Let’s face the truth. All of us practice political correctness to some degree. For example, we generally are smart enough to “not tick off the doc” (paraphrasing Tom Knapp’s recent comment). We don’t tell the M.D. that the chiropractors and holistic medicine people have it right and the MDs are a bunch of egotistical money-hogs. Even if we think they are. And I am constantly amazed at the number of people who call us “native Americans” instead of by our tribal affiliation and ancestry (or just by our NAMES). Even though they know better.
But political correctness is one of the banes of modern life – especially here in the Fifty States. We’ve put up with an ever more virulent strain of it for decades. And it is not just the “progressives” (regressives) and liberals and social justice warriors that demand it, promote it, and try to enforce it in various ways. Political Libertarians have increasingly been infected by it.
And not just from fear of punishment.
The root of political correctness is a simple human concept: don’t irritate (tick off) someone needlessly. Respect (within reason) people’s biases, feelings, sensitivities, and quirks. Treat people kindly. Even, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
But it has gotten steadily more and more extreme, especially since the 1970s. And in our opinion, more ridiculous. Custom and traditions have changed (as they always do) and certain words and phrasing are considered offensive that were not, decades ago. But the idea has morphed, so that certain concepts are no longer socially acceptable to discuss. More and more enforcement – if possible always using the ready tools of oppressive government and money – is happening.
Simon Black recently wrote about a school in Oregon, once named for the racist populist “progressive” Woodrow Wilson but now named for a POC that is a virtual unknown. It needs a new mascot: the Trojan Warrior one is too militaristic, too dead white male, too un-PC. So, someone suggested an evergreen – suitable for Oregon, no? Found on their license plates, even. But according to one SJW on the school board, the evergreen (pine, spruce, redwood, whatever) is racist because it is a tree! And trees were used to hang people – POC. No, no, no – no Evergreen tree mascot.
Political correctness may have its roots (or claim to have its roots) in the idea of being nice to other people, but its use today produces just the opposite effect. It is a hammer to punish those in disagreement with the social media mob, the influencers, and those behind them. It has changed into “cancel culture” in which a single comment, sometimes made decades ago, is used to attack and destroy the reputations, careers, living, and sometimes lives, of those who are targeted.
But the effects of political correctness and cancel culture today go far beyond just destroying individuals who say or believe something the mob thinks is wrong. It warps the thinking of others, as well. It makes even adults – even very smart, very talented, mature adults – fearful and often unwilling to reason and respond rationally. And it damages children – perverting their education and denying them access to alternate viewpoints and fostering bias and prejudice.
Today, we see the results of 20+ years of extreme political correctness in schools from pre-kindergarten through primary and secondary school and into colleges and universities: a generation of social-justice warriors who hubris knows no bounds, and who are willing to destroy everyone’s liberty for the sake of their comfort level and their own egotistical desires.
How do we fight it?
First, by refusing to be politically correct. I don’t mean being rude, I don’t mean being combative or aggressive. Just NOT tempering our language just to bow to someone’s political biases. Speaking the truth in love and kindness.
Second, by challenging (politely) people (especially friends and family) who fall into politically-correct habits of speech. Sometimes and some places that can be easy: it may also be a challenge. Do it with kindness and politeness, but with firm assurance. “Why do you use that term? Why do you tap dance around those ideas? Have you considered that the people that you are talking about do not like that expression or phrasing, even if the media and the education establishment use it and tell you to? Do you realize you are hiding the truth of the matter by doing this?
Third, by confronting those who attack others (and even yourself) for being “politically incorrect.” Why are you denying me my rights? Why are you denying the truth? Truth is sometimes uncomfortable, but why do you respond by attacking me for saying it? Why do you use these politically-correct phrases and ideas?
As I wrote – often not very easy. But necessary, to turn back the tide of extremism that is destroying society.
The Price of Liberty 
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I don’t remember the comment you attribute to me in the first paragraph. Is my dementia flaring up, or could it have been someone else?
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Native Americans as a WHOLE ARE NOT triggered for us calling them INDIANS…Fact ! as many studies have borne out.. Just more woke propaganda ! Extremism–IS MOSTLY COMING FROM THE LEFTIST-LIBERAL WOKE-ANTI FA BLM FLOATSAM !
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You are exactly right. I am NOT enrolled but have ancestors from four tribes, and know and work with a lot of people who ARE enrolled: their preference is virtually always to just use their tribal name if they have to be identified as part of a group: not necessarily the English version, though many do not care. (Examples: Lakota or Dakota instead of Sioux, Dineh instead of Navajo, Numu instead of Ute or Comanche.) But many do NOT have any objection to being just “Indian” or even (as one old fullblood Lakota told us) as “Injun.” Some accept “Native American” out of necessity, but only the woke, SJW types embrace that name. TPOL tries to use “AmerInd” (short for American Indian) when speaking of people from multiple tribes/nations in the Fifty States (after all, a Canadian enrolled tribal member is not an “American Indian” any more than a Britisher who is black of African descent or origin is an “Afro-American” or African American!). But TPOL’s preference – endorsed by many people we know, is to call a Lakota a Lakota, a Dineh a Dineh, and so forth!
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You also do know that the various tribes were NOT the first ones on this continent before the Whites–right ? -and there were vikings and and before Columbus…the tribes have in there avrious oral hiastory THAT THEY WRE NOT THE FIRST–AND TO THAT EFFECT–FACT..WHEN THE wHITES CANE HERE THEY FOUND MANY MANY FORTIFICATIONS–MOUNDS ETC—THAT THE LOCAL TRIBES ‘SAID’ SAID”’THAT THEY WERE WREE HERE WHEN THEY CAME-NOT THEIRS NOT THEIRS ! -ALSO HOW MANY DID THEY SLAUGHTER AS THEY TOOK OVER–AS MANY OF THE TRIBES ALSO SLAUGHTERED EAC OTHER…DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ABOUT THE 15-20 +++ FOOT SKELETONS FOUND ALL OVER AMERICA..AND HIDDEN–DESTROYED BY THE PTB TO STOP THE TRUE HISTORY BEING BROUGH OUT///..
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Yes, the history of the so-called “Turtle Island” is full of mysteries, and so for 5,000 to 6,000 years, the real course of events are totally unknown, and whatever we find usually just adds to the mysteries. The links between Old World and New World are many and probably a staggering amount. We do not subscribe to the “official” version of history of migrations and origins, much less what the tribes and the FedGov (especially NPS) push today.
What IS documented is that most of the history taught today regarding AmerInd nations is pretty bogus, from the origin of the Cherokee to the homelands of the Lakota and Dakota, and the origins (and demise) of the Anasazi. For example, the modern Lakota politically-correct version of history is that the Seven Council Fires (Lakota, Nakota, Dakota) originated in the Black Hills and existed here for thousands of years. In reality, the French explorers the Verendrye brothers, discovered the Black Hills in 1743, two decades before the Lakota “discovered” them (according to the Lakota’s own records). Of course, the Cheyenne were already in the area, and the Lakota stole the Black Hills from the Cheyenne in a 10-year-long war. Just as the Americans stole the Black Hills from the Lakota a century later. This is common throughout North American hsitory.
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