I heard a story last week that boggled my mind. As I share it with you as best as I can remember, consider its potential ramifications.
In a racially divergent kindergarten class in a California city a little boy left his classroom without the permission of the Art teacher. The regular teacher was busy in another part of the school while the Art teacher and an aid were in charge of the classroom. After about 15 minutes they discovered the five year old boy in the boy’s bathroom, screaming, but he would not come out. He continued screaming for an additional 30-45 minutes. He still would not come out until finally his mother, who had been called at home, went into the bathroom and escorted him out. When I asked why the regular teacher, the Art teacher, or the aid did not go into the bathroom, I was told that these females were not allowed to go into the boy’s bathroom . . . unless there was an emergency! If my five year old son or grandson were screaming in the bathroom, I would expect someone to go in and get him out. The sex of the school employee-rescuer would make no difference. This would seem like common sense to me. Who in the world would think that getting the five year old boy out of the bathroom and back to his classroom was not the right thing to do? Apparently the “political correctness police!” And who make up the self-appointed p.c. police?
According to Yascha Mounk, writing for The Atlantic on 10/10/18, the p.c. police are not comprised predominately of either a certain age or a certain race, as neither predict those who show support for political correctness. So what, if anything predicts support for political correctness?
Consider the following groups and their opinion of political correctness:
Income: <$50K – 83% dislike; >$100K – 70% are skeptical about it
Education: Never attended college – 87% think that p.c. has grown to be a problem; Those with a postgraduate degree – 66% think it has grown to be a problem
Politics: Conservative – 97% believe that p.c. is a problem; traditional liberals – 61% believe similarly; however with progressive activists – only 30% see it as a problem.
According to polling samples, progressive activists are much more likely to be rich, highly educated, and . . . white. I would bet the farm that there are no progressive activists whose children attend this California city multicultural grade school, but it doesn’t matter as according to them, they know best!
I will go out on a limb, and say that this same group of “we know what is best for the rest of you” has been instrumental in the banning of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in thousands of public schools across America. This despite the fact that it is one of the most revered classics of American literature. Recall that Ernest Hemingway once said, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.”
Are the p.c. police everywhere? “Almost, but not quite.” For instance on the other side we have Hillsdale College, where the p.c. police have little, if any, say and certainly no jurisdiction. At Hillsdale College they are working to safeguard the legacy of this treasured classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, along with the legacy of the man, Mark Twain, who is thought by many as America’s greatest author.
If we don’t watch out, pretty soon the p.c.police will be telling the rest of us which statues are acceptable to them and which ones will be to be covered, moved, or destroyed. Oops . . . they are already doing that!
If we don’t watch out, pretty soon the p.c. police will be trying to change the names of holidays! Oops . . . they are already doing that as Columbus Day is “Indigenous People’s Day” in more liberal areas.
I wonder what it would take to have Hillsdale College take over the administration of California’s city schools?
