Higher Education?

Found in a stash of blog-posts drafts in my Blogger dashboard. True then, true now?

From The College Fix (October 4, 2020), we have this "speech guide."  The list is from Virginia's James Madison University, where the 2020-2021 undergraduate tuition along with other fees, including room and board, for in-state students is $23,918 and out-of-state tuition plus fees and room and board, is $40,818.

 Dated October 4, 2020. 2020-2021 Undergraduate tuition, along with other fees, including room and board at JMU = https://www.jmu.edu/admissions/tuition-financial-aid-and-scholarships.shtml Entering Students (2020-21) - Per year In-state tuition: $7,250 Comprehensive fee: $5,080 Room and board*: $11,588 Total in-state: $23,918 Out-of-state tuition: $24,150 Comprehensive fee: $5,080 Room and board*: $11,588 Total out-of-state: $40,818 The full list of 35 “dumb” expressions is (emphases mine): 

1. “Some of my best friends are …” 

2. “I know exactly how you feel.” 

3. “I don’t think of you as …” 

4. “The same thing happens to me too.” 

5. “It was only a joke! Don’t take things so seriously.” 

6. What do ‘your’ people think.” 

7. “What are you?” or “Where are you really from?” 

8. “I don’t see color” or “I’m color blind.” 

9. “You are so articulate.” 

10. “It is so much better than it used to be. Just be patient.” 

11. “You speak the language very well.” 

12. Asking black people about their hair or hygiene. 

13. Saying to LBGTQ people “what you do in the privacy of your own bedroom is your business.” 

14. “Yes, but you are a ‘good’ one.” 

15. “You have such a pretty face.” 

16. “I never owned slaves.” 

17. “If you are going to live in this country, learn to speak the language!” 

18. “She/he is a good person. She/he didn’t mean anything by it.” 

19. “When I’ve said the same thing to other people like you, they don’t mind.” 

20. Calling women “girls, honey, sweetie pie” or other familiar terms. 

21. When people of color say, “It is not the same thing.” 

22. When people of faith say, “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” 

23. When white men say, “We are the ones being discriminated against now!” 

24. Referring to older people as “cute.” 

25. Asking a transgender person, “What are you really? A man or a woman?” 

26. Referring to the significant other, partner, or spouse of a same gender couple as their “friend.” 

27. “Why do ‘they’ (fill in the blank) always have to sit together? They are always sticking together.” 

28. “People just need to pick themselves up by their bootstraps.” 

29. People with disabilities are “courageous.” 

30. “That’s so gay/queer. That’s so retarded.” 

31. “I don’t see difference. We are all part of the same race, the human race.” 

32. I don’t care if you are pink, purple or orange, I treat all people the same.” 

33. Asking a transgender person, “Have you had the operation.” 

34. Saying to a Jewish person, “You are so lucky to have ‘your’ Christmas spread over a week!” 

35. “Here’s another book on political correctness.”

The entire document is HERE, and each individual item has an "explanation" or "supportive material."

Mind you, I wouldn't utter most of the above statements.  As a young person, however, I would have.

Besides, a university is supposed to be, by definition, a place where students are exposed to new and different ideas and opinions.  

Back in the days when I attended university (1968-1973), I was exposed to plenty of different ideas.  I evaluated those ideas ("Keep the best, lose the rest") — that was my job as student.

Today, students at so many of our institutions of learning are being turned into Leftism-spouting automatons.  Weep for America. Weep for our  Bill of Rights.

The Origins Of "The Narrative"

(hat tip to Deplorable Bloggers Alliance, where Pastorius notes: The fact that this video is "Age Restricted" on Youtube proves that what he says is correct)

If only more "true believers" indoctrinated in our education system would watch the video below!  Perhaps the eyes of some would be opened — if only a little.
 

The Maoist State of America

Silverfiddle Rant!

Another day, another un-woke celebrity cancelled by the Red Guard...

