Category Archives: Political Correctness

Political correctness can be like a nagging cold. Its bothersome and a little painful, but it wont put you in the hospital or kill you.

Take the recent news out of Princeton University, the elite Ivy League institution attended by Woodrow Wilson, James Madison, and Jeff Bezos, to name just a few.

Princeton has just created a new position Interpersonal Violence Clinician and Mens Engagement Manager. The job holders first task will be fitting that unwieldy title on a business card.

After that, he or she will seek out and try to eliminate toxic masculinity on campus. You know, as opposed to wholesome masculinity.

Most people just shake their heads at this college nonsense. It probably wont do much lasting damage. Unless, that is, youre a tuition-paying parent of a Princeton student.

The school estimates that it will set you back about $67,000 a year perhaps $67,150 after this latest hire.

Not to be outdone, the University of Iowas student newspaper has discovered a heretofore unknown and unfair privilege intelligence.

The paper theorizes that cognitive privilege is kind of like white privilege, conferring unearned benefits on people who were blessed by accident of birth.

Again, this is relatively innocuous, and its pretty obvious that whoever dreamed up cognitive privilege has not been affected by that particular malady.

In the adult world, at this very moment progressives are incensed at the Department of Justice. Thats because the DOJ is using the term illegal alien, which is a highly offensive expletive in some circles.

Unfortunately for the easily offended, illegal alien is the very precise and official term for people who are in this country without permission.

They are aliens, and they are here illegally.

Hence, illegal aliens.

But the Chicago Tribune, as one example, claims that the term implies that all illegal aliens are criminals. Thats one of those dog whistles that can only be heard by the Tribune writer and his fellow travelers on the far left.

So, yes, political correctness can be almost comical when it dictates which pronoun is acceptable in polite company or how an illegal alien should be described. Just hearing personhole cover can bring a smile to most of us.

But there are far too many cases where P.C. is downright deadly, as it likely was in the death of Justine Damond. As you know, the 40-year-old Australian woman was shot and killed by a cop in Minneapolis. He was the shooter, but political correctness almost surely was an accomplice.

Ultra-liberal city leaders, desperate to find and hire Somalian cops, pinned a badge on Somalia-born Mohamed Noor, who seems to have been temperamentally unsuited for the job. Noor, who killed the pajama-clad woman as she approached the squad car, has yet to explain why he opened fire.

Then there is Sergio Martinez, the illegal alien who had been deported 20 times and returned to allegedly sexually assault at least two women in Portland. The feds had asked Portland authorities to hold Martinez in jail so he could be deported once again, but that sanctuary city doesnt think much of federal law. The meth-addicted thug was released, Portland officials and many residents were able to feel virtuous, but two womens lives have been altered forever.

Of course, the poster boy for P.C. madness is Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, accused of killing Kate Steinle in the sanctuary city of San Francisco. Like his pal in Portland, Lopez-Sanchez was deported time and again before being released back to the streets of San Francisco.

People died at Fort Hood because Major Nidal Hasans colleagues were reluctant to report his erratic behavior and radical sympathies, lest they be called Islamophobic.

Similarly, Omar Mateen, who slaughtered 49 people at an Orlando nightclub, had been questioned by the FBI about his ties to terrorism. We will never be sure whether the hyper-P.C. of the Obama administration played a role in the agencys decision to remove him from the terror watch list.

The same thing has happened time and again throughout the USA and Europe, where P.C. has pretty much replaced God in the hearts and minds of the cognoscenti.

So, yes, we can enjoy a chuckle at the P.C. police, who rigidly try to enforce their laws and punish any malefactors who refuse to play along. But political correctness all too often leads to genuine human suffering.

Actor and director Clint Eastwood recently said about political correctness, We are killing ourselves. He didnt mean it literally, but in fact people have died because of this scourge.

And more will surely die unless we stop the P.C. madness. It is way beyond being a laughing matter.

