Political Correctness Vs First Amendment

Nobody likes a racist...except maybe another racist. No one likes to see someone denigrated because of their race, religion, nationality, or gender. In a country where "all men are created equal", it just isn't right. But under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, everyone has a right to an opinion, and the right to voice that opinion.

Unhappily today, one can be sued, fined, or even arrested for "politically incorrect" speech. That's a clear violation of the First Amendment.

The irony is that we let neo-Nazis and the KKK march in parades, even protecting them from protestors with police officers. But if someone tells a dirty joke in the workplace, he can be fired or worse. Political correctness has got to go.

I don't know anyone who really approves of political correctness, and the biggest question I often hear is "How did ever get started, much less gain such a foothold?" I don't know when it started either - one day it was just there. Suddenly you couldn't open your mouth without stopping to think "is someone going to be offended?", or "will I lose my job?"

I understand part of the motivation, and that part isn't bad. It's nice when people respect the rights of others and don't denigrate them prejudicially. But even those who would do such a thing still have a right to their opinions. We may not like people who are racist, sexist, or arrogant, but they nevertheless have a right to be those things - and to speak their minds.

In terms of racism and sexism, things are better now than any time in history. We didn't need political correctness to achieve that. But now you can't tell a woman she looks nice, or ask her for a date more than once, for fear of a sexual harassment charge. You can't criticize a member of a minority for cause without being accused of racism. In today's politically correct atmosphere I would really hate to be a cop.

And it gets worse. Advocates of PC have tried to ban books, such as Huckleberry Finn, because they contain racial terms that are now forbidden; the Disney Corporation no longer markets the delightful Songs of the South because of how blacks are portrayed - and you can't find a copy anywhere - never mind that blacks are the heroes of that classic tale.

No one that I have ever met approves of political correctness, yet everyone lives in fear of it. You no longer have a right to your own your thoughts. In wartime Nazi Germany, citizens could be arrested or shot for "defeatist" talk. In wartime Japan, people were sometimes arrested for "wrong thinking", if they happened to express an opinion critical of the war. Communist countries have used political correctness as a tool of oppression for decades.

So why do we tolerate it in America, the land of the free? Political correctness is nothing less than an attempt at thought control. Maybe a better word for it would be "Practicing Communism".