The persecution of Gina Carano
Her sacking perfectly illustrates the hypocrisy and intolerance of the woke elites.

So far, she has not opted for a self-flagellating Maoist Struggle Session, which seems to be all the rage lately.  She must be smart enough to realize you cannot appease the baying mob.  

"The guillotine's thirst for blood is never slaked."

These theatrical self-shaming debasements all hit the same notes.  You could play word bingo with them: Systemic racism, inexcusable, painful, white privilege, people of color, etc...

...but the most disturbing aspects of the public self-accusations are the admissions of "ignorance," and the promise to "learn" (be reeducated).  This ends in a dark place.  I leave you with a few examples that could have been taken directly from historical accounts of Mao's Cultural Revolution:

NY Times food critic offered this obsequious self-mortification for criticizing a woman of color:

“I’m a white woman who has and will continue to benefit from white privilege and I recognize that makes what I said even more inexcusable and hurtful. The fact that it didn’t occur to me that I had singled out two Asian women is one hundred percent a function of my privilege (being blind to racial insensitivities is a discriminatory luxury).

My favorite, a florid burst of self-censure from the Poetry Foundation:

“To our community of contributors, subscribers, partners, and visitors which includes,” it noted, “but is not limited to, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, Asian, trans, non-binary, and queer people, undocumented and other immigrants, people with disabilities, and those struggling financially: we apologize for our silence in the face of crisis amid the call to dismantle institutional racism.”

The host of "The Bachelor" fell afoul of the Social Control Ministers at Ingsoc when he did not collapse into an attack of vapors and immediately organize the horsewhipping of a woman contestant who attended an antebellum themed party when she was in high school. 

His groveling self-rebuke hits all the required notes with an economy of words:

“What I now realize I have done is cause harm by wrongly speaking in a manner that perpetuates racism, and for that I am so sorry.”

"By excusing historical racism, I defended it. I invoked the term ‘woke police,’ which is unacceptable. I am ashamed over how uninformed I was. I was wrong,”

Here are quotes from a college professor's particularly operatic apology for the crime of extolling the virtues of college football: 

"I am sorry for the hurt, sadness, frustration, fatigue, exhaustion and pain this article has caused anyone, but specifically Black students in the higher education community and beyond," writes the Ohio State University professor. "I am struggling to find the words to communicate the deep ache for the damage I have done."

My center is as a learner, so movement for me will involve unlearning and relearning by listening, reading, dialoguing, reflecting and writing as a means for increasing my awareness and knowledge about systemic racism and the experiences of people of color and people who hold marginalized identities different from my own."

I am just beginning to understand how I have harmed communities of color with my words. I am learning that my words—my uninformed, careless words—often express an ideology wrought in whiteness and privilege. I am learning that my commitment to diversity has been performative, ignoring the pain the Black community and other communities of color have endured in this country. I am learning that I am not as knowledgeable as I thought I was, not as antiracist that thought I was, not as careful as I thought I was. For all of these, I sincerely apologize.

I know it's not anyone's job to forgive me, but I ask for it—another burden of a white person haunted by his ignorance.

In this last sad example, a former fighter pilot and Boeing executive apologizes for writing an article opposing women in combat.  33 years ago:

In an apology upon leaving the company for an article he wrote in 1987 opposing women in combat, then-Boeing executive Niel Golightly said the article was “painful because it is wrong. Painful because it is offensive to women. Painful because it reminds me of the sharp and embarrassing education the uninformed and unformed ‘me’ of that time received as soon as the piece appeared.”

This will not end well.

Links:

The Humiliating Art of the Woke Apology

Ohio State Professor Apologizes.  He is so very, very, so very sorry

Alison Roman apologizes again to Chrissy Teigen for her 'tone deaf remarks'

Jonathan Chait and MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Take Friendly Fire for Defending Fired Star Wars Actor Gina Carano: ‘Stop This Bullsh*t’

Sean Hannity Won't Save You

Silverfiddle Rant!

... but Tucker Carlson, Matt Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald just might.

