Reason #227: Thriving on Political Incorrectness
Someone in my company read one of my posts the other day and commented, “hey boss, that one was a bit politically incorrect, wasn’t it?” After firing him, I responded, “well, I hope so.” There is speech that is downright degrading, demeaning and despicable. That kind of speech is not aimed at intellectual stimulation, but rather to foment someone’s hateful ideas, or just to hurt another person or group. But what many label “politically incorrect” speech is often simply speech that is not consistent with their ideas about how the world operates, or should operate. My speech is at times what someone might consider politically incorrect, depending on what your political views happen to be. You see, I am essentially apolitical. What? Someone out there may be saying, “come on Costa Rica Guy, you are always talking politics here.” Well that’s true, because our reality is full of it….politics, that is. But I am apolitical in the sense that at this point in my relatively short life, I have no firm ideologically based political views. I would rather not. I believe they are dangerous and usually wrong. Therefore, I myself would never regard my speech as politically incorrect because I would never view it from any particular political lens. If I praise Obama, it is not because I am “politically aligned” with him. Rather, it is because I simply agree with his ideas and objectives. For instance, I agree that the U.S. should have universal health care and that a government option is key to providing it. I agree with much of what Oscar Arias has stood for and accomplished here in Costa Rica. I applauded the passing of the free trade agreement with North America. I do not agree with his granting of concessions to mining and development companies giving them a green light to violate Costa Rica’s environmental laws. I do believe that the world would be a better place if we could let go of these ideas about what is “politically correct” or “politically incorrect” and instead just focus on what works and what doesn’t work, or what serves the “greater good.” It is politically incorrect for a republican politician to stand up for abortion rights. But if that politician is stepping outside the confines of his political ideology and making a decision on what he or she thinks is right and what promotes the greater good, then there is nothing “incorrect” about it. One should always follow his own conscience prior to any political (or “theopolitical”) ideology. Doing so may get you kicked out of the club, or you may lose some dinner invitations, or you may have some nasty things said about you, but in the end you will be better for it….and possible so will the world. In many influential circles, Abraham Lincoln’s ideas were decidedly politically incorrect…think about it. For the speech purists out there, I realize that the term “politically incorrect” is technically aimed at speech that is demeaning to a particular simularly-situated group (based on religious beliefs, ethnicity, or even sexual preference), but you will have to agree that these days, the term has taken on a meaning much broader than that.
Tags: political correctness