Cultural Correctness

Dan Champion

From 1990-1997, I lived in Minnesota. Before and obviously after I lived in Colorado. During this time I was surprised with the rules and policies regarding holidays in the Minnesota school system. Any holiday with the slightest amount of cultural background was prohibited from being expressed. This meant the halls couldn't be decorated with Christmas memorabilia or a teacher couldn't put a jack-o-lantern on their desk. The teachers could even be fired for celebrating these holidays in school; therefore names like Christmas break were changed to winter vacation, etc. The school system basically prohibited the expression of any religious beliefs by students or teachers on school grounds. However, here at Niwot High religious meetings take place regularly on the weekends and during the week. Fearing and over-conscience parents and political figures implemented these rules. In Minnesota, these rules limit the expression of the world to these children. This cultural problem has basically three parts:

1 Political correctness, derived from controversial ideas in universities during the seventies, perfected during the nineties in our own government.

2 Common sense, ever present throughout human existence until this century, skewed by standards, excuses, and fear.

3 The perception of Perfection, imposed on people by politically saturated, and fearing governments.

All of these aspects of cultural correctness contribute to the loss of our freedoms and decaying proximity to anarchy.

Our countries political correctness has exploded in past years. Political correctness was formulated by people's fear of differences, stubbornness, and designed by conceded individuals. However some aspects of these ideals deal with etiquette, for instance classification like African American, Native American, and are quite acceptable. Other aspects of political correctness like discrimination, whether it be racism, sexism, or mere appearance have sometimes been taken too far. Obviously today civil rights is not a huge issue, but certain cultures have created political alibis to make all individuals equal when inequality does exist. For example: In New Jersey, despite the death of several patients nationwide who had been infected by dentists who had concealed their AIDS- the state commissioner announced that health providers who are HIV positive need not tell their patients that they are infected. Because political leaders are afraid of any decisions that are offensive to any group, they create dangers, loopholes, and excuses for the public.

Another problem with political correctness, are people's assumptions in their attempts to be neutral. Another example explains this: At a Virginia high school, students tried to change the name of the school team "The Tribe" because it was supposedly insulting to local Indians, only to learn that authentic Virginia chiefs truly like the name.

These actions are also present close to home, take for instance Boulder. On the hill certain Christmas memorabilia (Christmas trees, angels, etc.) was taken down this year because local residents felt offended, these decorations were on city land and decorated by students. At DIA, after the airport was built and in use, housing communities were built in close proximity to the airport. The residents of these communities now complain about the noise and have forced the closing of most of the runways.

Another factor of cultural correctness is the deterioration of our common sense. This exists mainly in current policy and law enforcement. Many people have taken advantage of our standardized criminal system to gain money and, enforcers have abandoned moral truths to peruse a standardized society. For instance smokers suing the tobacco companies because the product which the smoker willfully used, caused cancer. Or here in our own St. Vrain school district, a young elementary school student was expelled because she accidentally took her mother's lunch sac which contained a paring knife, even after she declared the knife to the administrators.

The perception of perfection in our society is somewhat related to political correctness. However this topic addresses certain other aspects. Our society has built an environment where its inhabitants have to act, look, and think perfectly. The enforcers of this environment include photo-radar speed traps, abuse of harassment legislature, etc. These act to force people to perform perfectly at all times. Charlton Heston, a strong believer in human rights said: "What does all this mean? It means that telling us what to think has evolved into telling us what to say, so telling us what to do can't be far behind."

My solution to our over-culturally-correct society is for you to stand up for your common sense, your ethics, and your conscience. This would include acknowledging that inequality does exists and that its not any individual's or group's job to please everybody. We don’t need less government, only a conscience government that can admit that it isn't perfect. Our country (or world) could be based on common sense, in its judgment, rules, and enforcement, instead of control and equality.