—-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Backl
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      Column
      for
      the
      Politically
      Incorrect
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Coeditors:
      Peter
      Hanus
      &
      Joseph
      Murphy
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Political
      Correctness
      and
      the
      Cult
      of
     
     
      Intolerance
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Editors’
      note:
      Because
      of
      the
      nature
      of
      this
      article,
     
     
      some
      people
      may
      find
      the
      reading
      heavy
      (sorry
     
     
      PHwt).
      The
      PHwts
      of
      this
      world
      may
      want
      to
      skip
     
     
      to
      the
      last
      section.
      Though
      references
      are
      not
     
     
      given,
      they
      will
      be
      made
      available
      to
      individual’s
     
     
      upon
      request.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ithas
      been
      referred
      to
      as
      ‘‘the
      new
      McCarthyism”’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      *‘fascism
      of
      the
      left.’’
      Those
      who
      abide
      by
      it,
     
     
      and
      enforce
      it,
      have
      been
      referred
      to
      as
      ‘‘
      tenured
     
     
      radicals,’
      “‘the
      silencers,’’
      and
      ‘‘all-purpose
      vic-
     
     
      tims.’’
      It
      has
      spawned
      beliefs
      and
      practices
      from
      the
     
     
      ludicrous
      to
      the
      insane;
      from
      the
      performance
      of
     
     
      pagan
      rites
      ina
      course
      on
      women’s
      spirituality
      at.
     
     
      U.P.E.I.
      to
      ‘‘anti-racism’’
      seminars
      held
      in
      some
      —
     
     
      American
      colleges
      ‘‘where
      all
      whites
      are
      racist,
      and
     
     
      only
      they
      can
      be
      racist,’’
      Whites,
      therefore,
      can
      only
     
     
      learn
      to
      become
      less
      racist.
      ‘‘Political
      Correctness’’
     
     
      (or
      PC),
      as
      it
      has
      been
      called
      by
      proponents
      and
     
     
      opponents
      alike,
      has
      been
      primarily,
      though
      not
     
     
      exclusively,
      amovement
      on
      college
      campuses
      (it’s
     
     
      starting
      to
      make
      an
      impact
      at
      U.P.E.I.).
      To
      look
      at
     
     
      what
      this
      frequently
      criticised
      movement
      is,
      three
     
     
      questions
      will
      be
      addressed:
      (1)
      what
      do
      the
      propo-
     
     
      nents
      of
      PC
      say
      it
      is,
      (2)
      what
      do
      the
      opponents
      of
     
     
      PC
      say
      it
      is,
      and
      (3)
      what
      has
      been
      its
      impact
      on
     
     
      college
      campuses
      throughout
      North
      America.
      It
     
     
      should
      become
      evident
      that
      PC
      has
      come
      to
      champion
     
     
      that
      which
      it
      preaches
      to
      be
      against:
      intolerance.
     
     
      PCand
      the
      Multicultural
      Curriculum
     
    

    
     
      ‘*Political
      Correctness’’
      as
      a
      term
      originated
      in
     
     
      the
      early
      part
      of
      the
      century,
      when
      it
      was
      used
      by
     
     
      some
      Marxists
      (those
      who
      adhere
      to
      the
      theories
      of
     
     
      Karl
      Marx,
      known
      as
      the
      FATHER
      of
      socialism
      and
     
     
      communism)
      to
      define
      their
      ideological
      stances.
     
     
      Anything
      that
      conformed
      to
      the
      Marxist
      ideology
      was
     
     
      ‘*politically
      correct’’
      and
      anything
      that
      didn’t
      was
     
     
      ‘“politically
      incorrect.’’
      This
      phraseology
      eventually
     
     
      dropped
      out
      of
      usage
      but
      was
      revived
      in
      the
      early
     
     
      eighties
      by
      ‘‘enlightened’’
      university
      faculty
      pushing
     
     
      for
      the
      rights
      of
      minorities.
      According
      to
      the
      propo-
     
     
      nents
      of
      PC,
      these
      rights
      extend
      not
      only
      to
      job
     
     
      opportunities
      and
      equal
      pay,
      but
      also
      to
      proper
      repre-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ensation
      in
      history,
      nondiscriminatory
      language
     
     
      usage,
      nondiscriminatory
      dress
      and
      demeanour,
      and
     
     
      even
      the
      development
      of
      nondiscriminatory
      science.
     
