Political Correctness Claims Another Victim
Now I am really fed up. Political Correctness has claimed another victim. This time it is a liberal; Juan Williams was fired by NPR for stating his opinion on Bill O’Reilly’s The O’Reilly Factor . NPR is the same agency that published the offensive “How to speak Tea Bag” cartoon by Mark Fione. When Juan Williams contacted NPR last night he was told he had crossed the line. Really? Crossed the line? Stating his opinion and exercising his First Amendment rights. This, from the people who slam anyone who disagrees with their political agenda. On the road to getting canned, Juan also said this on O’Reilly Factor ,” I think, look, political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis where you don't address reality”. In firing a shot at political correctness the round ricocheted and took him out.
As a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom I know firsthand the importance of “positive identification”. Soldiers can suffer dire consequences by not positively identifying a threat to his or her life. This also increases the risks that are already high to a service member’s life. We cannot positively identify our enemies if we are so worried about who we may offend. The right to not be offended has never been guaranteed by the Constitution. If Juan Williams offended anyone, well too bad! Get over it! Take it up with Juan Williams. He was man enough to say what he felt and I believe he is man enough to defend his remarks. NPR, however, is not man enough to hear his defense. Our tax dollars that fund NPR have just funded a blatant disregard for the First Amendment.
I very rarely agree with Mr. Williams. With that said, I absolutely defend his right to express his opinion. I know that Mr. Williams is a very decent man and a great contributor to his community. Mr. Williams’ career of over ten years is a victim of political correctness. In our efforts to not offend anyone, we are leaving a pile of victims in the wake of political correctness. The thirteen victims of the Fort Hood shooting are just as much victims of political correctness as they are victims of the radical Muslim who shot them. We can no longer call what looks like and quacks like a duck a duck, we cannot correctly identify problems. This blocks any ability to solve problems. You cannot talk about problems if you are rendered ineffective by paralysis as Mr. Williams suggest.
I, for one, am very tired of the paralysis. Offending someone does not necessarily make you a mean person. Sometimes being offensive is necessary for reality’s sake. We have to stop tip-toeing around issues for fear of hurting someone’s feelings. If I had a dollar for every time I had my feelings hurt as a child, I could retire (twenty years ago). Get over it, everyone! We will never resolve anything the way we are going.