  

Salvation from totalitarian progressivism will not come from the Republican Party, nor will it come from the right.  It will come from the liberal left and non-aligned allies, including the Intellectual Dark Web .  

Many good liberals are getting stomped as well (Bret Weinstein and Anna Khachiyan for example), and are fighting back. 

Contrary to popular opinion, Sandy Cortez is not the future of American leftism; she is the last baby bubble burp of the old socialism of that shabby communist Bernie Sanders.  

I don't know how many people are in Sandy and Grandpa Bernie's neo-bolshevik camp versus how many are in the anti-totalitarian camp, but I know there is a substantial number of people on the left who are fed up with all this warmed-over 20th century totalitarian bullshit. 

Scholars of color like Glenn Loury and John McWhorter are blatantly calling Ibrahim Khendi, Robin DiAngelo and Nikole Hannah Jones frauds.  Professors at Cambridge have pushed  back recently on minor issues involving speech, and have won.  

That has happened in other universities as well, and it is left liberals within the institution, speaking the institutional language and appealing to the foundational principles of the institution.  That is how freedom wins. We can join in by stating our values clearly in a non-inflammatory way while respecting the considered views of others. And it will have to happen everywhere:  Hollywood, social media, the press, government, and private business. And I think it can.

We are not alone.  There is a whole world of thought and speech out there pushing back against the progressive totalitarians.  They seriously analyze, joyfully mock and openly flout totalitarian progressive orthodoxy and speech codes.  Many are self-described leftists and liberals, some are libertarians, but they all share a love of truth and liberty that transcends boundaries and labels. 

I commend to you the following individuals, web sites and podcasts in no particular order.  You won't always agree, but you will be educated and entertained. 

In no particular order...

* Matt Taibbi - Astute observer, brilliant liberal journalist taking down progressive totalitarianism 

* Glenn Greenwald - solid gold journalism

* Spiked Podcast (Brendan O'Neill) and Website

* Quillette podcast and website - IDW Flagship - Always excellent discussions

* Glenn Loury podcast - Wise professor who shares lessons learned

* Bret Weinstein podcast - Scholarly discussion

* Eric Weinstein podcast - Scholarly discussion

* Making Sense podcast (Sam Harris) - He will probably make you mad, but he is a great example of how to properly characterize the point of view you disagree with and then civilly argue against it, while conceding points and empathizing with those who you disagree with

* Joe Rogan - Trenchant discussion.  He brings on smart people and asks questions everyday people would ask.

* The Fifth Column - Raucous, rambling discussion of current events.  Irreverent and often vulgar, traditional conservatives would not like it.

* Blocked and Reported (vapid sounding lefty gurls busting on political correctness).  Also probably not for traditional conservatives

* Red Scare (Anna Khachiyan and and Dasha Nekrasova)

Intellectual Dark Web

Top 10 Anti-Woke Heroes of 2020

Meet the anti-woke left

Tune in Thursday!

Democracy Dies in Hate Speech Laws

Silverfiddle Rant!

Former Time Editor and CEO of Constitution Center (!) Wants To Cancel First Amendment, Pass Hate Speech Laws

The rest of the world--from Central Europe to the Islamic lands of the Middle East--hate our liberal Free Speech laws. Free Speech is a threat to tyrants and hidden agendists everywhere, and it is a particular threat to multi-cultural societies, since they have more friction points than homogeneous ones.

Social media platforms hate free speech: It is a threat to their revenue models. Now more than ever, they need a global speech code enforced by powerful nations in order to legally shield their profits and eliminate costly and legally-precarious nation-by-nation tailored enforcement. One Automated Speech Code to Rule Them All.

Asshat Richard Stengel, Obamaite and former Time Magazine editor, is the latest "serious person" to make anti-First Amendment arguments. We are in scary territory. Here are some excerpts:

On the Internet, truth is not optimized. On the Web, it's not enough to battle falsehood with truth; the truth doesn't always win.

