Everyday here in The United States people say things that can be considered off color, hateful, untrue, distasteful or against public policy; With this said, many Americans claim that such speech should be banned or ruled illegal. Though I disagree many of the doctrines preached by many who use there freedom of speech to express there views, I still defend the right of free speech and the rights included by the 1st Amendment. Many people don't truely understand this "Right" and take free speech for granted. Many Americans don't realize that in many countries, if you step out of line in terms of speech, you might lose your tongue better yet your life. Mainstream America doesn't understand that our forefathers fought and died just for this right, and that the 1st Amendment wasn't written to protect "politically correct" polite speech, but rather it was written to protect offensive speech. These days people feel that they must watch what they say because something might be considered racist, sexist, homophobic, offensive or insensitive, but why? The term political correctness as defined by Merriam Websters dictionary is : conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated.
Political Correctness is a totalitarian ideology, and "the totalitarian nature of Political Correctness is revealed nowhere more clearly than on college campuses, many of which at this point are small ivy covered North Koreas, where the student or faculty member who dares to cross any of the lines set up by the gender feminist or the homosexual-rights activists, or the local black or Hispanic group, or any of the other sainted “victims” groups that PC revolves around, quickly find themselves in judicial trouble. Within the small legal system of the college, they face formal charges – some star-chamber proceeding – and punishment. That is a little look into the future that Political Correctness intends for the nation as a whole"(1).
So why are we as a people and as a nation, policing our freedom of speech in order to "stroke" or "ease" the senses of others who are "victims" of such speech? I understand that we don't have to be malicious and/or attack one another verbally, but what I'm discussing is the very fact that people feel they can only say certain things in certain crowds in order to not be offensive. For example, today I was at a dinner with some fairly intellectual adults and I wanted to bring up the controversial Ground Zero mosque being built due to the fact some of our guests were from Long Island and they are right near where the highly debated issue is taking place. Deep down inside I wanted to let everyone know how I felt, yet something in my head told me don't say anything some of these people might be muslim or highly liberal and accuse me of just being a racist. Now I think back on where in the world I might have learned this thought process where I can't mention something because someone might label me something Im not. I think back to two years ago in which I was in a debate and discuss style English class, and in this class we had 8-10 foreign exchange students from Taiwan and China. We debated the 2nd Amendment and the right to carry firearms in ones household. One of the students from China spoke out that they are not allowed to carry guns and that the crime rate is low in China, he also said in a demanding tone that no one in America should be able to have a firearm and that they should all be taken away. This "offended" me and due to my immaturity at the time I blurted out to the individual in class that the reason he doesn't understand this right is because in China he has not rights, and that he should not be allowed a voice in an American classroom in which he was directly trying to spew communist rhetoric into my ears. Now 50 years ago this comment would of been applauded, but to the contraire the teacher was aghast and the class acted as if I screamed "Heil Hitler". Later on in the week I was approached by a guidance counselor in which he told me that the professor had requested a meeting with me, the guidance counselor and the other Chinese students, all claiming that what I said was racist! My question to the professor is when did Chinese become a race? Thats a nationality! Not one racial slur came from my mouth in that classroom yet the accusation was that I screamed racist comments at the student! This is just another case of Academia blaming your opinions and use of the 1st Amendment as racist whenever the topic of choice is opposite of their own opinions.
I just want every American to realize he/she can say what you want as long as it is not threatening someone.
The 1st Amendment :
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
1) The Origins of Political Correctness, Accuracy in Academia.org
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