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Political Correctness Kills - BernardGoldberg.com

Denton County, a small area north of Dallas, is host to a diverse populationofold-timers and college students. Its also home tolocal sheriff Tracy Murphree, whos been makingheadlines thanks to a history of controversial Facebook posts. Following the May terrorist attack atan Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, for example, he called for an end to political correctness and warned against an enemy with an ideology hell bent on killing you.

The post, in which he declared, The left wants to cater to the very group that would kill every group they claim to support . . . What will it take? This happening at a concert in Dallas or a school in Denton County? If we dont do something quick this country will die of political correctness, soon wentviral. Murphree then went public to defend his remarks, which he stands by, though he refused a recent request for comment. During an interview with Fox Business, hesaid that his words were on target and claimed he was simply voicing the thoughts of many others over the last few years. He also stated he wrote the post with his own children and the citizens he is sworn to protect in mind.

[The response] shocked me, said Murphree. I expected a lot of criticism from the left, from liberals, but I expected that more locally than worldwide. I dont understand why a Texas sheriffs Facebook post has gone worldwide.

But the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, issued a statement following the post calling for Murphreeto reaffirm his commitment to equal justice for all county residentsregardless of faith, ethnicity or national origin.

The guy has a serious anger management problem, and sometimes in certain combat situations thats good, but this guys walking the streets as a public safety officer and its just not good to know that something could set him off that shouldnt, said Larry Beck, an active Denton citizen who started Denton Doings, a blog that covers local events. It sets a poor example for his men, too.

Because Murphree is an elected official with a good reputation in law enforcement, there is not much to be done in the way of disciplinary action other than monitoring the behavior and hoping he does not act on his beliefs, according to Beck. However, this is not the first time Murphree has made controversialcommentstargeting minority groups. And some feel that the possibility of violenceis real, either fromMurphree himself or someone inspired by him.

The fact that hes in a reputable position, county sheriff, saying things like thatit doesnt bode well for the city and it can affect others who have the tendency to actually carry out the actions of what some people say, said Beck. That would bother me;that should bother any citizen.

Beck continued, As long as we keep a level head and keep an eye on him, I think hopefully hell either straighten his act out or hell step over that line thatll probably allow us to take legal action against him. I just hope nobody gets seriously hurt or killed in the process before it happens.

Shortly before his 2016 election, Murphree made a different Facebook post, in which he threatened to beat any transgender women unconscious whotried to use the restroom with his daughter.

This whole bathroom thing is craziness I have never seen, Murphree wrote in a post that has since been deleted. All I can say is this: If my little girl is in a public womens restroom and a man, regardless of how he may identify, goes into the bathroom, he will then identify as a John Doe until he wakes up in whatever hospital he may be taken to. Your identity does not trump my little girls safety. I identify as an overprotective father that loves his kids and would do anything to protect them.

Sharon Kremer, who has lived in Denton County her whole life and relies on Murphree as her first responder, also has concerns about the sheriffs behavior, stressing the importance of having a leader with a steady hand, and a cool head.

As an early senior aged, single female, living on a couple of acres by herself, it doesnt make us feel secure, said Kremer, who feels that Murphree could benefit greatly from counseling. Just because we have a Twitter-happy president doesnt mean that thats a model. . . . Its a piece of erratic behavior, and I think all of us would agree that nobody needs to handle firearms and be erratic in behavior, and unsound in judgment, and reactionary. The third strike must come with some kind of consequences.

Citing his right as an American citizen to weigh in on national issues, Murphree continues to speak his mind.

I think political correctness is one of the reasons that these things happen. People are afraid theyre going to be called what Ive been called: a racist, or islamophobe, or a hate mongerer, he said earlier this year. People dont speak out because they dont want to be called those things, and Im not afraid to be called those things. Im not that, I just speak the truth.

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Texas sheriff's Facebook war on political correctness upsets residents - Salon

Maybe I'm getting a better perspective, or perhaps getting worn down. I don't know. But I'm pretty neutral when it comes to the state flag. If I had an ancestor who had died in the Confederate army, or one who was a slave perhaps I would feel differently. Let's review. The flag was officially adopted after the Civil War in April 1894. The referendum for a new design was soundly defeated by 64 percent of voters in 2012. There has been insufficient support to put it back on the ballot in the 2018 election, although, I understand, it could be removed by the Mississippi Legislature should they risk doing so.

