BillLawrenceOnline

By Chris Freind

We need another stimulus. Desperately.

It’s the only way we can afford to give every American a personal consultant — someone to ensure that all free thinking, creativity and initiative be eliminated, replaced by a politically-correct speech code.

From a personal standpoint, this would ensure an end to disagreeable readers. Rather than saying, “Hey (insert expletive here), I don’t know what you’re smoking, but you’re a moron and got it totally wrong,” people would be required to say something like, “Nice try. You didn’t make your point, but good job anyway! Have a peachy day, and be well!”

Boring? Yes. Unrealistic? Think again.

We’ve discussed in numerous columns how a radical minority is effectively pushing all Americans to genuflect at the altar of political correctness (PC), resulting in a much weaker nation and bewildering cultural changes once thought impossible.

Tragically, the majority who oppose extreme PC measures continue to stand on the sidelines, content to complain at the watercooler but reluctant to draw a line in the sand for fear of being labeled racist, bigoted, offensive, insensitive and, God forbid, non-inclusive. Day by day, the enemy becomes stronger while the “peacemakers” put up scant resistance to policies, regulations and laws that don’t just gnaw, but gouge, a huge bite out of America’s traditional fabric.

Perhaps most frightening are the generations coming of age who know nothing else, having been imbued from Day One with a sense of entitlement — the innate “right” to be “offended” by anything they don’t like, and the expectation that their hurt feelings will be aggrieved by helicopter parents; social engineering educators, administrators, and coaches; coddling workplace colleagues; and nanny government officials.

Such indoctrination has left them naively unaware that the implications of political correctness, which they see as innocuous, continue to erode freedoms, and threaten to take down the nation as we know it.

The situation has been steadily deteriorating, but recent events that would have been deemed “crossing the line” just a few years ago have now been met with barely a whimper. And each time the PC police gain a victory, they become emboldened, taking it that much further.

Consider:

1. Several schools in Minnesota have hired a “recess consultant” — costing tens of thousands — to apply a structured, interventionist approach regarding how children play and interact in the schoolyard. So now, if kids are playing kickball, they’re told to substitute “Hey, you’re out!” with “good job” or “nice try.” All “conflict” is being whitewashed from existence by omnipotent counselors hovering over every child’s move.

Really? This is what it’s come down to? Putting a stake in the heart of our children’s natural instinct to use their imaginations, play together, and — get ready for it — solve conflicts by themselves? Obvious bullying aside, what these misguided souls call conflict is what’s otherwise known as growing up in a civilized society. It won’t always work out the way children want, but that’s called life. In allowing them to act independently and resolve issues on their own, they learn invaluable lessons that will serve them for the rest of their lives: higher education, work, marriage and parenthood.

Two thoughts: A) it makes you wonder how previous generations, including the Greatest Generation who saved the world, survived and prospered without constant coddling, and B) once again, the best interests of the ones who matter most — our students, our future — are completely ignored. One obvious answer is to overhaul the public school system and inject school choice, especially public-to-public choice, because without it, parents have absolutely no recourse, and their children are stuck in a most harmful environment.

2. The Great Valley High School in Malvern hosts an annual Spirit Week, and the student council is responsible for one of its themes. This year, it chose “America Day.” But this being Amerika, that was not to be!

After all, “America Day” could be offensive to anyone not born here or not a citizen, or, for that matter, someone who just doesn’t like anything. So in the spirit of inclusion, the school administration wanted to call it “World Culture Day” to honor the multiculturalism in the school community, according to a letter written by Superintendent Regina Speaker-Palubinsky to avoid any “confusion” and “misunderstanding.” And hey, no big deal, because after all, the school will celebrate America during Veterans Day!

The theme that was finally chosen is “Celebrate Your Country Day.” Note that it is not “Our Country” day, but instead the country of your choice. Not the America where most were born; not the America that has allowed millions of immigrants to enter and assimilate; not the America that provides a world-class defense of its unprecedented freedoms; not the America that allows for such a beautiful high school; and not the America that keeps the beacon of hope lit for billions. Nope. Instead, the Grand Marshals of Political Correctness deemed it more important to celebrate the country of your own choosing.

I’m sorry, Ms. Superintendent, but I’m really confused. Veterans Day is wonderful, and vets are a big part of America. But they should be honored on their merits, and their achievements should not be combined or watered down by anything else unrelated to them. And conversely, there are a million things to celebrate about America, so why limit that to only things dealing with veterans?

America is the world’s largest melting pot, welcoming more people and cultures than any nation in the history of the world. So why should celebrating our country be jettisoned? If you truly want to celebrate multiculturalism and diversity, the only logical choice is, and should have been, America Day.

How ironic and shameful that the administrators of a school with the nickname “Patriots” would throw America under the bus in the name of political correctness. And kudos to the parents and students who fought the good fight in an attempt to rectify such a monumental error. Unfortunately, not enough did.

3. Students across the country are being suspended for wearing shirts with American themes, including some honoring the U.S. military. One particularly egregious case was an Oregon eighth-grader whose shirt read, “Standing for those who stood for us,” and was emblazoned with the symbol for fallen soldiers. So much for the ultimate sacrifice such soldiers gave defending our freedom of expression. But there is hope, as the student and his family refuse to give in — an example we should take to heart.

4. Numerous cities throughout America are abolishing Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples Day, celebrating the history and contributions of indigenous cultures, while criticizing European settlers for colonialism and land grabs.

Really?

Admittedly, the Europeans and, later, Americans, did not always do the right thing, especially to Native Americans. No reparations and no apology can ever fully right those wrongs.

But America, despite the errors of its past, has shown the most remarkable resilience of any nation in history not just to learn from its mistakes, but to make things right and yes, better, for future generations.

Rather than needlessly re-opening old wounds, maybe those pushing personal agendas should take a hard look at the everlasting contributions of both Native Americans and Europeans, like Columbus. Imagine that.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev famously said, “America will fall without a shot being fired. It will fall from within.” Indisputably, his prescience is right on target. Will we ultimately prove him wrong? Not unless we stop making every decision political.

Only then will we be truly correct.

Indoctrination Replaces Education