense,above your safety, and above all else, Trump declaredafter a Muslim gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub inOrlando. I refuse to be politicallycorrect.

Thats the difference. Liberals mayfeel concerned about the impact of language on thevulnerable, but the populist right sees the Language Policeas part of a conspiracy by the elites to keep them down, andto muzzle even the expression of their righteous anger.Routinely, the ideologues of the right in Britain,across Europe and in the US use the politicalcorrectness accusation to exonerate themselves forexploiting that bottled-up anger for their politicaladvantage :

In June 2015, after Trump referred toMexicans as rapists, NBC, the network that aired hisreality show The Apprentice, announced that it was endingits relationship with him. Trumps teamretorted that, NBC is weak, and like everybody else istrying to be politically correct.

In August2016, after saying that the US district judge Gonzalo Curielof San Diego was unfitto preside over the lawsuit against TrumpUniversities because he was Mexican American and thereforelikely to be biased against him, Trumptold CBS News that this was common sense.He continued: We have to stop being so politicallycorrect in this country.During the second presidential debate, Trumpanswered a question about his proposed ban on Muslimsby stating: Wecould be very politically correct, but whether welike it or not, there is a problem.

So thatsthe playbook Simon Bridges was referencing yesterday, albeitwithout the overt expressions of racism and sexism. (Thosefactors lie just below the surface here too, though.) Railing against p.c. is a way of weaponising the widespreadfeelings of blokey inadequacy and hostility to the changesin social and cultural norms. Expect to hear more of itfrom National during the 2020 election campaign.

Jojo Rabbiting

Any negative responseto Taika Waititis new film Jojo Rabbit will alsorun the risk of being treated as political correctness gonemad. With that in mind and since the film hits localtheatres this week, here are a couple of thoughtful reviewsworth your while. First, heres A. A. Dowd inthe AV Club and also heres JonathanRomney in Film Comment.

In case those fairly damningreviews dont wash with you, heresthe happy face response:

Laurie Anderson,invited back

Great news and also kind ofironic that Laurie Anderson should be coming back here toco-curate next years International Arts Festival inWellington. Because in 1986, when Laurie Anderson broughther stunning visual/aural extravaganza to the same ArtsFestival the McGarrigles were also on the programme thatyear the (infamous) response from the organisationalhierarchy was that this kind of rocknroll stuff(Anderson, the McGarrigles) didnt belong in the ArtsFestival, and should never, would never, be a part of theFestival fare ever again. Those darned art elites justdidnt get it. Now they do.

So from those distantmid 1980s, heres her tribute to William Burroughs. Sorrythat the sound quality isnt so great on this clip. Butthe visuals compensate and they do evoke what got peopleso excited about Laurie Anderson, back in the day.

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Gordon Campbell on Simon Bridges and political correctness - Scoop.co.nz

With Halloween just a week away, many military families will be hurriedly picking through civilian department store and Base Exchange sales racks in the days to come, looking for the perfect trick-or-treating outfit.

Im always amazed by the unbelievable selection of reasonably priced costumes for kids and adults nowadays. Anything goes, from Attila the Hun to Sexy Mr. Rogers, and superhero frocks aplenty. With so much selection, its really not hard to track down the desired duds that will impress friend and candy-distributing homeowners on Oct. 31.

Those of my generation, however, remember it wasnt always this easy.

When I was a kid, well-made costumes were a privilege of the well-to-do. They were not only pricey for our budget-strapped, middle class families, but also hard to find in department stores that, gasp, didnt even have Halloween displays until early October. This left us with two options: the mass-produced boxed sets containing stamped plastic resemblances of a character that sort of looked like Casper, Fred Flinstone or Bugs Bunny, or wait for it the dreadedhomemade costume.

While quite affordable, the option A of my childhood meant purchasing a product of the lowest quality imaginable. Each came with a mask and a sheath that tied in the back. The latter was nothing more than a 100-percent polyester, paper-thin hospital gown. Not only did the kids wearing these outfits look nothing like the characters they longed to portray, they couldnt go near open flames lest they catch fire and melt into puddles of synthetic goo.

The masks had two round holes to see through and a tiny slit at the mouth not quite big enough to allow breath to fully escape, making it a steamy, uncomfortable affair. Made of eggshell-thin plastic, the masks cracked with the slightest pressure, and the thin elastic band that went around the head had a working life of about 20 minutes.

Wearing one of these masks was like shooting craps. While trick-or-treating, you might gingerly lift the mask to take a bite of yourCharleston Chew, and SNAP, the elastic breaks, the plastic cracks, and youre left with no disguise and a huge, red welt on your face for the rest of Halloween night.

Throughout my childhood, I never got to wear a boxed costume. My first-grade-teacher-mother refused to buy them because, according to her, They require no creativity. Instead, we were set adrift to create our own homemade characters from what we could find around the house. For kids of our Charlie Brown generation, a white sheet with two holes cut in it would do the trick. Unfortunately, all of our sheets had daisies or model Ts printed on them.

So, for a few years, I used my grandmothers grey wig as the basis for disguising myself as an old lady. I added a crocheted shawl (not hard to find in the 70s) and little glasses I fashioned from pipe cleaners. Voila! I looked just like Aunt Bea wearing Converse tennis shoes. Other Halloweens, I was politically incorrect before anyone worried about political correctness, dressing as a hobo or an Indian squaw.

