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The dark spectre of political correctness
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2016 Dec 27, 4:07pm 2,621 views 12 comments
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NDrLoR
2016 Dec 27, 5:13pm
It's basically the same thesis as this book--the hardcover price is astronomical for some reason, but I'm satisfied with the paperback:
Patrick
2016 Dec 27, 5:25pm
I find the essay a bit confusing, but this seems to sum it up pretty well:
While many relegate the PC debate to the so-called culture wars, it is clear that what lies at the bottom of it, is the plain old struggle for power.
Numerous journalists and politicians, who failed to report, or tried to spin the real nature of the sexual assaults that took place in Germany, Sweden or Finland, have used only one argument as an excuse: we don’t want to give ammo to our political rivals. As Peter Ågren, police chief in central Stockholm, put it:
Sometimes we do not dare to say how things really are because we believe it will play into the hands of the Sweden Democrats.’
[The Sweden Democrats are the anti-immigration party in Sweden—VG].In other words, while the impulse to hush the accusations directed at a group traditionally marginalised or suppressed might be understandable, especially when considered within the context of German and European genocidal and colonial wars, it is clear, that what drives politicians, is not the desire to correct the past abuses, or the fear of offending somebody’s sensitivity, but rather the fear of losing power.
Patrick
2016 Dec 27, 5:30pm
I don't feel that it's equal and opposite though. The right has consistently allowed debate about pretty much anything. You can at least debate with them, even if they are certain they are right. Just imagine some old cowboy. He's not going to get too worked up about whatever you have to say. Might laugh at you, but he won't get real angry, pardner.
The left does not even allow certain debates or thoughts, flying into an indignant rage if any of its cherished fundamentals are questioned. For example, their assertion that races do not exist, which is provably wrong.
Patrick
2016 Dec 27, 5:51pm
Yes, the official PC teaching in all college biology courses is that races are simply a social construct, and the differences in appearance and behavior that seem so obvious are actually imaginary.
And if you question that, you may well be expelled for "racism" against the races which don't exist anyway...
Very serious about this. Try Googling "races do not exist".
NDrLoR
2016 Dec 27, 9:21pm
races are simply a social construct
Everything is a social construct. One of the themes of What's Happened to the University is the source of microagressions. You can have the best intentions in the world, censor your speech 'till you're blue in the face and still be a racist and commit a microagression. The operative is what the object of the comment or behavior feels, not what you intended. If they feel offended, then you have committed an act of racism and are guilty whether you had the intention or not. It seems we're coming close to delving into Mao's Cultural Revolution and the Red Guards. They can't kill people yet, but they sure can destroy them. Asking someone what country they are from is considered offensive and racist. Asking how a particular word is pronounced in their native language is considered racist because you are implying they are not equal to other people.
lostand confused
2016 Dec 27, 9:28pm
Yup and now even serving sushi in a college cafeteria is racist-because of cultural appropriation. I mean wtf?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/20/oberlin-students-cafeteria-food-is-racist.html
Shaman
2016 Dec 28, 5:24am
Everything is always about power, especially where governments are concerned.
All other concerns or justifications are illusion and disguise meant to obscure this one true motivation. Democracies must use layers upon layers of such smoke screens to rebrand their selfish actions as philanthropy, and this is ultimately to salve the feelings of the average voter, so they might feel good about their country's actions.
NDrLoR
2016 Dec 28, 8:38am
Everything is always about power, especially where governments are concerned.
Well this is more about silliness. You have to wonder what are these tender souls are going to do once they leave the womb of academe. These are people who can be traumatized by reading about difficult subjects in their assigned texts, not that the work is difficult but that the subject matter may be unpleasant. If this is how they are going to face life, what will their response be when something substantial happens? They're not going to be trigger warned on the job.
the official PC teaching in all college biology courses is that races are simply a social construc
Interesting. Then why do the schools collect racial information about the students? I actually intend to ask my kids' school to remove any racial reference from their records, or at least replace it with "human." I wonder how it will go - "no races" vs. "affirmative action" PC dilemma?
A spectre is haunting Europe—and it is not the spectre of communism. Marx’s dream had been replaced by a much more primitive, pernicious, and grotesque spectre, that of Political Correctness and by its twin brother: equally primitive, grotesque and virulent xenophobia and racism.
This spectre replacement is hardly coincidental. Like a good cop, bad cop routine, these twin brothers seem to succeed in their insidious attempt to suppress any serious discourse of domestic or foreign policies, any attempt to go beyond the previously approved and predetermined lines of reasoning so that the ruling order remains protected from Marx’s or any other truly dangerous spectres.
Besides its philosophical poverty, PC had recently demonstrated its utter bankruptcy in the face of wars, invasions, population displacement, and cheap labor policies. It failed to formulate and carry out a proper response to the so-called refugee crisis that overwhelmed Europe first by the sheer amount of people indiscriminately admitted into Europe, and then by the amount and intensity of violent crimes that some of those refugees have committed.
It is getting painfully obvious, that neither brushing the violence under the rug, nor permitting skinheads to demand the banning of all refugees provide an adequate response to the problems raised by the years of colonialism, exploitation, and military adventures.
The situation appears to be beyond the intellectual league of a well-meaning PC politicians, like President Hollande or Chancellor Angela Merkel, to solve.
The years of lies, perpetrated by all kinds of benevolent regimes, have taught us, that it is truth that is the best friend of anyone who is oppressed, no matter how elusive the search for truth is, or whatever facts it uncovers. In the long run, it is truth that sets us free, not lies, fantasies, or propaganda. Yet, it is this truth that is immediately sacrificed by any self-appointed PC regime that strives for some sort of imaginary goodness.
It sometimes happens that rabbits wrestle the power from the crocodiles. At that moment, they immediately introduce new narratives, the ones stressing the unmitigated cruelty and malicious hypocrisy of crocodiles on the one hand, and the infinite nobility of the rabbits on the other. But by no means these new narratives would ever imply that the rabbits that gained power have become crocodiles themselves: the transformation so brilliantly exposed by Orwell’s Animal Farm.
Full Article (Somewhat Long): https://off-guardian.org/2016/12/26/from-russian-nihilists-to-al-qaeda-the-dark-spectre-of-political-correctness/#comments
#PoliticalCorrectness