What planet does this man live on? The Truth is slaughtered daily on the altar of partisan politics. Unfortunately, here in the real world, everything doesn't wrap up nice and neatly like a Leave it to Beaver episode. That is no reason to stamp out free speech.

Government schools that propagandize and indoctrinate, while making our children dumber, are also no reason to attack the First Amendment:

A 2016 Stanford study showed that 82 percent of middle schoolers couldn't distinguish between an ad labeled "sponsored content" and an actual news story.

Here's another pearl of wisdom:

All speech is not equal. And where truth cannot drive out lies, we must add new guardrails.

Something is crooked here, we all perceive it, but we can't put our finger on it. This quote provides some illumination:

Only a quarter of high school students could tell the difference between an actual verified news site and one from a deceptive account designed to look like a real one.

The linked article laments how students unquestioningly lap up information shoveled to them by an official-looking website that is really a "fake." 

What is "an actual verified news site?"  And what Official Verifier bearing the official Seal of Approval decides?

When the Washington Post libeled those schoolboys from Ohio, was that "actual verified news?"

More importantly--in this mortal coil where "truth cannot drive out lies," who decides what it the truth and what are the lies?  

Who was lying, Christine Blasey Ford, or Justice Kavanaugh?

Who was lying, the stolen valor Native American, or the schoolboys?

Restoring Walter Kronkite

This is revanchist Establishmentarians aching to restore the ancien régime of  "Because We Say So." They long to return to the days where they determined what is right and what is wrong.  The Information Totalitarians are working to restore the regime that dictates Truth to the pliant masses who obediently lap it up and regurgitate, while the dissident fringe damns itself by its refusal to say  2+2=5.

We all grew up in an age of appeal to authority--"Four out of five doctors smoke Camels!"--but the "authorities" have beshat themselves and their credibility is shot.  There is no monopoly on truth.

See also: No, the US does not need European-style hate speech laws

Self-Policed Thought

Silverfiddle Rant!

George Packer has written a good article in the Atlantic:

Doublethink Is Stronger Than Orwell Imagined

In it, he excoriates President Trump and dilates upon the danger he presents to our republic. But then he aims his criticism at Double Speak the woke left indulges in, and laments how identity politics has become the standard for judging the merits of artistic works.

"Progressive doublethink—which has grown worse in reaction to the right-wing kind—creates a more insidious unreality because it operates in the name of all that is good."

Doublethink produces cognitive dissonance, confusion, and ultimately, emotional distress. A healthy, free and rational human being will reject the contradictions and throw it all on the trash heap. But tyranny makes you pay a high price for doing so, be it a boot to the face from a 1984-style dictatorial regime, or from today's social media pile-ons and banishment from the Woke Hive.

So, we develop coping mechanisms, and Packer's cogent description is brilliant:

Some people who register […] doublethink might be privately troubled, but they don’t say so publicly. Then self-censorship turns into self-deception, until the recognition itself disappears—a lie you accept becomes a lie you forget. In this way, intelligent people do the work of eliminating their own unorthodoxy without the Thought Police.

He sums up the dangers of this in his penultimate two paragraphs. Please comprehend them and tell us what you think in the comments.

Orthodoxy is also enforced by social pressure, nowhere more intensely than on Twitter, where the specter of being shamed or “canceled” produces conformity as much as the prospect of adding to your tribe of followers does. This pressure can be more powerful than a party or state, because it speaks in the name of the people and in the language of moral outrage, against which there is, in a way, no defense. Certain commissars with large followings patrol the precincts of social media and punish thought criminals, but most progressives assent without difficulty to the stifling consensus of the moment and the intolerance it breeds—not out of fear, but because they want to be counted on the side of justice.

This willing constriction of intellectual freedom will do lasting damage. It corrupts the ability to think clearly, and it undermines both culture and progress. Good art doesn’t come from wokeness, and social problems starved of debate can’t find real solutions. “Nothing is gained by teaching a parrot a new word,” Orwell wrote in 1946. “What is needed is the right to print what one believes to be true, without having to fear bullying or blackmail from any side.” Not much has changed since the 1940s. The will to power still passes through hatred on the right and virtue on the left.