Since the shooting of nine black worshipers in a South Carolina church on June 17, 2015 by a white supremacist, there has been a renewed effort to not only change the flag, but also remove other symbols of Confederate history. First the flag: Mississippi is the only state that displays such a flag. After the 2015 shooting, South Carolina removed a separate Confederate flag that they flew alongside their own state flag. Most of our state's universities have removed the state flag. A court in Clarksdale has removed the flag, as has the state Capitol in Jackson.

Next - other symbols of the Confederacy: In 2010 Colonel Reb was replaced by the Black Bear as the official symbol of Ole Miss. Ironically many believe a black man was the inspiration for the Colonel. From 1896 till his death in 1955 blind Jim Ivy attended and supported many Ole Miss athletic events. He famously said: "I have never seen Ole Miss lose!" The politically correct administration at the university has also discontinued the singing of "Dixie" at games. In New Orleans four monuments of Confederate heroes have been removed from public grounds.

Where will this end? 'Ole Miss' is the nickname for a slave owner's wife. Should that go? A building on the campus was built by slaves. Should that be destroyed? But our first President, George Washington, was a slave owner. Should the Washington Monument go? The architect of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, was a slave owner. Should it be ripped up? What about our history books - surely the Civil War needs to be edited severely we'll soon say. Let's not include Sherman's raids (he was a Yankee) when he devastated such towns as Meridian, burning most houses and stealing food (destroying what he didn't need) in the middle of winter in February 1864.

I was not born in the South. In 1957 I immigrated from England. That country too has lost a few battles. On the bank of the River Thames in London there is a statue of Queen Boadicea who ruled ancient Brits immediately before Roman times. Although flogged and her daughters raped, she led her army against the Roman invaders. Eventually she lost, but her statue remains as a reminder of past bravery and history. Shouldn't Mississippi do the same?

Peter Gilderson is a Northsider.

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Where will all this political correctness end? - Northside Sun

Submitted by mexia2010 on Wed, 08/02/2017 - 4:27pm

By Roxanne Thompson Staff Writer Some doctoral theses elicit a yawn and collect dust, but the thesis Andy Hopkins is working on may elicit sparks among those who value politically correctness. Hopkins is the son of Gwen Bartsch, who has a home at Lake Mexia and is an active member of the Mexia Lions Club. He spent 21 years in the Army, specializing as a Korean linguist, cryptographer and military intelligence officer. Now retired from the Army, Hopkins works at Wacos L3 Technologies, which provides security for military and commercial customers around the world. Hopkins already had an MBA and decided to pursue a doctorate. His thesis is on political correctness and its corrosive effects on peoples lives, freedom and national security. The United States has a history of embracing free speech, he noted, but as political correctness has grown in strength, free speech has suffered, and Americans now have to be fearful of what they say, write and think. We have to be afraid of using the wrong word; a word denounced as offensive or insensitive, racist, sexist or homophobic, he said. Weve seen other countries, particularly in this century, where this has been the case but we now have this situation in our country; and if you do any research in political correctness and where it comes from, your eyes will be opened.

To read more of this story, pick up a copy of Thursday's edition of The Mexia News. Subscribe online or call 254-562-2868.

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Political correctness: The great disease in this century - Mexia Daily News

In response to the July 30 letter to the editor "Part of history lost," I agree that replacing the names of Confederate generals Robert. E. Lee, John Hood, and Nathan Bedford Forrest on local streets in Broward is carrying political coreectness way too far.

Like it or not, this country fought the Civil War, and those generals are part of our national history. George Washington had slaves, and so did seven other sitting presidents, including Thomas Jefferson, who wrote much of our historic laws and documents. Of course slavery was wrong no one disputes that. But would those local idiots wanting to replace the street names advocate removing these historic names from public places as well?

