PC police need to get a life
Okay, it’s getting a little excessive. The term “politically correct” was unheard of until about ten years ago; when flight attendants decided they did not want to be called stewards/ stewardesses anymore because it was derogatory. The fact is the first amendment has been so utterly perverted now to where we should just rewrite it as quite simply, “Thou shalt not offend anyone, including thyself.”
Let us put things into perspective. Special interest groups around the country are up in arms because a judge in Alabama put a monument of the Ten Commandments in the state capitol. But wait just a minute here; you can’t impose your Christian religion on me!!! Perhaps it would have been alright if he had placed in the capitol the Ten Commandments, Koran, Torah, a statue of Buddha, a wolf, a coyote, two chickens, and a mongoose. The first amendment guarantees us freedom of speech, just so long as we are making our speech in favor of the opinion of those we are speaking to. God (oops, divine being who might happen to be presiding over this earth) forbid that I, as an American, might want to speak out about what I believe in. This country was founded on Religious Freedom. Most people that came here did so to be able to practice whatever religion they believed in and to escape the state mandated religions of Europe. Now though, the “separation of church and state” part of the Bill of Rights means that you can practice whatever religion you want to, just as long as no one who is not part of your religion is around to see it.
Also, we now want to make smoking illegal in all public places. I do not smoke, but I don’t see why that means that I have to make sure the only place anyone else can smoke is at home. Furthermore, tobacco companies can’t advertise on television, yet anti smoking ads run all the time. There are only two places I can see not allowing smoking: restaurants and sporting events. I have always thought that having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a pool, and I truly don’t believe too many smokers would take offense to being asked to light up at the bar, not the table across from me. Secondly, in a stadium, everyone is so close to one another, there is no way you can get up and move if the smoke is bothering you, not to mention that you have an assigned seat. But, if it is passed, no smoking, I assume, would mean you can’t even smoke the pack outside of the gas station you just bought them from. But wait, who is to decide the definition of a public place? Next thing you know, your house might be considered a public place when you have visitors, and they could have you fined and arrested for impeding their respective rights.
I hope that in large you can see the absurdity of all of this. Used to be that when little Johnny shot a spitball at Teacher, she took him out back and spanked him with a switch. But now, little Johnny has the rights of an adult, and can sue Teacher for assault and battery. Yet if little Johnny decides Teacher deserves to die for switching him, brings a gun to school and kills her and several of his classmates, we don’t want to put him in the chair do we? It’s not his fault, it is the influence of society, music, television, bad parenting, insanity, paper or plastic, and the media that drove him to this heinous crime. Where does it all stop?
The current generation of politicians and leaders of our country have succeeded in taking away more and more of our freedoms, and are doing so by brainwashing Americans into thinking the same way they do. Can anyone stand up and say this country is better off without true freedom of expression? I can’t impose my religion on you, but you can impose no religion on me. I can’t impose smoking on you, but you can impose no smoking on me. What is next?
The only way we can change things is to start taking responsibility. Cast your vote for politicians who with try to change the social norms that our society has. Take responsibility for what happens in your life. Many of you complain about fee hikes here at LSU, yet less than 10 percent of the student body shows up to vote on fee increases. Apathy will not get us anywhere, not matter what your race, creed or status.
James P Hickman
Junior
Mechanical Engineering