The Jussie Smollett Case

[source]

Two links about the jumping onto the bandwagon of racism and homophobia (Celebrity Jussie Smollett is both black and gay):

1) Montage: Watch the Media Uncritically Accept Another Outlandish ‘Hate Crime’

2) Pelosi Deletes Sympathetic Tweet For Jussie Smollett

From Here Are All The Politicians Who Rushed To Judgment On The Smollett ‘Hate Crime’:

Those Democrats included Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, and Reps. Maxine Waters, Nancy Pelosi, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, among others.

Waters blamed the attack on President Donald Trump....

Read the rest HERE.

Oh, the hysteria to jump in and support politically-correct protected groups!

Below the fold, the interview in which actor Jussie Smollett lashed out against those who doubted his story:

The Race Card. Again.

Protesters demonstrate outside a Starbucks in Philadelphia on Sunday, several days after police arrested two black men who were waiting inside the Center City coffee shop.

I hardly ever go to Starbucks — except for rarely-held meetings with clients, that is. So, the closing of Starbucks for one afternoon won't put me in danger of caffeine withdrawal. My special-brew mix for coffee is better than Starbucks brews, anyway! **smile**

Nonetheless, I find this beyond stupid: Starbucks to close all company-owned stores on the afternoon of May 29 for racial-bias education day.

A public relations ploy?

Political correctness on steroids?

White guilt?

Many a time, I've been prevented from using the restroom in a business establishment because I wasn't at the moment a customer of said establishment. Just sayin'.

The Lexicon

Somewhat, a break from politics. I use the word somewhat because many politically-oriented words have been co-opted over the past several decades. Before expounding upon the changes in politically-oriented words, please watch the video below, which offers some interesting observations about words which have changed meanings over the centuries:


Now please provide your observations as to how politically-oriented terminology has been co-opted by the opposition and thus reduced "the conversations" to blather.

My input...

"The Narrative"?

Is the term the narrative actually a euphemism for the latest political lie harped upon ad nauseam?

Pick any "narrative." Is that narrative aligned by political party or is that narrative not aligned by political party?

Recent narratives...

Democrats: "The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 will hit the middle class hard and panders to the rich."

Republicans: "The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 gives tax breaks to the middle class, and the tax breaks for the rich will stimulate the economy."

Is not one of the above so-called narratives an outright lie?  Hmmmmm?

WHAT IS TRUTH?

Additional reading and worth your time: Trump's Tax Plan and How It Would Affect You.

Bill Whittle on The Narrative: The origins of Political Correctness

There are several ongoing narratives. In the 2012 video below, Bill Whittle explains the Marxist background behind the ongoing narratives pushing the world to the Left:


Note that, since this video was first posted, how some of the mentioned narratives are now accepted as infallible truths — even by those who pride themselves on not falling for false narratives.

Who Rules You?

How many ways do we muzzle ourselves so as not to offend someone else and in ways that go far beyond one-on-one interactions, guidance for which is found in the words [A]s ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise (Luke 6:31)?

Recommended Reading

To this inanity we have come! See How Serena Williams’s baby shower helped those who want to make America great again: The shower's nostalgia for the 1950s encourages the restoration of the politics and hierarchies of the era, written by Karen Dundak and appearing in the August 15, 2017 edition of the Washington Post. Comments posted thereto have thus far ridiculed this "analysis."

For those of you without a subscription to the Washington Post, the entire ludicrous essay is below the fold.  My brief commentary is also below the fold.

Tipping Point?

To this we have come....

But not all that surprising when we consider some of Wellesley's alumnae who entered government and public service.  That particular list includes Hillary Clinton.