My forebearers fought in the American Revolution, and my ancestors from Pennsylvania fought with the Union in the Civil War. Many in our family are married to descendents of those who served on the Confederate side. We all love each other and respect our forebearers, who did what they believed in during that time period.

From what I have been told, these days very little American history is taught in schools, so it is doubtful that younger people even know who these generals were with the possible exception of Lee. Lincoln stressed "with malice toward none..." and respect for all. That should apply to our nation's history all of it.

In my humble opinion, the current craze of "political correctness" that is sweeping this country has gone far beyond the point of common sense. Let's honor and respect all Americans and try to focus on working together for the common good.

Kathleen Dempsey, Pompano Beach

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Renaming Hollywood streets takes political correctness too far | Letters - Sun Sentinel

First they came for New Orleans Confederate monuments. Then they came for the Johnny Reb memorial to Confederate soldiers in Orlando, Florida. The Robert E. Lee statue in Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, is slated for removal pending a court decision. Now, the forces of political correctness have their sights on the five Confederate monuments that line Richmond, Virginias famed Monument Avenue.

The citys Monument Avenue Commission, established by Mayor Levar Stoney to examine the controversy surrounding the monuments in Richmond, began its deliberations on Monday as the commissions first subcommittee the State of Confederate Memorials Group, which is tasked with reviewing how other localities are handling their Confederate monuments, met to examine the issue.

The commissions three other subcommittees are the Historians Review Group, the New Monuments and Interpretation Group tasked with answering the question if monuments are added, where can they best be erected and interpreted? and the Community Engagement Group. These other subcommittees will all have met by Thursday evening, at which time will be held the first of two public hearings on the monuments.

While the commission is an attempt to examine all sides of the monuments controversy, critics say that the fact the monuments are controversial at all is a symptom of left-wing political correctness run amok.

"Contemporary Americans have a tendency to 'forget who we are' and engage in what has become known as political correctness," said Dr. Lee Cheek, dean of East Georgia State College and a senior fellow at the Alexander Hamilton Institute, to LifeZette. "The advocates of political correctness want to corrupt history for temporary political gains more than they desire to keep or restore it, and their efforts are, sadly, a disease on the body politic."

One such advocate is a local radical left-wing group The Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, which is transparently calling for the commission to manipulate the odds in favor of removal. Not only does the group wish the commission to declare publicly that it is considering the option of removing them, but it also wants to stack the commission with proponents of removal.

The area NBC affiliate, WWBT, reported: "The Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality are calling on the commission to ... invite Richmonders who have already called for the statues to be removed to be on the commission."

"Put these statues in a museum. Not on public land maintained by my tax dollars for a statue that represents something that I hate with every fiber of my being," Phil Wilayto of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality told WWBT. "As long as this statue is up, we are telling the rest of the world that Richmond thinks Robert E. Lee was a pretty cool fellow and the cause he fought for was noble."

"Mr. Wilayton and others want to destroy an historical consciousness that is necessary for our republic to persevere," said Cheek. "As former Secretary of State Rice argued recently, to 'sanitize' history is to do a disservice to the living and the dead. To so freely and cavalierly dismiss Robert E. Lee, for example, who was a truly great figure in American life, is [to] basically suggest the only important people are those in political favor at present."

Unfortunately, if the now fallen monuments in New Orleans and elsewhere are any indication not to mention the countless other examples of political correctness gone mad Wilayton and his allies may be successful in their anti-Confederate crusade. "The operatives of political correctness in New Orleans and Richmond and in other locales have met with some success of late," he observed.

"With Orwellian irony, they succeeded in having a U.S Navy ship named for a person who hated the Navy (Cesar Chavez) and have imposed 'speech codes' (with the actual purpose of restricting speech) on many college campuses as well as more destructive examples of assaulting First Amendment rights and redefining history," Cheekcontinued.

