LEADER TIMES WEEKEND RELIGION ARTICLE FOR
January 14, 2017 by William H. Scarle, Jr. 813-835-0129
Politically Correct?
Writers and journalists have a social responsibility to protect the language in which they write. We should guard the meaning of words. We should not allow the semantic manipulations suggested by George Orwell in “1984.” However, in our own time the art of “newspeak” and “thought crime” is creeping into our culture and one horrendous illustration is the term “politically correct.”
Behind the current use of the term is a hidden assumption that politics determines correctness. Righteousness is established by the body politic, and anyone who differs from this opinion is subject to punishment. Businesses can be fined. Reputations can be smeared by accusations of bigotry and intolerance. People can lose their jobs. Lives can be destroyed.
However, if the term is taken at its face value it is not a claim of moral rectitude. It is rather the creed of despotism. It tells the society that anyone who differs from the opinion of the government or structure in power will be disabled socially. It is to prevent this that the United States Constitution prohibits any law “abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”
“Political correctness” is the claim that there is no god except the body politic, and that body defines the laws of morality with which every citizen is required to conform or risk the wrath of the social order in power. There is no concept here that moral law, as natural law, is established by God and that governments are responsible to build their legal system in support of that morality. There is no idea of “One nation under God.” Caesar is god and that is the end of the discussion.
If the reader thinks I have gone bonkers on this subject let me refresh your mind with some statistics from our own recent history. Mao Zedong took over the government of China in 1949 and reigned until 1976. He murdered during that time 60 million of his citizens because they were “politically incorrect.”
Joseph Stalin ruled the Soviet Union from 1929 to 1953. He illuminated 40 million politically incorrect Russians. Adolf Hitler was dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945. His victims numbered 30 million. Ismail Enver Pasha was military dictator of Turkey from 1915 to 1920 and managed to kill 2 million Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians. Closer to home, Papa Doc ruled Haiti from 1957 to 1971 and managed to murder 60,000 political opponents. Fidel Castro ruled Cuba from 1959 to 2006 and executed 30,000 politically incorrect Cubans. I could go on. This is not ancient history. This is twentieth century history and it is going on at the present time. Hafez Bashar Alassad of Syria took over the government of Syria in 1970 and by the year 2000 had managed to kill 25 to 30 thousand political opponents. The Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran killed 20,000 political and religious opponents between 1979 and 1989.
The concept of political correctness is lethal. Within the last year it has been used to shut down bakeries and restaurants that have not been willing to compromise their religious convictions to the agenda of the LGBT and SOGI movements. The churches are next. Political correctness is move toward despotism and needs to be properly defined and vigorously resisted.
(Bill Scarle can be contacted at ravscarle@verizon.net) END-whs