     
      This
      now
      leads
      us
      to
      the
      rehashed
      Marxist
      theories
      of
     
     
      the
      PC
      and
      how
      they
      are
      used
      to
      uncover
      such
      ghastly
     
     
      social
      wrongs
      as
      racism,
      sexism,
      ethnocentrism,
     
     
      lookism,
      classism,
      ageism,
      heterosexism,
      ableism,
      .
      .
     
     
      .
      (don’t
      worry
      if
      you
      don’t
      understand
      what
      all
      these
     
     
      terms
      mean,
      just
      as
      long
      as
      you
      get
      the
      main
      idea
      that
     
     
      everybody
      in
      society
      is
      oppressed--except
      healthy,
     
     
      white,
      heterosexual,
      European
      males).
      The
      basis-
     
     
      forming
      thesis
      for
      PC
      states
      that
      in
      Western
      society,
     
     
      white
      European
      males
      have
      traditionally
      held
      institu-
     
     
      tional
      power
      (i.e.,
      access
      to
      resources
      and
      privileges
     
     
      through
      economics,
      networks,
      acceptance,
      etc.).
      With
     
     
      such
      power,
      white
      European
      males
      have
      created
      a
     
     
      society
      that
      acts
      in
      their
      own
      best
      interests,
      and
      have
     
     
      thereby
      created
      ideologies
      that
      protect
      their
      interests
     
     
      and
      oppress
      everyone
      else’s.
      This
      ideological
      domi-
     
     
      nation
      (referred
      to
      as
      ‘‘patriarchal
      hegemony’
      ’)
      in-
     
     
      stills
      in
      minorities
      ‘‘false
      consciousness;’’
      that
      is,
     
     
      those
      who
      are
      not
      white
      European
      males,
      and
      thus
      not
     
     
      benefactors
      of
      Western
      society,
      who
      accept
      the
      status
     
     
      quo
      are
      naive
      and
      are
      actually
      oppressed
      (even
      though
     
     
      they
      don’trealise
      it).
      Some
      radical
      feminists
      claim
     
     
      that
      heterosexuality
      instills
      false
      consciousness
      in
     
     
      women/womyn/wimmin/womon,
      and
      thus
      women/etc.
     
     
      will
      never
      be
      truly
      free
      from
      patriarchal
      domination
     
     
      unless
      they
      become
      lesbians.
      This
      brings
      us
      to
      why
     
     
      the
      proponents
      of
      PC
      believe
      that
      PC
      is
      necessary
      in
     
     
      universities.
      Supposedly,
      contrary
      to
      the
      claims
      that
     
     
      academics
      have
      made
      over
      the
      years,
      these
      academics
     
    
   
   
    
     
      within
      our
      universities
      have
      not
      been
      searching
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      ‘‘objective’’
      (factual,
      value-free)
      truth,
      but
      rather
     
     
      have
      been
      promoting
      objectivity
      as
      a
      tool
      forresearch
     
     
      so
      that
      the
      accepted
      patriarchal
      ideology
      would
      not
      be
     
     
      questioned.
      Academia
      is
      nota
      place
      to
      search
      for
      the
     
     
      truth,
      but
      rather
      a
      power
      struggle
      between
      individuals
     
     
      to
      reveal
      that
      which
      is
      most
      beneficial
      to
      the
      indi-
     
     
      vidual.
      Asaresult,
      due
      to
      the
      high
      percentage
      of
     
     
      white
      European
      males
      that
      have
      been
      university
      pro-
     
     
      fessors,
      we
      have
      been
      presented
      with
      a
      view
      of
      the
     
     
      world
      that
      excludes
      other
      cultures,
      and
      even
      women.
     
    

    
     
      To
      rectify
      this,
      the
      works
      of
      such
      DWEMs
      (dead
     
    

    
     
      white
      European
      males)
      as
      Shakespeare
      and
      Plato
      must
      —
     
     
      be
      taught
      beside,
      or
      be
      subordinate
      to
      the
      testimonials
      —
     
     
      of
      oppressed
      Guatemalan
      women
      suchas
      ‘‘I
      Rigoberta
     
     
      Menchu’’
      (as
      well
      as
      the
      works
      of
      other
      minorities),
     
     
      Never
      mind
      that
      the
      originality
      and
      thought
      of
     
     
      Shakspeare
      and
      Plato
      are
      more
      apparent
      than
      in
      these
     
     
      much
      simpler
      works--as
      long
      as
      the
      author
      is
      amem-
     
     
      ber
      of
      an
      oppressed
      minority
      she/(he)
      is
      *‘politically
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      January
      16,
      1992
     
    
   
   
    
     
      +
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      10