Political Correctness and Special Interest Groups

I've seen a few of you harp about the silent majority and special interest groups. Some of you actually seem to be proud of not being PC. I've kept quiet about it even though I felt it was wrong because I didn't want to rock the boat more than it is being rocked. I finally got the courage to speak up, so here is my take.

I have seen the majority of this country speak up when they think it is important enough. They ended Vietnam although it was first declared obscene by a minority, special interest group.

It was special interest groups that gave black men the right to vote. It was special interest groups that finally enfranchised women and is slowly getting us equal pay for equal work (not there yet, but getting closer). It was special interest groups that made it unacceptable to drink and drive; that gave us seatbelts and shoulder harnesses for our vehicles.

I can remember when people were killed for trying to register black voters. I remember hearing MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech with tears running down my face. I remember laughing at women burning their bras (mainly because I had no need for one and never wore one, anyway). These were all events in our lifetimes. They were all done by special interest groups who felt being politically correct was important. Who knows, maybe today's special interest groups will be proved correct 20 or 30 years from now.

If people hadn't insisted that others be PC, we'd still think using pejoratives to describe a race or a religion is acceptable behavior. Stereotypes would prevail even more than they do today. Not being PC is part of what made the annihilation of 6,000,000 Jews, 98% of the gypsy population, 100% of the blacks and 100% of public homosexuals acceptable to the Nazis. If we can dehumanize others, it makes it easier to subjugate them.

Yes, sometimes PC goes too far. But I'd rather err on the side of too much than not enough. I don't want us to be able to hate a Muslim because his religious beliefs are not mine or the clothes is different. I don't want to hear them called names such as "turbanheads" or "ragheads" or "camel jockeys." It makes it that much easier to hate them, to decide they are not Americans. It made it so much easier to inter Japanese-Americans when they were part of the "yellow wave" and had "slant eyes" than if they were your neighbors and friends.

Sorry, I don't understand being proud of not being politically correct or disliking special interest groups. They both bring about change. Not always change that we like and sometimes they do go to extremes but think where this great nation would be without them.