Political correctness and its unreasonable rules

We’ve been badly let down by the people we allow to rule us! We’ve been let down by politicians, by bureaucrats, by church leaders, by trades unions and we’ve even been let down, through no real fault of their own, by teachers. The politicians, bureaucrats, church leaders and unions have let us down through stupidity, avarice and a desire for power over other people; the teachers have to follow orders regarding curriculum, discipline, etc., imposed by the above-mentioned politicians and bureaucrats!

Then there’s political correctness, which abounds everywhere and affects all of us, in all walks of life. Mainly stupid, unreasonable rules, invented by people with massive credentials but little common sense.

I recall the time when I happened to be talking to one of the characters listed above and I innocently mentioned a friend who has lost the sight of both eyes, and I referred to him as ‘blind’! I was roundly reprimanded and told that I shouldn’t say he was blind, he was ‘visually impaired’ I was told, or something very similar to that – I was too stunned to recall the exact wording. In my world, the word ‘blind’ has served the human race for centuries to denote someone who can’t see, without insulting anyone, but now it just isn’t good enough. I’ve spoken to several sightless people and I can’t find one who is offended at being referred to as ‘blind’! This is just an example – I could name a hundred other instances of the same problem, but it would only make me angry!

The trouble is, these people don’t consider their actions in the context of everyday life before putting them into effect, and we are usually the sufferers, because they so often open their mouths before their brains are in gear! Take for instance the denial of discipline and respect, both in the family home and in schools. We are no longer allowed to chastise our children, everything has to be done on a democratic basis: “Don’t you think it would be a good idea to stop strangling the cat, Sebastian?” or, “I really think you ought to go to bed now, Penelope, its gone midnight, and you are only three!”

The trouble with this attitude is that we are now reaping the wind, as they say. Young thugs play havoc on trains and trams, elderly people get beaten up in their own homes for the few dollars they have lying around, or ultimately they descend to what those three animals did in America last year, shooting and killing a decent young lad in the back, just for the thrill of it! Or perhaps even worse, walking into a school, heavily armed and shooting up half the pupils, just because they’re ‘cheesed off’ about something! (Of course, these two examples also bring into the argument the existing gun laws in America as well – something well worth another, separate article!)

Respect and discipline are the keystones of any civilised society and the more we lose our grip on those assets, the nearer we come to anarchy – a time when none of us can feel safe, in our homes or anywhere else. And the irony of this is that those very people who created the situation are likely to be the first that will suffer from it. A mob tends to attack authority, not the general mass – we’ve watched it happening already in the Middle East and it could easily happen here, in a truly civilised country like Australia, if we let the situation go too far!

All I want to do is to enjoy the few remaining years of my life with Jacqui (however many more of them there may be) in safety and peace. But I fear that could be something we will no longer have, in the not too distant future, unless we change our ways, and manage to instill changes of attitude in those we allow to rule us!