The P.C. Debacle...

Oh – now it’s time for being politically correct…

It appears when Dick Durbin makes a reference to Gitmo as some sort of gulag – it’s horrifying. Yet when Rove complains that Democrats want terrorists to get therapy – that’s somehow okay..

Several years ago (back in the ol’ college days) – I recall having a discussion over the ramifications of having a politically correct society.. In that discussion – it was revealed that no matter what was said or done, it was a certainty that it would royally piss off *someone* regardless of how mundane or unequivocal the comment was crafted..

I was reading a local story this morning – about some sort of negative reference to James Dobson and Focus on the Family.. The chief complaint was that some group drew parallels of Dobson and his group to an Americanized version of the Taliban.. The group issued an apology, there were repercussions and the damage was done..

Wow..

What on earth has changed our ability to have independent thoughts, disagreements and criticisms?? Contrary to what a lot of people think, this is *not* a republican or democrat issue.. It’s not a Christian versus Islamic versus Muslim.. It’s the basis of having the freedom to compare Bush to whomever anyone wants to.. It’s the basis of calling Clinton any given name in the book.. It’s the basis to say when you’re pissed off or when you agree with someone..

Inflammatory?? Absolutely.. It can be.. So when the Republicans call for Durbin to apologize, and the Democrats call for Rove to resign – it’s leading us back to a sandbox squabble between infants.. But it doesn’t stop with politicians, everyone is doing it.. (I’ll throw myself into that mix as well..)

This vicious cycle of tit for tat is excruciating.. The mud-slinging capabilities by both sides are obvious, apparent and increasing on an continual basis..

Let’s face it: we have a lot of fucking upset people in the world..

But what if the complaints actually founded on a basis of truth?? Despite the rhetoric or other substantive comments made to draw conclusions or illustrations from the incorrigibles throughout history, what if there is a basis of fact in the parallel or the comparison?? Are we so polarized that we cannot see the truth for what it is??

Absolutely..

Whenever something major happens, or when someone says something – don’t we almost always seek out to hear what others are saying about it?? I’ve listened to Rush.. I’ve listened to Air America.. O’Reily, Hannity, Savage, Franken, Garafallo.. Any given topic – they churn out a series of talking points.. Those little niblets which causes us to jump on the bandwagon or shake our pointed finger..

But what everyone does – and I don’t care if this is a personality, a movie star, a columnist or a politician – is that they take the nibblet that is important for their argument and they run with it.. The substantive nature of the issue becomes fragmented and further distorted..

So when Hannity says that liberals are scum, is he right?? No.. When Garafalo banters of whether conservatives are pigs, is she right?? No.. They are fanning the flames to get people riled up for the causes that matter to them, their constituents, their sponsors, their crowd.. How about when Durbin refers to Gitmo as a nazi camp??

Does it offend me personally?? No.. I studied history – I draw upon unpopular conclusions all the time.. And you know what – I don’t care.. True historians leave bias from their findings.. True historians allow readers to draw their own conclusions based on the findings of the evidence.. True historians consult multiple sources that can accurately paint a true and responsible picture of a given topic..

Does Gitmo really resemble a gulag?? I don’t know.. I certainly do not believe the people who have been reporting it so far.. I certainly do not trust the administration because they are constantly reversing, traversing, readjusting, realigning, ultimately distorting the facts of any given subject.. I don’t trust the Dems for that matter either.. I certainly do not trust the press because they have a marketability bias.. ”That which sells, is printed or aired..”

There’s no real understanding of an event unless you have the capability of seeing it first hand.. Unless there are multiple sources that can paint a wide-breadth of the incident in question – then there’s no way to juxtapose an appropriate perception of the event.. Finding trusting, reliable sources in this day and age is next to impossible..

We shouldn’t be afraid to draw unpopular, politically incorrect parallels to anyone or anything – regardless of how popular, how important or how right or wrong consensus believes.. I don’t care.. Yet despite the parallels me, or anyone might draw, will be scrutinized and cast in an unpopular light.. Sometimes the truth sucks.. Slavery sucked.. The Nazis sucked.. Bin Laden sucks..

But there are some mildly important lessons buried in these areas.. One cannot fathom just how long slavery and rights for all Americans have gone this long, this unabated throughout our history.. One can’t imagine how incredibly talented of a speaker Hitler was.. One can’t imagine what it took to mastermind the 9/11 hijackings, the dedication and the process it took to make it happen..

History sucks..

But we can learn..

And this is what the American people has to realize at some point..

We can learn that the oppression of people is wrong.. We can learn to watch for those people who can stir hatred into a carefully woven righteous blanket that appeals to a segment of people.. We can learn that people can be motivated to die for a cause they believe in – when we have it within our capability to thwart such behavior if we just listen..

But we live in a society where these lessons are buried under a blanket of security and politically correctness.. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be sensitive, but we can’t forgo these important lessons if we can’t say what they are, how they are and what they mean.. The truth has to be correct; regardless of who it offends..