Ultimately, according to Cheek, an assault upon First Amendment rights is fundamentally at the heart of theLeft's assault upon Confederate monuments. "The greatest threat to Mr. Wilayton and his fellow zealots is an environment in which free and uninhibited discussion and disagreement can take place," he said.

"In fact," Cheek said, "diversity of thought is the opposite of political correctness, and is at the heart of a free society. The advocates of removal are really advocating censorship against free and diverse discussion."

(photo credit, homepage image: Billy Hathorn; photo credit, article image: Ron Cogswell)

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The Fight for the Fate of Richmond's Confederate Monuments Begins - LifeZette

When theBroadway musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 had to replace former Hamilton cast member Okieriete Oak Onaodowan, the producers turned to Tony Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin. The problem some people had with this casting decision? Onaodowan is black. Patinkin is white.

Patinkin was to join the play for a limited run from August 15 to September 3 to keep the production running after Onoadowans departure. But given the backlash from the theater community as well as social media outrage, Patinkin backed out of the play.I hear what members of the community have said, and I agree with them. I am a huge fan of Oak and I will, therefore, not be appearing in the show, the Homeland actor tweeted when he bowed out officially on Friday.

Show creator Dave Malloy tweeted an apology to those outraged, saying,We regret our mistake deeply, and wish to express our apologies to everyone who felt hurt and betrayed by these actions. Malloy had also explained that the bringing in of Patinkin was an effort to boost profits with star power, as ticket sales were catastrophically low after August 13, the date that Onaodowan is set to leave the production.

But what's most fascinating about this entire story is this: The musical is based on a portion of the Leo Tolstoy book "War and Peace," which has an entirely white cast of characters. Onoadowan had even previously replaced Josh Groban, who is white, in his role of Pierre. No one complained then. Not only that, but in the book Pierre is described as "an outcast. The awkward, illegitimate son of a dazzlingly wealthy Count, he was educated abroad but returns to Russia now [that] his father's health is in decline."

The casting of a white actor and then a black actor and then finishing with a white actor suggests the producers were doing exactly what should satisfy social justice warriors: They weren't thinking about race. They were hiring the best actors for the job. Why should the role be an exclusively black role after a black actor does a run as the character?

Most people arefamiliar with the #OscarsSoWhite debate of the past few years, a legitimate observation that the Academy Awards historically have been almost exclusively rewarding Caucasian performers. That situation is clearly improving, but the theater has always faced a tricky balancing act between available talent and available roles in plays and musicals.

Unlike cinema, however, Broadway productions have a fairly non-representational audience. Industry research published by Quartz last year showed that a full 83 percent of domestic theatergoers are white while 4.9 percent are Hispanic, 4.8 percent are black, and 3.9 percent are Asian. Almost exactly paralleling that, 84 percent of actors in Broadway plays are white 74 percent in musicals while only 11 percent of plays and 17 percent of musicals have black performers.

Related: Attacks on Trump at the Tony Awards Fall Flat

The fact of the matter is, too many people who have never actually attended a play or musical are happy to gripe from the sidelines, whatever the imagined slight or offense. And that's what torpedoed Patinkin's chance of playing Pierre in "Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812" even though the original actor was white in the production and even though the original character in the novelthe musical's based upon is white.

Related: Social Justice Warriors Are Trying to Censor This Show

These are the times we live in, when people look at a tiny facet, a sliver, of a far larger story and make snap, knee-jerk decisions about whether it aligns with their sense of fairness and justice or not. As American humorist Mark Twain once wrote, "Never let truth get in the way of a good story." Perhaps he was ahead of his time.

Dave Taylor, based in Boulder, Colorado, has been writing about consumer electronics, technology and pop culture for many years and runs the popular site AskDaveTaylor.com.

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How Political Correctness Doomed a Broadway Show - LifeZette

Photo: Kin Man Hui /San Antonio Express-News

A reader calls the effort to remove a tribute to Confederate soldiers from Travis Park a frenzy of political correctness.

A reader calls the effort to remove a tribute to Confederate soldiers from Travis Park a frenzy of political correctness.

