Look, these things are happening more and more in modern Britain. It's reported almost every day. And it's not just in Britain, mind; all around the world, there's similar things happening.It's just the way the world is now; everyone's too scared to say anything of substance, because that gets drowned out in the cry of 'It's not PC!' that springs up from everywhere around you. Now, hate speech is one thing, as is islamophobia. Being offended because someone makes an entirely off-the-cuff observation is entirely another. And publicly humiliating a senior because someone in listening range felt offended is borderline ridiculous.
I'm not white. I don't have to be. I have a bunch of white friends, though. And Muslim friends. We say a lot of stuff to each other that could be construed as horrendously non-PC. But these same people have also helped me out through a lot of difficult times, and I've always taken their side when they've been in trouble. Always will, too. And none of us take anything we say to heart, because a little bit of criticism, by way of jokes, arguments or just drunken mumbles at a bar, is a good thing. It helps you realize that sometimes you're at fault too, and that you're not perfect, not by any means. So I'm not perfect. The country I come from isn't perfect. The life I lead isn't perfect. My religious views (or lack thereof) aren't perfect. But then, neither are theirs. And pointing out the flaws, leads to discussing them, and discussing them leads to understanding them. I learned much of what I know about Islam through arguing with my buddy. He learned much of what he knows about politics through arguing with me. We both accepted we weren't perfect, and that helped us learn a lot more about each other.
That's what missing in the modern world. That give-and-take, that reasoning that holds that you shouldn't cause a mighty storm just because someone does or says something that doesn't align with your views of your perfection. Everyone's up in arms because they don't want to give a quarter; they hold that their creed, their history, their faith, their lifestyle, all of them are perfect, and if a stranger makes an off-hand remark about something he or she may be legitimately confused or uninformed about, GHod help them, because you're about to call them a racist/bigot/sexist/anti-semite/anything else that springs to mind,even if the person involved is nothing of the kind, safe in the knowledge that the public stands behind you. It's saddening, heart-breaking even, to see this level of instant outrage at the very idea that someone may think something you do or believe is a bit weird or unusual, or different from what they do. How dare they!
I don't think PC is completely bad. We need some of it, because if you just let the standards slide, it won't be long before the real bigots and racists will come crawling out of the woodwork and start spewing their bile over everyone. And when those kinds of people get too much freedom to say or do what they want, things slide very quickly, because they tend to shout the loudest, and everyone follows the loudest person. But I think this current level of intellectual emasculation, this terror of voicing a legitimate concern or asking a genuine question because it might be considered racist or bigoted, this is too much of a good thing. Far, far too much. People aren't perfect, and people aren't all-knowing. Please, for the love of GHod, can everyone please stop pretending that they are.
