After working in the field of community social services for over 35 years, I can honestly say that the level of ‘sensitivity’ for people’s issues has come a long way. In fact, it is my opinion that political and social correctness has now surpassed its purpose, and has become a very real threat to free speech. I think respect has become mandatory, which quickly turns it to resentment, and I sure don’t like to think about where that there path leads. Ironically, murder, assault, lies and deception are all deemed socially appropriate for TV, but casting a sitcom where someone stutters, is blind, a stroke victim, etc. is dang near taboo. Heck, all folks seem to see anymore are differences, and that makes it real hard to find things in common.
Folks my age grew up watching cartoon characters with speech impediments (Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Sylvester jr.), lisps (Elmer Fudd), anger issues (Tasmanian Devil, Yosemite Sam), stuttering (Porky Pig), heavy foreign accents (Speedy Gonzales), superiority complexes (Foghorn Leghorn, Road Runner), little big man syndromes (Henery Hawk, Yosemite Sam), then last but not least, there were the intellectually impaired (Wile E. Coyote, Sylvester sr.). And we laughed our butts off, never once noticing any ‘disability’. It was their ‘character’ that we loved, and still do. But, such cartoons if made today would be picketed, ticketed, sued and booed. And really, that’s a damn shame.
You see, when sensitivity gets to the point where it’s at today, folks ain’t being respectful anymore, they’re scared poopless, and secretly resent the living hell out of the folks who make them feel so darn uncomfortable. This breeds hate. So, instead of achieving integration, sensitivity begins causing isolation, and instead of folks honesty enjoying each other, they avoid situations where they have to watch everything they say and do. Many of the folks I’ve been lucky enough to help out have incredible senses of humor, and sometimes find themselves very funny. But today they laugh alone, because it would be politically and socially inappropriate for caregivers to laugh ‘at their situation’. Now spiritual haters is dragging all kinds of other issues into the fray, confusing the heck out of folks, and compounding problems.
For instance: there was a time when “God” (in all its forms) was a word used with reverence and sensitivity. But today, why God ain’t nothing but a fightin’ word, and a major cause of beheadings right around the whole darn world. Now folks has even taken to calling religious hatred, “racism”! A classic example is the term, ‘Islamophobia”, which folks is right proud enough of to stand on TV and make complete and utter asses out of themselves by saying ” Islamophobia is racism!” Do the idiotic twits not know that there are Chinese Muslims, Black Muslims and White Muslims too? There ain’t no doubt that religious hatred, the most detestable and violent hate of all, has reared its ugly head against Jews, Muslims and Christians, but it ain’t even remotely racist, so the dipshits really need to get off their racist soapboxes and stop pushing religious agendas.
Hate comes from sick, scared and tormented souls who desperately need help. And, hating them because they misbehave ain’t going to make them any better. All racial stereotyping does is blame and penalize people who have done nothing wrong. My Ma ain’t sick, scared and tormented, so why the heck does she need to be told how to live, speak, and act? There is millions of Muslims who are fine, upstanding folks, so why label them all as terrorists? Maybe we should try passing ourselves some laws that help folks who need it, get it, instead of insulting the hell out of a lot of real good folks who just want to laugh, love and live. You see, at the end of the day all of us, regardless of race or religion, want to be loved, to be of worth, and to be respected for who and what we are.
To me, it’s a damn sad testament to mankind when we’ve reached the point where we need to make laws to force us to do what is decent and right, and have laws that let other people do things that are terribly wrong. But, I reckon that we can just pass ourselves all the cotton-picking laws we want to try to stop hate, and all it’s going to do in the long run is cause a whole heap more hate. You see, hate ain’t something you can put in handcuffs, there ain’t no cell on Earth that can contain it, and it’s impossible to legislate away. There is only one cure for hate, and trust me, it ain’t the punishment wanted by the people who hate those who hate. It’s love. Simply love, one of the most ancient and powerful forces ever known to man, and one of the least used.
Dang sensitivity…
