THE DEPLORABLES, HATE SPEECH, AND PC CULTURE

Emotions are high. Some have called for assassination. Madonna confessed she had been thinking to “blow up” the White House. What has de-legitimized this election and this nation?

I think that we can place part of the blame on the alienation and marginalization caused by our PC culture. Adam Tucker laments that:

·       According to Campus Pride, “safe zones” are needed because LGBT students need to know who on campus is safe and supportive.” Wesleyan University in Connecticut has a building called Open House to serve as “a safe space… [for] generating interest in a celebration of queer life from the social to the political to the academic.” (Christian Research Journal, Vol. 39, #06, 60)

Well, what’s the matter with this? Should not the vulnerable be protected against offensive ideas?

There is much the matter with this, especially at the university where diversity of opinion should be the stock and trade of higher education. For one thing, preference for one set of ideas over others or one set of students over others represents a rejection of equality and justice. This amounts to favoring some over others, disenfranchising one group of students in order to favor another.

Favoritism separates and breeds suspicion; equality and justice provide trust and common ground where we can all stand together, sharing the same freedoms of thought and expression.

For years, PC has slammed those who have expressed un-PC thoughts, sometimes banishing the un-PCs from university, business, and employment. They became the “deplorables,” a description which they gladly accepted. Why? Because this is what they had been experiencing for years. The term simply brought to light and made tangible what they had been thinking all along.  An angry backlash was inevitable, and it ushered into the presidency a highly improbable candidate.

Meanwhile, the PC media will not accept responsibility for the alienation, polarization, and the widening divisions within our nation. Instead, they continue to rally around the PC idea that they are merely crusading against “hate speech.”

What is “hate speech?” Even the Bible has been accused of “hate speech” by the PC culture. Why? Hate speech is offensive speech, and people have a right to not be offended, right? Certainly, needlessly offending others is not acceptable. However, charges of “hate speech” are also offensive “hate speech.” It’s like the person who charges, “You have no right to judge me,” while they too are judging. This is nothing short of hypocrisy.

However, this hypocrisy has become a hallmark of PC culture. The university student is no longer allowed to express their opinions against same-sex marriage, abortion, or transgenderism. Why not? Because it offends! However, the “deplorables” are offended by this unjust oppression. Why is this offense not taken into consideration?

We need to find a way for all of us to live under the same roof. Favoritism only alienates and embitters. We need to return to the democratic principles that had once made this nation great – justice and the freedoms of speech and religion.