Breaking News: Political Correctness Is Ridiculous
How many times have you seen a news headline about a ridiculous tweet that a politician, A-list celebrity, or star athlete posted years ago? It seems like every day the media is feeding us a story about a crime of political correctness.
The newest trend in the media is public confessions of sins long since forgotten. With the #MeToo movement and sexual assault survivors came social justice warriors (SJW) ready to “believe all women” and fight on the side of minorities. Allegations of sexual misconduct committed by prominent political and cultural figures have, by and large, amounted to few meaningful charges.
SJWs are justifiably targeting those who have hurled insults at the LGBT community and racial minorities. Now, however, inappropriate conduct from years past is suddenly surfacing on the Internet to paint anyone with success as undeserving. A few who join these ranks are Ralph Northam, Kevin Hart, and Kyler Murray.
The loudest and most recent controversy has risen from an old yearbook photo of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. In the photo, one finds two men—one in black face, the other dressed as a KKK member. The photo is on Northam’s yearbook page along with his alma mater, medical field interest, and a quote.
Immediately, people on both sides of the aisle demanded Northam resign from his position. Northam stood his ground, holding a press conference to apologize for the photo. He said he “understands how this decision (the photo) shakes Virginians’ faith in [my] commitment.” He also noted that the photo does not represent his present values which he has “fought for throughout [his] career in the military, in medicine, and in public service.”
For all his faults and recent controversy over abortion, Governor Northam handled his apology well and acknowledged that his past acts do not define the man he is today. In fact, he points to multiple instances where he served his country and community to bring justice everywhere. Did this quiet the shouts by social justice warriors and many others for his resignation? Of course not.
Another victim of this blood-thirsty, politically-correct media is Kevin Hart. After being selected to host the 2019 Oscars, homophobic tweets from 2011 surfaced. Hart at first held his ground to those calling him unfit to host the award show. But the continued headlines and negative media eventually led him to step down from the position.
Even beloved athletes have come under fire for questionable old tweets. When Kyler Murray won the 2018 Heisman Trophy, homophobic tweets surfaced, much like in the case of Kevin Hart. Murray apologized for the language and said he would work to amend his actions.
Confessional culture started with zealous social justice warriors but has permeated to members of both the left and right. Such an attitude is not productive for a society bent toward freedom. The danger of a culture so focused on scandals is that we completely lose sight of our humanity. Arbitrarily, the media picks and chooses what we call sin.
Three things happen when we insist upon these terms of cultural engagement. First, we destroy grace and forgiveness. From a biblical perspective, this practice negates the foundation of our faith. God sent His only son not because He had to but because He knew mankind could not save itself (John 3.16; Romans 5.8; Romans 3.32). The very foundation of Christianity is grace. Allowing flaws long forgotten to tarnish the reputation of men in the present is devious.
Theology aside, the practice leaves everyone in constant fear that their reputation will one day be smeared. It seems inevitable. This system rewards the person who best adapts to ever-changing social norms but is also able to find dirt on his neighbor. What kind of dystopian world is that? There is no room for error, no safety to learn from mistakes, and no guarantee that what you do will ever be enough.
Obviously, no one can live by these standards. So why not practice forgiveness and remember that people have the capacity to change. Not everyone from the #MeToo movement was innocent. Some politicians are racially biased. Hateful comments still bombard the LGBT community. But to see people for what they are—that is, imperfect humans—is to welcome all members of society, challenging us to be better.
Second, this nonsense drags our attention away from real issues. “Political correctness” scandals for Governor Northam and Justice Brett Kavanaugh took absolute control of the news cycle. It was weeks before the country discussed anything else. Sadly, that meant critical policy issues were ignored.
Just as we thought Northam’s name would be out of the news cycle, he said some nasty comments in an interview that implied he condoned infanticide, "The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother." Where were the social justice warriors uplifting the rights of the unborn—or really, those born—in this case? The smallest and most vulnerable of our society were forgotten in that moment because what Governor Northam said was not unjust enough for the politically correct media.
With the investigation of Brett Kavanaugh in Congress, almost no one was discussing Kavanaugh’s merits as a potential member of the Supreme Court. Instead, the media focused on flimsy allegations in an attempt to pin a crime on a man who did not commit it. What Kavanaugh had done in the DC Circuit court meant nothing. His history of standing by the Constitution and ruling fairly on the cases that came through his court seemed to have no bearing to his fitness to serve on the Supreme Court according to those on the left.
Third, the madness behind political correctness only heightens the longer we allow it to continue. It is a vicious cycle that spirals us into the abyss. Since reaching a magnificent peak in the Kavanaugh hearings, many public figures have been destroyed.
There is no virtue in a system that seeks to obliterate those stuck in its grasp. In America, the process of convicting a man of a crime takes solid evidence, corroborated witness testimony, and a verdict by a jury of peers. None of these elements are present in the court of political correctness. So unjust is the due process of the “politically correct court” that even the most politically correct members of society—celebrities—have felt its wrath. Kevin Hart, Kanye West, and Roseanne Barr have taken hard hits to their careers all in the name of social justice.
It’s ironic that social justice warriors take such a name. There is no justice in a system that refuses to follow due process in conviction and offer a remedy for wrongdoings. Not one SJW fulfills the name of a courageous and strong warrior. Hiding behind the curtain of the Internet hardly qualifies as such. Their work does not reflect our society, one that acknowledges the rights of each individual regardless of race, gender, or class.
The American Dream is to see the best in others and hope that others do the same. Fixating on frivolous scandals fails to bring about that dream and advance our society. It is time for the media to turn away from political correctness scandals and towards stories of substance.