Monday, January 10, 2011

P.C. Run Amok?

Perhaps the Christmas season brings it out in people, but questions about being politically correct seem all-pervasive these days.  Lately I've even been accused of being overly sensitive about some things.  It's true that I have suffered through quite a large number of "sensitivity" classes during my time as a teacher (No! no! not as a punishment for bad behavior!).  Let me explain the situations, and you can be the judge.

It all started back around Thanksgiving.  I noticed that those so-bad-they're-good pilgrim candles from our childhoods are back on the shelves as centerpieces.  The only difference is that they now include some "natives" (their words not mine) with the puritans.  Now it just seems to me that this is an uncomfortable Thanksgiving theme given that the indigenous people went on to suffer so much at the hands of the invaders.  Should we include even the pilgrims on our table? Others maintain that being inclusive is always better than being exclusive.  Hmmm.

Next came the book I picked up for Delphinium.  It's a cute little counting book featuring a black family who make dinner together.  Only when I got it home and looked closely did I realize that the family is cooking fried chicken, collard greens, and other traditional (stereotypical?) foods.  I think this is in poor taste, but other say it is simply a celebration of cultural heritage.  Hmmm

Last comes the naming of a new road in our community.  The road is there solely to serve as a feeder for the new Catholic high school.  The name of this new road?  Crusader Way!  I do not think this is appropriate at all given the tragic nature of the crusades and the dubious-at-best reputation of the "crusaders."  Some say these are simply historical figures and therefore a fine source for school pride and the city grid.  Hmmm.

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