From: wdw@math2.sma.usna.navy.MIL (Wm. Douglas Withers -- math  FACULTY <wdw@sma.usna.navy.mil>)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american
Subject: Re: ***WARNING*** Dr. King's speech has been censored
Date: 27 Jan 93 16:09:21 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: U.S. Naval Academy

In article <1993Jan25.222506.22914@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> ajh@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Alan Hu) writes:
>In article <C1439y.6np@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> achen@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (neptune) writes:

>>It is very, very unfortunate that the politically correct crowd
>>has even managed to censor one of the most famous speeches made
>>by an American in recent times, just to make it more palatable.
>
>Why, WHY, *WHY* do people have to resort to calling *anything* they
>disagree with as being censorship by "the politically correct crowd"???

First comment (limited to this particular incident):  In this case I think
the "politically correct" label may be quite apt.  Someone removed the word
"Negro" from MLK's speech without noting the change.  What would you
hypothesize as the motive for this unknown editor?

Second comment (general in nature):  My experience suggests that often when
people disagree about the good or evil of "political correctness" they are
carrying different conceptions of what political correctness entails.
It might be useful for some of us to describe what we mean when we use the
term "political correctness."  I give here an example of what I consider
"politically correct" behavior.

It is politically correct to censure a white person who suggests that black
people have a special innate musical talent.  It is not politically correct
to censure a black person who suggests that all white people are vicous
racists.  The double standard here is the crucial matter.  (Disclaimer:
the use of this example implies no comment on the musical talents of black
people or the racism of white people.)

(S.c.a.a. has its own version of this dichotomy:  It is politically correct
to criticise a non-Asian-American man who professes to like Asian-American
women.  It is not politically correct to criticise an Asian-American man
who professes to like Asian-American women.  [Disclaimer:  the use of this
example implies no comment on the qualities of Asian-American women, the
qualities of Asian-American men, the propriety of special attitudes towards
women of particular ethnic groups, or male-female relations in general.])

Another example comes to mind (from a real incident).  Ronald Reagan once
quoted MLK in arguing against quotas:  that stuff about people not being
judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
There was a great outcry from some liberal leaders to the effect that
Ronald Reagan, being as he was RONALD REAGAN, had NO RIGHT to quote MLK.
Apparently only liberals have that right.  This is also something I consider
"political correctness."  (Disclaimer:  The use of this example does not
imply that I am a Ronald Reagan fan.)

I use the term "politically correct" to describe the worst excesses of those
on the left politically.  It is not intended to be a blanket condemnation of
all liberal ideas.  Invent whatever term you like to describe the excess of
those on the right.  I suspect that the reason "politically correct"
is bandied about so much these days, while its right-wing equivalent is not,
is that many perceive that in today's climate liberal extreme ideas are closer
to receiving official sanction than conservative extreme ideas.

(Disclaimer:  Sorry for all the disclaimers, but preivous experience on the
net suggests that they are necessary.)
-- 
Els Withers                   email: wdw@math2.sma.usna.navy.mil
Department of Mathematics     phone: (410)267-3192 / fax: (410)267-4883
United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, MD  21402-5002     Senri no tabi mo ippo yori...
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