We also read that Charlotte Anita Whitney is an alumna of Wellesley. She was an early Communist Labor Party of America and Communist Party USA organizer in California. She was named the national chairwoman of the Communist Party in 1936.

From Wellesley College Students: ‘Hostility’ Is Warranted Against People Who Say Anything Offensive:

... The student editors say it’s fine to suppress and deny people the right to speak their minds if their thoughts offend others.

“We have all said problematic claims,” the editorial reads. “Luckily most of us have been taught by our peers and mentors at Wellesley in a productive way.”

If that doesn’t sound like it was ripped from a dystopian novel, what comes next is truly Orwellian: “If people are given the resources to learn and either continue to speak hate speech or refuse to adapt their beliefs, then hostility may be warranted.” In other words, if you say things some people find offensive, then there will be physical consequences.

[...]

This weird interpretation of free speech — that saying offensive or politically incorrect things deprives others of rights — is not exclusive to the faculty. Here’s how the student editorial staff describes the objective of free speech: “The spirit of free speech is to protect the suppressed, not a free-for-all where anything is acceptable, no matter how hateful and damaging.”...

Read the rest HERE.

Parents, beware when you send your children off to college! Our institutions have become bastions of the suppression and extermination of any and all ideas not in accordance with Leftism.

Related reading: Radical Professor Arrested for Anarchist ‘Bike Lock’ Assault at Berkeley. Brief excerpt:

...[T]hree separate victims...were injured by an attacker suspected to be Eric Clanton. In all three cases, the victims were struck in the head or neck with a bike lock.

Read the rest HERE.

Those Evil Disney Films

Certain "educators" in the UK have pronounced Disney films as evil and have available to them lessons plans condemning various beloved Disney films.

From the UK's Telegraph (dated November 20, 2016, emphases mine):

Pupils taught Disney fairy tales promote sexism and domestic violence in online lesson plan

For centuries, children have grown up with Beauty and the Beast, which tells the story of how a cursed man-beast is transformed into a handsome prince when an evil spell is broken by the love of a beautiful and gentle young girl.

But now pupils as young as 11 are being taught that loyal heroine Belle is in an abusive relationship with the Beast in which "her only asset is her sexuality".

A lesson plan available on a teaching resource sharing website reads: "The Beast does not attack Belle but the threat of physical violence is present.

"The movie says if a woman is pretty and sweet natured she can change an abusive man into a kind and gentle man.

"In other words, it is the woman's fault if her man abuses her. And of course, the beast turns into a handsome prince because ugly people cannot be happy."

Belle is just one of the Disney favourites portrayed as scheming bimbos who boost macho ideas about female slavery by their willingness to do anything to get a man.

Others include The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin's Princess Jasmine, and Snow White - branded a domestic skivvy for the seven dwarves.

"She doesn't mind house work because she is sure a rich young man will soon come and take her away," children are told.

"This is typical of Disney's movies. Young women are naturally happy home-makers. They wait - like Snow White in her coma - until a man comes along to give them life."

[...]

The lesson plan called Racism/Sexism in Disney, targetted at 11 to 16-year-olds, was uploaded by an unknown teacher in England for lessons such as RE and Citizenship.

It has been viewed more than 11,000 times and downloaded more than 5,808 times.

Phil Davies, the Tory MP for Shipley, West Yorkshire, said: "Parents will be horrified to think that their children are being brainwashed with this politically correct claptrap.

"Most parents send their kids to school to learn about maths, science and history - not to be brainwashed with garbage like this.

"The Government should stop this idiocy and ensure schools teach things that parents expect."...

Disney has issued a statement:

“For more than 90 years, Disney’s timeless stories and beloved characters, including Disney Princesses, have been universal, relatable and relevant for everyone.

“They are loved by millions of children and adults across gender because it is their inner qualities such as determination, kindness, loyalty, humour, courage and wit that shine through and define them."

Read the entire article HERE.

Lest you think that such nonsense is restricted to the UK, know that a few years ago a seventh-grade Honors English class in Fairfax County Public Schools spent an entire week watching the film The Lorax so as to promote environmental awareness.  See THIS about The Lorax's message.

