Terry Mitchell

Kissing the Ring of Political Correctness



Posted: Monday, March 23, 2009

by Terry Mitchell
http://commenterry.blogs.com

Warning: The following article contains extreme amounts of political incorrectness. Parental discretion is advised.

Over the past several days, President Barack Obama has been busy doing damage control over an off-the-cuff remark he made about the Special Olympics during an appearance Thursday night on The Tonight Show. As the president joked about his lack of bowling skills with host Jay Leno, he compared them to something one might see in the Special Olympics.

I am frankly disappointed that Obama, like so many other modern politicians, has decided to kiss the ring of political correctness. Even though he obviously meant no harm with his remark, he is repenting in sackcloth and ashes, crawling on his hands and knees and begging Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver -- and all the contestants and parents associated with that organization -- for forgiveness. How unbecoming a President of the United States!

In my opinion, the people who are the most upset about Obama's so-called gaffe are insulting the mentally and physically challenged far more than he ever did. What they are doing is projecting an additional disability on those folks -- one of a total lack of a sense of humor. How would you like for someone to assume that you had no sense of humor just because you had a mental or physical disability?

Now, I know some people are probably thinking that I would feel much differently about this situation if I had a mental or physical disability, or had a child with one. No, I wouldn't. I grew up in poverty, yet it mattered not to me when people made fun of the poor. I have twice survived stage-three cancer (two unrelated kinds, 12 years apart), yet I have no problem with people making light of that disease or even making jokes about it. 

I'm not that sensitive. Instead, I choose to laugh things off and move on. It's too bad that so few people follow my example. Long ago, my parents taught me the meaning of a simple three-word phrase, "get over it."

These days, we just have too many people who have left common sense behind. It's as if they have allowed the PC Pod People to take over their brains. They and the mindless media regularly turn non-stories into major scandals. 

They need to chill out and stop wasting their valuable time focusing on petty grievances and offenses. Don't they have more serious matters to be concerned about? Hello! Aren't a recession, high unemployment, home foreclosures around every corner, and two wars enough to occupy their minds right now? Apparently not, as they must always set aside time to defend society's sacred cows.

If there is indeed intelligent life on other planets and those creatures can look in on news reports from planet Earth, I wonder what they would think about such absurdities. Actually, I do have an idea as to how they might react. I think those extraterrestrials might be laughing their butts off right now.
 
Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, amateur political analyst, and blogger from Virginia, USA. He posts a least one article a day to his blog - http://commenterry.blogs.com - on subjects such as current events, politics, technology, society and culture, religion, health and well-being, self improvement, personal finance, trivia, and sports. He is also the owner of a new privacy-enhanced search engine - http://www.SearchMost.com.

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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)
» left by Anonymous
 3 years 47 days ago.
Great Article Terry,
 

I’m with you on this one. Political correctness seems to be turning many into a bunch of furrowed brow sad sacks who can’t stand seeing someone else laugh out of nothing more than a play on words or innocent use of a generality. Great work.

 

Ira

» left by Terry Mitchell 3 years 46 days ago.
91 fans.
Ira, thanks for reading and commenting.
» left by Michael Ramzy from Austin, TX. 3 years 46 days ago.
I am offended that you think aliens have butts to laugh off. We don't make jokes about aliens anymore, remember?
Seriously, this was a nice piece. Thank you.
» left by Terry Mitchell 3 years 46 days ago.
91 fans.
Michael, thanks for reading and commenting.
» left by Linda DeWitt
 3 years 44 days ago.
67 fans. Follow Linda DeWitt on twitter!
Enjoyed your article very much. I am one of the ones that have to be reminded not to take things so seriously but I too did not think his remark was offensive.
» left by Terry Mitchell 3 years 43 days ago.
91 fans.
Linda, thanks for reading and commenting.
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