Let's change the standard definition of P.C.

To many people here in the US, P.C. means 'political correctness'. Personally, I don't believe there is anything political or correct about it. I mean, if we call a turd a flower, does it really make it a flower?

Political means 'of, pertaining to, or involving the state or its government' or 'pertaining to the art or science of government or governing' or even 'the methods or tactics involved in managing a state or government'. (Please note it says 'managing a government' NOT manipulating the population.)

Correctness means having the properties of being correct. And being correct means that it is 'right' or 'free from error or fault; true or accurate'.

Yet, somehow when we pull these two words together we get something totally different. The American Heritage Dictionary defines the 2 words together as 'avoidance of expressions or actions that can be perceived to exclude or marginalize or insult people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against'.

Huh? From the first two definitions, being politically correct would mean governing by what is right, accurate and true. I don't see anywhere in those definitions where political or correctness means that no one ever in this world should ever be even marginally offended or insulted.

Let's examine what I think P.C. really means...

Being P.C. really means 'Patronizing Censorship'. It really tells people that they are inferior because they can't handle someone's opinion of them. So, we should reword or censor all of our statements in a manner that doesn't hurt their feelings. Really? Are we Americans a bunch of spineless babies who can't handle someone talking negatively about us any more? Must we truly limit our freedom of speech because someone chooses to be offended by them?

P.C. also means 'Preplanned Compliance'. This makes us feel like we have to 'walk on eggshells' and avoid spontaneity. Lord knows, if we happened to slip up and say what we really meant, we would fall out of compliance and be slapped with heavy fines and penalties. We wouldn't ever want to hear another person's unrehearsed, unadulterated opinion or experiences. That would be such a tragedy. (Yes, you are detecting a note of sarcasm there. Oh, wait, is sarcasm politically correct?)

Being P.C. actually 'Promotes Corruption'. It tells people that it is acceptable to be dishonest and even encourages them to lack or push aside their integrity. They are not allowed to be true to themselves and their thoughts because in doing so they might possibly offend someone. Instead, we have to massage our message so that we don't say what we truly mean but instead what others want to hear. (No wonder so many people feel unheard and isolated in our society.)

P.C. causes us to treat each other like 'Purposeless Caricatures'. It makes us somehow feel like we aren't real live people with hearts, minds, and souls. Instead we are aimless pawns that need 'their' rules, policies and procedures so that we might properly navigate the game board of life.

Most of all, PC translates to 'Paralyzes Communication'. It limits our freedom of speech and keeps us from fully expressing ourselves. Following the rules of P.C. tells us that our thoughts, ideas, and opinions don't matter unless they fit into 'their' Prescribed Conditions. And when our thoughts, ideas and opinions don't matter, our humanness doesn't matter.

I say we redefine this acronym!

Let's have P.C.'s definition be 'Personal Choice'. Let's allow ourselves to have the freedom of speech that the First Amendment guarantees. Our founding fathers and many others have DIED for this right. Now, our society has somehow made it the standard, or should I say, made it politically correct, for this right to be taken away from us.

Let's have P.C. stand for 'Practical Confidence'. Let's not be so confident that we are cocky and self-righteous. Let's be realistic about who we are and let's be confident and sure that we are and are becoming whom we were created to become. It is not arrogant to make claims of superiority when you ARE superior in

How about 'Principled Constitution'? And by that I mean our personal constitution or make up. Let's raise our next generation of children to have a solid human foundation... to believe in themselves; to be self-accepting, self-assured, broad-minded and big-hearted. Let's teach them to 'Promote Charity', 'Provide Comfort', 'Promote Community', Praise Cultural differences and Publicly Consider and debate our differing ideas. Let's teach them that...

"It's not what you are called, but what you answer to that matters!!"

Les Brown once told a teacher that he was EMR (educable mentally retarded) and couldn't do what the teacher had asked. 'They' had labeled him. His teacher, Mr. Washington, then said something to Les that changed his life...

"Someone's opinion of you does NOT have to become YOUR reality."

When someones says something negative, derogatory or demeaning about your race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, class, geography or ecology, it does NOT have to become YOUR reality. YOU control your destiny. If one door is closed to you, find a way to open it or go find or make another door. You have the Power to Choose!

Eleanor Roosevelt once said,

"No one can make you feel inferior without your permission."

If each one of us truly and deeply believed that, there would be no need for Political Correctness which Paralyzes Communication and isolates us, and dare I say, segregates us one from another. In fact, no one can make you feel anything without your permission... no one can make your feel offended without your permission. No one can make you feel humiliated without your permission. No one can make you feel victimized without your permission.

While we may not choose our circumstances... We DO choose our reactions to our circumstances. That is what differentiates us from every other living creature on the planet. Even in the most tragic of conditions, we can choose our response. That is what makes us human. Political Correctness leads us to believe that we don't have that ability.

Political Correctness perpetuates FEAR. The only way to overcome it is through LOVE. You CAN love people and still be politically incorrect. These 2 things are NOT mutually exclusive although 'they' (the promoters of political correctness) would like you to think so.

Let's work to bring the different cultures, different religions, and different people of this great nation together!! Let's stop the divisiveness of Political Correctness. Let's not allow the very characteristics that makes us great to tear us apart.

Let's get rid of political correctness and replace it with Principled Constitution, Practical Confidence and Personal Choice. That, my friends, will allow us to overcome this fabricated fear and live together in liberty and love.

(Republished from 2 years ago because it has a lot of relevance to today.)