With his paper route money, my brother once ordered a Creature of the Black Lagoon mask from a Mad Magazine ad. He felt it alone sufficed as a costume and wore it with jeans and a sweatshirt. Despite the human clothing accompanying his mask, my brothers get up terrified me because I had recently seen the movie. We watched Chiller Theater double-features every Saturday night after The Carol Burnett Show. One Saturday, we saw The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) followed by The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (1967). Or was it The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (1934)? Either way, my life was never the same.

Those old horror movies definitely added fear factor to my Halloween experience. My rational side knew the ghouls and zombies in the street were just my brother and his mischievous friends, but my instincts told me they could very well drag me off to a laboratory to be dismembered.

Looking back on those experiences, I now realize it didnt matter whether the costumes were boxed or homemade because trick-or-treating was less about the apparel and more about beingscary. Or, if you were like me, beingscared. And like the Chuckles, Necco Wafers and popcorn balls on Halloween night, there were plenty of each to go around.

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Halloween for the 'Charlie Brown generation' | Commentary - Public Affairs Office of Headquarters, US Army Combined Arms Support Command and Fort Lee

I am never quite sure, when I sit down to write this column each month, whether its going to be a jeremiad or an exercise in looking as much on the bright side as my retinas can stand. At the moment my outlook is generally positive, though I always keep dread within arms reach. To get rid of anxiety entirely is like inhabiting a home without smoke detectors. This is especially true if we occasionally amuse ourselves by setting the couch on fire.

As I stated in a response to a letter last month, I have always been compelled by my own nature to push the envelope. I have never been able to leave well enoughor bad enoughalone. Taking chances is an essential part of creativity. At any rate, it has been for me. Ive loosed dozens of literary and musical creations into the world that range from silly to edgy to frankly offensive. I wont disown my children and I wont apologize for them. These works for the most part were not borne of any political or philosophical agenda, or even of any strong point of view. They were ideas that made me laugh that I carried beyond the threshold of good taste.

I try not to inflict my questionable humor on readers of The Syncopated Times, since this is not the place for it. I used to run a few milder items as filler before I had enough contributions (from more conscientious writers than I am) to plug those wide open spaces. Readers who follow me on Facebook do see some of my characteristic commentary. And yet, there is so much that I dont say there. Bad boy that I am, I realize that certain of my unfiltered observations would not go unpunished.

The freewheeling days before social media do evince a feeling of real nostalgia, even in one who recoils at the word. A generation ago I could read a poem or sing a song and offend a whole room full of people; today the outrage would travel halfway around the world almost instantaneously. And the denizens of the internet have developed the ability to detect and call out all who merely appear to behave untowardly. Villagers today have brighter torches and sharper pitchforks.

Moral outrage is a hell of a drug, and there is enough of it on both sides to keep things unduly warm. To be irreverent without faction, one might as well just paint a target on oneself. During the recent Dixie controversy covered in these pagesand which we address (I hope) one last time this month before moving on to other businessripe produce and brickbats came at us from both directions.

One commenter expressed the wish that I die slowly and painfully from a lingering disease. Others no doubt regarded me as the nasty uncle they have to physically restrain themselves from strangling at Thanksgiving dinner. No one knows quite what to make of a gadfly without portfolio. Thats why God made flyswatters.

And this essay is not aimed simply as a polemic against Political Correctness. Certain people have a legitimate grievance, having been marginalized and beaten up on for ages. As scurrilous a humorist as I am, I wont heap my satire on the pain of others. And as for my stumbling and blurting in the course of my (all-too infrequent) revels, I can understand how my maladroitness might be perceived as abusive. Comparing clumsiness to actual evil, evil comes across as the lesser of the two evils.

In a quote usually attributed to Oscar Wilde (though, like everything else he said, he probably never said it), A gentleman is one who never hurts somebodys feelings unintentionally. The editor of this periodical is certainly no gentleman, though he admits to being a poet and a peasant; a troubadour and a troublemaker. And he never can tell just how his jokes will land. Cleverness is its own reward; frequently, there is no other.

I chose an illustration for page 14 in this issue. I think its brilliant and illustrates the point of the surrounding text eloquently; it asks the question and answers it. Yet I do keep my dread by my elbow. By including it, its hard for me not to come across as a smart aleck (or a smart something else that begins with the letter A). But there it is. If you didnt want me to push that particular envelope you shouldnt have left it out on the counter.

Perhaps too late in lifeand as one whose alleged wit ensures he is a target for such attentionsI begin to realize that it hardly matters what anyone says to me. I find that while Ive constantly agonized about everyone elses feelings, I can honestly say Ive been roundly scolded by the absolute best. However benign my intentions, I was there to take itand I took it. As a wielder of a considerable public megaphone, it really is my business to be sensitive to the sensibilities of others while toughening my expansive hide to their abuse. The Editorial Office is also the Complaint Department. Its part of the job and one gets used to it.

I still cant say whether this is a litany of woe or a hosanna. Whatever turmoil Ive experienced over the past two months, Id say the bright side somewhat prevails.

The envelope may indeed push back, but we maintain our prerogative to push it slyly forward again when the opportunity presents itself. And for that, at the very least, we may be thankful.

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The Envelope Pushes Back - The Syncopated Times