Anyone concerned with the future of America should be repelled by that sickeningly sweet brew of hypocrisy and sanctimony called "political correctness." It has poisoned a whole population of Americans who have passed through elite colleges and universities during these last 30 years. Add to that the insane notion that self-esteem has to be nurtured by incessantly repeating "good job" to kids who have done nothing extraordinary. They eat healthy food on their plate and they're told that it was a "good job." They bring home a report card of "C's" and they're told "good job." If they just do their homework, it's a "good job." If they really do something outstanding, how would they know it? Is it any wonder they aspire to nothing more than the mediocre? And why not? The kid who has excellent grades and scores is passed over at our finest prep schools, colleges and universities to make way for a minority kid who gets in with a far less stellar record, and what's more, he or she receives financial aid at the expense of others. Parents of white kids have to pay a lot more to cover the cost of tuition for minority kids even if the family of the minority kid has a substantial income of their own. It just isn't fair, but it's politically incorrect to complain about the unfairness. We’re being trampled and muzzled by political correctness.
When will Americans wake up to the fact that political correctness has to go if we want to reclaim our place of leadership and excellence in the world? We're being corrupted by these views and the leftist press that has been grossly negligent in not identifying and attacking the ongoing deterioration in all phases of our economy resulting from our politically correct educational system.
For more than 30 years, I have watched as scholarship has self-destructed. The Sixties generation, with its irreverence and confrontational style, was hell bent on making profound changes in America's political and cultural life. Now we have Americans voting who have no clue who or what they're voting for. They know nothing about our history, our structure of government or even the names of our elected leaders, some of whom they voted for.
A few months ago, Obama swooners were asked how they liked his choice of Sarah Palin as his Vice President, and they said they were thrilled with her. And how did they like Obama's support for the Iraq war? And they said they agreed with him.
Campus proponents of political correctness have convinced their students and the ill-informed media that they are the authentic reformers for a better America. Insane! Political correctness with its fascist speech codes and glorification of minorities is a travesty and a major contributing factor to our demise as a nation. Excellence has been trampled in favor of affirmative action. Rightly, merit was our goal as a nation. Now minority status is the entry requirement.
The solution is still at hand. We can bring back quality of scholarship rather than slick word play. We need to get away from oppression and victimization politics. We need free thought and free speech. Even making an offensive statement should still be a democratic right. Universities should be organized around vigorous intellectual inquiry not therapy and creature comforts. When will we get sick of hearing someone make a really stupid statement and being rewarded by the words, "thank you for sharing"? Colleges and universities should stop being nursing homes for kids. Politicizing multiculturalism isn't working for the betterment of all Americans. Its rhetoric has simply concealed the venality and sycophancy of the educational marketplace.
Yes, it's time for a change, and this is the change we really need.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
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3 comments:
I do have to ask this and I am prepared to be shot down here. What constitutes a minority? If a population is say 33% white 33% Latino and 33% African-American, who does the affirmative action program help?
If a state has more African-Americans and Latinos than say Anglos, would you still have an affirmative action program. Or would it then turn into, you need to have a certain percentage based on ethnic background, in these types of employment, before getting rid of such programs.
It would appear from this website that any creative discussion regarding President-Elect Obama, is shot down with cries of racist. To me the race card has been over played, so incidents that are generally racial in content and tone are ignored, because its been cried wolf too many times.
I just cannot see how people go on and on about change, but never give a concrete definition of how they want to change, whatever it is that they are objecting against.
I honestly believe, this is the first thing I have read, that actually achieves that.
I really wish we could respect another opinion, without the need of the name calling. Just because a person has a different point of view to you, does not mean you should treat them with any less respect. Oftentimes, a different perspective, gives fresh impetus to a debate, I know it did for me.
Right now African-Americans comprise 13% of our population, and they are enjoying a disproportionate number of affirmative action slots at our prep schools and universities and the largest amount of financial aid. Recently, these schools have begun to open up to Asians and Hispanics. Asians are still a small minority population while Hispanics are growing and comprise the largest minority,(don't know the percentage) though the combination of all three is close to that of whites.
We have many whites who are highly qualified and come from families of modest means. They are losing out. That means our country is losing their potential at a time when we need excellence and innovation. At the same time our country gains from the minority opportunities because they would otherwise be an economic burden. It's a complicated problem, but now that we are in a great economic downturn we need the best and the brightest to thrive and provide some leadership for our country. They should not me denied a place in our best educational institutions as they have been these last 30 years or so. Everybody loses when our most intelligent youth are denied educational opportunities because they are shoved aside to make way for more and more minorities regardless of their competitive capabilities.
The academic left has been on a brainwashing journey with our young people for way too long. Their answers to our economic problems have not worked and yet they persist in advancing them. We can see from Europe that socialism doesn't work. We don't want our country falling into the same malaise as we see in Europe, but the left refuses to see the results of government take overs.
Government does some things very well and has to be in charge--public safety: clean air and water, safe drugs, safe streets and workplaces, safe toys, interstate transportation, medicare, social security, etc. But when it comes to business and innovation, government is highly inefficient and wasteful. That is not to say business doesn't need oversight because it does. We know that now more than ever. But nationalizing our industries, such as they are, would be a huge mistake. The left is always advancing big government and preference for the less able. History tells us they are wrong.
Well, you get the point.
First of all, thank you for informing me about the minority situation. I always wondered about affirmative action and thought that it was based on, if someone is of equal ability then they get the nod over the majority person, rather than the fact being they happen to be of a minority. So, I learned something today.
Now, while I agree that sometimes big Government can be wasteful, it all depends what your definition of Socialism actually is.
Firstly I have always have believed it is there to create equality in society, to have a situation where some are considered more equal than others goes against socialistic principles.
Secondly, Socialism depends on perspective and interpretation. Yes, having the majority of your population employed by Government, hardly encourages private enterprise and if your tax dollars are going to employ people, rather than to encourage companies to give them a job, it seems rather silly and a waste of your money.
Thirdly, Socialism is not about Robin Hood economics, where you squeeze the rich until the pips squeak and then give all the money to the poor, so they can waste it on cigarettes and alcohol. This fanciful notion belays the true nature of socialism. Redistribution of wealth is not about just throwing money at people without responsibility, rather it is giving them an opportunity to get a helping hand in the world, rather than having them biting the hand that feeds them, by being perpetually on welfare.
Socialism, should be more about giving opportunities for people to be part of the commanding heights of an economy rather than to control them. Socialist countries in Europe, to use your phrase, have encouraged competition in supplying water, gas, electricity and telephone services. They have encouraged franchises on bus and rail services in the transportation system, created universities, such as The Open University in the UK, which I graduated from and encouraged private contractors to compete with each other for tenders in their respective health services. Nevermind, instituting Public/Private Finance Initiatives, where money from the private sector is brought in, to pay for public sector projects.
Socialism should only be used when the market fails, or if the market is not providing a service, not as competition to market. It is far better, to increase disposal income, give people the chance to reach as far as they can, rather than compel them to be perpetually in financial slavery, due to high taxes and low wages. Nor is Socialism about a society where we live in a George Orwell, Animal Farm, existence.
History is always down to interpretation and though I can see where socialism has gone terribly wrong, I can give two examples, The National Health Service and The Open University in the UK, where Socialism has made a tremendous difference in the life of ordinary people, I am a living example of this.
I just believe that people interpret socialism in different ways and why I see the good that it can do, others may see the damage that it has and can cause.
Always with respect.
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