Honor the past

Re: Move statue, lest we forget what it means, Josh Brodesky, July 23:

It is time to end this mass frenzy of political correctness. Whats next on the agenda, removing Travis and Bowie from the Cenotaph because they were slave owners?

Where does it end before all stand up and say enough is enough?

Those who fought for the Confederacy were not only white. There were also Hispanics, Native Americans and blacks, and you can bet the common soldier, the basic grunt, didnt own slaves.

He was fighting for states rights, the ability to choose and not be dictated to by an all-powerful federal government.

Councilman Robert Trevio has asked, why dedicate precious space to those who fought against America? Well, for Mr. Trevios information, they were Americans fighting for what they believed in, as their forefathers did.

It is our history and our heritage. Honor it and honor them.

They deserve better than what is now being handed out to them.

James Woolums

Bathroom priorities

It appalls me that our values have dropped so low that elements of our society care more about business income than they do about a wifes privacy showering in a health club or a teen daughters privacy changing clothes in a locker room.

Do you think that 19-year-old men arent going to dare each other to invade these areas? And what I hear from local and state levels is a concern about the impact of the bathroom bill on our business income! What about the impact on our people?

What is wrong with us?

Steven J. Marques

Save the trees

I hope King Abbott will listen to the real people of Texas and not the real estate developers pushing for a ban on city tree ordinances.

The city of Rockport has a very strict tree ordinance, and it is administered very fairly to homeowners and developers.

The reason for our ordinance is obvious to visitors and residents when they see our beautiful windswept oaks that have been here for hundreds of years!

If King Abbott gets his way, visitors may see a 7-Eleven where the Big Tree once stood!

Lloyd R. Mathews, Rockport

Trafficking case

The driver of the tractor-trailer truck in which 10 people died from heatstroke and dehydration has stated that, when he parked in the Walmart parking lot, he could hear people inside.

Why didnt he open the trailer when he heard them?

That action alone tells me he knew all along that he was carrying human cargo.

His barbaric actions demand a charge of capital murder.

Ruth E. Webster

Hes no boy Scout

Donald Trump is deservedly receiving strong condemnation for his vulgar, politicized speech at the recent Boy Scout Jamboree.

Heres the irony: When Scouts gather, they solemnly raise their right hand in the Scout salute and recite the Scout Law: A scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent yet our current president possesses none of these characteristics.

Bill Celaya

How do they sleep?

Dear Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and Rep. Lamar Smith:

When can my family receive the same health care coverage you and your family have, which we taxpayers provide? I was just wondering, as I have been asking this question for a long time now. Its remarkable that you can lay down to sleep with the knowledge that your actions cause such pain and uncertainty.

Add to that the obscene tax breaks your bill would have given to the upper 5 percent.

Wait Im sorry youre all Christian devotees. Never mind.

David M. Adkisson

Beg my pardon!

According to the latest buzz, the White House Occupant is inquiring about whom he can pardon should the need arise, including himself.

So, we shouldnt worry that hes coming unhinged if he is seen talking to himself. Hes probably saying, Pardon me!

Rachel V. Diaz-Kennon

Broader collusion

If the Republican members of the House and Senate refuse to acknowledge collusion between the Trump administration and Russia, despite all the proof presented, does this mean they, too, could be guilty of collusion?

I think it does, and it shows these Republicans are choosing party over justice.

Voters, Republican and Democrat, should not forget those actions when they vote.

Ron Soele

Wake up, America

Questions that need to be answered: Why is Donald Trump so avidly against the Russian investigation. Why is he trying to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller from checking his financial records? What is he trying to hide?

Is he arrogant enough to think hes above the law because hes president? He already has the country off balance with his unpredictability.

Congressional Republicans should get over being afraid of Trump and grow a backbone!

Do something before he succeeds in turning America into a second Russia. And dont think it cant happen here, because it can.

People need to wake up and realize what hes doing to our country.

