Every once in a while, we see a Norman Rockwell illustration, and it makes us smile. For years they were on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post and often illustrated the trials of growing up.
A favorite of mine is “The Runaway.” It depicts a little boy who has obviously planned to run away from home, but now is sitting on a stool at the local soda fountain, talking with a very large, smiling policeman … having a soda. When you see it, you know everything is going to turn out just fine. That one picture tells a story: childhood, benevolent adults and that fact that the grownups will do the correct thing.
Good grief! What has happened to us? While political correctness seemed essentially just, we now can see the pitfalls. Pitfalls that we never contemplated because we all thought, surely the grownups in charge will ensure this comes out right.
Well, consider:
- A sports team changes the name of its mascot from “Indians” because a Native American is offended.
- A 5-year-old boy kisses a classmate on Valentine’s Day. He is suspended for sexual harassment.
- A 6-year-old girl brings to school a pink, plastic Hello Kitty gun that bubbles. She is suspended because the grownups have a zero-tolerance policy. Do the grownups have a “no common sense policy,” as well?
- This past week, because someone was offended when they saw a cross on a Christian church, the church was being asked to remove it.
Well, people who constantly are offended offend me!
More than that, this constant push by a small number of activists that tries to make us into groups of victims is really an attack on truth, an attack on both free speech and free thinking.
Responsible free speech and free thought are the basis of a democratic society, of American society. We talk, we hear others’ opinions and thoughts and we form judgments with input from those different from ourselves. To try to stop that exchange and expression is not just annoying, but it is dangerous.
Back to where I started: Norman Rockwell had a series of paintings: the Four Freedoms – freedom from want, freedom from fear, freedom of religion and freedom of speech. That’s what America stood for in the dark days of World War II and still stands for today. In freedom of speech, an ordinary man stands proudly at his town meeting and expresses his opinion. No one is offended.
We, all of us, must move to put a stop to political correctness run amok. They might call you a “racist” if you don’t want to change the name of your sports team, but do speak up. Don’t let them stop you. Take a stand, make a call, send an e-mail or get on a board or committee. If it doesn’t pass the common sense test, it’s probably wrong and you know it. So, do something.
It’s easy to be complacent, but remember: We are the grown-ups.