On Being Politically Correct

Reprint of Old Article


On Being Politically Correct     The great movement to be politically correct has helped lead us to mediocrity.  Writers, professors,
doctors and others live in fear of offending the wrong person.  Professors are hauled in front of university
boards having to defend something they may or may not have said in a given lecture.  Doctors must be
very careful about the way they examine patients and do disease preventing research.
The intimate nature of being a doctor sometimes causing doubt and misunderstanding.
  I am not saying that all are innocent.  There are people out there doing
terrible things and they must be punished. However, it has gone to far.  The new McCarthyism is a reality.
   In the realm of writing, I can no longer rave about the beauty of Japanese women, without coming under
some scrutiny from my readers.  Poets have long raved about the beauty of many things including men and women,
but it seems one can no longer do this, without having to defend the act. Why not?  I can rave about the beauty of a flower
and that is okay, why not women? Are women not beautiful? How can this possibly be offensive?  I do believe that
outer beauty is skin deep, and we all have a lot of inner beauty too. To be politically correct, one must deny the existence
of the former.  Why not acknowledge it, while also stating that personality is the most important thing.  If you want to
rave about the beauty of men do it.  I will be happy in knowing that I am not a physical object nor a sexual one.
I am simply me and there is more to me than my physical appearance.  I feel that this anger over raving about
physical beauty, primarily comes from those who are not very confident about their own inner beauty and strengths.
It is a comment about them in other words.
  One friend with more experience at living than I, said that this movement to be politically correct is simply a furthering
of the women's liberation movement--a step too far.  I agree with this argument.  Women's lib was a necessary protest
movement, and great strides were made, but now it is getting ugly.  One woman at Simon Fraser University in Canada
decided that she wanted one of the coaches at the university, and she was willing to do almost anything to get him.
After being repeatedly rejected she accused him of sexual harassment.  Due to her physical beauty, she was believed.
Us men are animals you know. This SFU coach hired himself a good lawyer, held some press conferences and took to battle.
Proving himself innocent and hounded by a horny young woman.  He had been fired over the allegations.  I will repeat that: he was fired over
allegations--nothing had been proven. That is the problem too.   Doctors, teachers and other professionals can be destroyed
simply by irresponsible and erroneous allegations.
  The final chapter of this SFU story had the woman in disgrace but unpunished, the Dean of the
university lost his job for firing the coach in the first place.  The coach was finally vindicated and got back to teaching
and trying to win championships.  This whole movement has gone to far, and would make a great comedy if it were not so
tragic and stressful for so many people.
  No I say rave about the beauty of men, women or flowers.  Don't let any narrow minded person tell you otherwise. If they do,
you have to ask them what axe they have to grind?  What are they bitter about?  Acknowledge beauty, don't be afraid to tell
someone they are beautiful in whatever way they are. I do draw the line at bosses telling their employees they are very attractive;
the same goes for teachers telling students.  But in general, let's stop with this nonsense of believing that it is morally wrong.
 
Recognize that the real beauty comes from inside, and this should
be acknowledged too.  All of us are beautiful, and physical beauty really is only skin deep.

Kevin R. Burns