Leafy Travis

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Your Turn: Aug. 2 - mySanAntonio.com

I support political correctnessnot because I come from a marginalized background, but because I am a human being. As a human being I understand the value of political correctness because I am aware of the harm that words can have on a person. I have learned the weight that words can carry.

The annual Leadership Conference for Best Buddiesa charity supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilitieswas this past weekend, and I reflected on my own time there two years ago. I reveled in the amount of strength and talent that could be found in people with disabilities when given the right spaces to showcase them. After spending so much time defending the humanity of the friends I had grown to love in my school, I finally got a glimpse of the kind of world we could live in. Best Buddies goal is to run their organization out of business by creating a world so welcoming and accepting that an organization creating inclusive spaces would no longer be necessarythey would exist naturally all around us.

We tried to create this world at my high school. One important step was the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign my school participated in each year. It was meant to stop the use of the R word because, believe it or not, words hurt people.

Throughout the years, the R word has developed negative connotations. People use it in place of words like stupid, dumb, ridiculous, crazy, and countless other negative words. This implies that people with intellectual disabilities are all these things. Throughout my years in Best Buddies, I had to see my friends excluded from so many social spaces because of the hostile environment created for them through all the negative views stacked against them. I had to witness the smile fade away from one of my best friends face as he told me about the way some of my classmates made him leave their lunch table. The need for a campaign asking people to say, this person has an intellectual disability, instead of, this person is mentally r*******, became obvious.

Through Best Buddies, I was presented with more appropriate terminology, terminology that defined people by their status as a person and not their disability. Best Buddies gave me my first real introduction to political correctness. It provided me with the proper language to help ensure my friends were being treated with the respect they deserved. Never in a million years would I have thought that being in favor of it was a sign of weakness or coddling. The whole thing is quite reasonable. If something you say makes another person uncomfortable or feel less than others, why would you continue to say it?

If you suddenly saw one child hit another, you wouldnt yell at the child who was hurt for being upset. You would tell the other child to stop. The same concept applies. PC culture is about avoiding verbal abuse, just as people should avoid physical abuse.

Opponents of political correctness argue that it is an attack on free speech. They argue that, in addition to limiting the oppressor by not allowing them to attack others, it also affects the oppressed by preventing them from welcoming different opinions, therefore stunting their capability for intellectual growth.

Why should we welcome opinions that intentionally discredit who we are? Being politically correct doesnt hurt anyone. Youre not going to feel bad because there havent been enough racial slurs yelled at you this week.

It wouldnt affect a person who will never be on the receiving end of those slurs. But rejecting political correctness does hurt individuals. Its not just about not liking what we hear because we dont agree with it. These hateful words are bullets that slowly tear down at our humanity with every shot fired.

The argument that silencing hateful speech would hurt me more because I wouldnt be able to grow intellectually absolutely baffles me. Do you know what actually has a direct effect on a persons ability to perform academically? Their mental health. Emotional well-being is the real prerequisite for intellectual growth. Having to listen to hateful slurs because people dont listen to your calls to end the use of dehumanizing language is what tears it down bit by bit.

Opponents call for educated discussion by asking that all emotional attachment to the issues to be left out. We cant be objective in issues that deal with our humanity. Anything we could possibly contribute on the topic would be inherently subjective. There is no way to disconnect the two. You cant leave your identity at the door for what are thought of as purely intellectual discussions.

The disconnect here is that ideas and opinions cannot be held to the same caliber as their negative impact on human lives. Im not sorry that you feel like you cant freely express your prejudiced thoughtsnot when you want to do so at the expense of another persons existence.

Laura S. Veira-Ramirez 20 is a Crimson editorial editor in Leverett House.

`Political Correctness' Hurts Liberals

To the Editors of The Crimson: In his opinion piece titled "The Myth of `Politically Correct'" [December 11], J.D. Conner

The Good Lie

Good lies are all damned, and theyre damned for good. But youve still got to love them.

Summers Decries 'Creeping Totalitarianism' at Colleges

Former University President Lawrence H. Summers discussed recent campus discourse and protests about race at colleges across the country during an interview, criticizing excesses of political correctness on the part of students and administrators.