An entire week spent on watching an animated film instead of spent on reading classics or writing compositions!  In Honors English!  This was the breaking point for a particular student whom I know: she refused to return to school and is now homeschooled.

Recommended Reading

See How C.S. Lewis Predicted Today’s College Campus Craziness—in 1944. There is more involved than "college campus craziness." Moral relativism pervades today's churches and homes, too, so as to "keep up with the times."

Excerpt from the above essay below the fold:

Another Form Of White Privilege?

I've spent my entire career of 40+ years teaching students in Kindergarten through college the rules of grammar in various English, Latin, and Spanish courses.

Before long, I may be forced to retire my gold badge.

Now comes the declaration that correct grammar is racist and elitist.  "And just plain wrong."

So claims Mona Chalabi, the data editor of the Guardian.

From NewsBusters, citing the Daily Wire (emphases mine):

Apparently having good grammar or correcting someone else’s grammar means you are a racist and experiencing yet another form of “white privilege.” At least that’s what The Guardian’s data editor, Mona Chalabi believes. Chalabi also thinks grammar rules were created by wealthy white people and can be ignored by minorities without facing any criticism:

“Grammar snobs are patronizing, pretentious, and just plain wrong.”



This sounds quite unbelievable, but sadly, it’s no joke. Chalabi argues that using good grammar or correcting one’s grammar is just another way to shut up minorities:

“The people pointing out the mistakes are more likely to be older, wealthier, whiter, or just plain academic than the people they’re treating with condescension…All too often, it’s a way to silence people and that’s particularly offensive when it’s someone who might already be struggling to speak up.”

Instead of correcting grammar, Chalabi maintains that people should just shut up and listen:

“We should spend more time listening to what others have to say and less focusing on the grammar what they say it with,” Chalabi says, and claims these grammar rules “aren’t commonly held at all” – they are basically white people rules.

The ability to speak and write appropriately isn’t a “white privilege,” it’s a sign of an educated person, and I’m quite sure Chalabi would agree that white people aren’t the only educated people in the world. No, Chalabi is only perpetuating the notion that EVERYTHING is racist or racism can be found in anything, anywhere – including grammar.

What is it with the left, always trying to dumb down their side and promote low expectations? Why not try to better an individual, rather than keep the status quo?

It’s no surprise then, to learn Chalabi made a BBC documentary titled Is Britain Racist? I'm sure "white privilege" came up more than once. They tried to prove racism by....handing out free donuts.

ALL STANDARDS ARE RACIST!

ALL STANDARDS ARE RACIST!

Fearing Islamophobia

Political correctness — perhaps compounded by see-something, say-something-get sued — has resulted in the slaughter of 14 people in San Bernardino, California.

Devout Muslim who traveled this year to Saudi Arabia and returned with a Muslima wife.

American born, Farook was a county employee who worked for the health department.

Explosive devices were also found at the scene (Inland Regional Center).

Political correctness in a nutshell:

Political Satire And Ghouls

One of my recent Facebook finds:

This may or may not be satire: D.C. Residents Say Take Down Jefferson Memorial, Rename Washington, D.C.

Clearly, this is not satire (dated July 22, 2015):

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A group was fed up with waiting, so they got a shovel and dug up a patch of grass next to Nathan Bedford Forrest’s grave and statue in a public park in the Medical District.

The group says they wanted the statue and remains removed for a long time, because he was a Confederate soldier, a KKK leader and a slave trader.

“If he’s gone, some of this racism and race-hate might be gone,” said Isaac Richmond with Commission on Religion and Racism. “We got a fresh shovel full, and we hope that everybody else will follow suit and dig him up.”...

Interesting Take On Obergefell v. Hodges

Please take a few moments to read and to consider the following excerpt from The trouble with the ‘dignity’ of same-sex marriage, which recently appeared in the Washington Post (emphases mine):