Students Debate Merits, Pitfalls of Political Correctness

Q&A with Walter S. Isaacson

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I'm a Female Minority at Harvard, and This is Why I Support PC Culture - Harvard Crimson

A Times article which says the governments plans to improve the process for changing gender will harm children has been slammed.

On Sunday, the government announced a move to streamline and de-medicalise the Gender Recognition Act, to allow transgender people to more easily change their legal gender.

The progressive move was welcomed by a huge number of LGBT activists.

However, it prompted a backlash from some who desperately yelped that political correctness had gone too far. Too many rights for too many people, it seems.

Today in The Times, Clare Foges, a former speechwriter for Prime Minister David Cameron, wrote that the new reforms which have not been proposed in any concrete way would create a world of confusion and anxiety for children.

She states that giving children the freedom to self-define which seems to be outside of these potential reforms would worsen mental health problems in young people.

I am no expert on children, she says.

But, she continues, seeming to express intimate knowledge on the subject, childrenare being led to believe, on social media and in schools, that gender is simply a lifestyle choice.

Foges also says all of the great legislative battles on equality have been won, which will be news to many campaigners, before going on a tirade laced with hypotheticals.

If they dont enjoy girly things like make-up are they perhaps a boy?

She then confuses the concepts of gender and sexuality, saying: If they have a crush on people of both sexes could they be agender?

Foges adds: If they simply feel different to everyone else and uncomfortable in their own skin, common enough in adolescence, might they be genderfluid?

This viewpoint was dismantled by Susie Green, the chief executive of Mermaids, a charity which campaigns for the rights of gender nonconforming children.

Once again, people who this will never affect, who have no issues around their gender and never will are attempting to dictate to a vulnerable population how they should be supported, Green told PinkNews.

Pointing to the latest Stonewall statistics, she added: Trans children have a 45 percent suicide attempt rate, and 1 in 10 young trans people receive death threats in school due to ignorance and prejudice.

Surely, she added, any moves to both educate and support these young people should be embraced.

She said that young trans people feel invalidated, and that articles like this question their identity and sense of self.

This is not political correctness, this is children dying.

On the point Foges makes about all of the great legislative battles on equality having been won, Green said: I absolutely dont think so.

Weve got a very long way to go in looking at the way trans people are treated in all walks of life.

There still needs to be far greater protections, not to mention the way theyre depicted in the media.

Essentially, we want children to grow up and be valued members of society, so we have to acknowledge and embrace the differences that are there.

She said that not doing so is not helpful, and can actually be very detrimental to those young people affected.

Mermaids provided quotes from the father of a trans child, who said that our kids and youth are scared they are being bullied in our schools, they are being demonised in our press and they are self-harming.

A Stonewall spokesperson said: Were disappointed to see another attack on trans identities this week, and these comments certainly underline the need for more education.

Its vital that all young people feel supported and know that all identities are valid and, no matter who they are, they will be loved and accepted.

Foges is not the only person who has been given the chance to object to trans people gaining more rights in a major national publication.

Helen Lewis, the deputy editor of the New Statesman, wrote in The Times that coming out as trans should be treated like changing nationalities.

And a Sunday Times article also drew criticism for the way it reported the governments proposals.

Tim Shipman and Jason Allardyce wrote: Adults will be able to change their gender legally without a doctors diagnosis under government plans that will transform British society.

Men will be able to identify themselves as women and women as men and have their birth certificates altered to record their new gender.

Women would identify as women and men as men under the new plans, which acknowledge trans rights.

Paul Embery, a Fire Brigades Union official, also came out against the governments plan, comparing gender identity to weight, height and attractiveness.

He added that forcing society to recognise someone as one gender when he/she maintains the anatomy of another is ludicrous.

The FBU has refused to condemn Emberys remarks, despite Stonewall saying that comments like this underline how much work there is still to be done to make trans equality a reality.

Original post:

Times article on trans reforms slammed: 'This is not political ... - PinkNews