Free Speech Vs. Political Correctness

Dan Cathy, the CEO of the fast food restaurant Chick-Fil -A made a comment saying marriage is between a man and a woman.

Many people disliked his comments ranging from people saying he shouldn’t say what he did to people saying bad things should happen to the owner and his customers.

Various celebrities jumped on the bandwagon making comments ranging from saying he shouldn’t say what he did to saying bad things should happen to the owner and his customers.

Possibly those making the comments thought that this would be force Chick-Fil-A out of business and the owner would be punished for daring to say what he thought.

Didn’t work that way, not by a long shot!

Sales have soared for Chick Fil A as many have come out in support of the owners’ right to free speech.

All those who felt smug with their comments against the owner probably don’t feel so smug anymore. Instead of spearheading the demise of Chick-Fil -A it looks like it will become the store of choice for millions of people, even those who weren’t big on fast food to begin with.

The anti ‘Fil-A’ brigade may possibly bounce back and say those shopping at Chick-Fil-A are homophobic but that will probably work against them as well.

I think it’s fair to say the support for Chick-Fil-A is the start of a real backlash against the political correctness that has been forced more and more on people over the years.

People have been expected to lower their values more and more to accommodate and accept things they feel are wrong.

Political correctness is nothing more than a tool to suppress free speech. Disagree with or criticise a non-Caucasian politician? You’re racist and the accuser doesn’t have to look into why you make your comments or justify theirs.

Disagree with your organisation/club donating members funds in support of gay marriage? You’re homophobic and the accuser doesn’t have to address your concern that members’ funds are being misused.

Disagree with or criticise a female politician? You’re sexist

Think unrestricted immigration is wrong or immigrants should come into your country by legal channels you’re a racist.

Think it’s wrong to donate billions overseas when you know it isn’t helping you’re an insensitive swine.

And despite race and culture being two different things, disagree with what is practiced in different cultures or have concerns with multicultural policies, you’re racist.

Point out something you think is wrong and use a derogatory term for it and the politically correct will point fingers at you and call you all sorts of things while saying you’re a finger pointing person calling something a name.

Even when you’re in groups of people who aren’t politically correct if you say something that isn’t PC they will make strange ‘ooooohhhhhhh’ noises and say ‘you shouldn’t say things like that’ or ‘better be careful’. Some will even be offended on behalf of a person or group you’ve apparently targeted despite not even knowing is the supposed target would even care.

Political correctness is everywhere and you don’t know who you will offend, best not to say anything at all seems to be how some feel about it.

And people are getting sick of it. I for one prefer to speak and would prefer to say sorry to any reasonable offense I may cause than to keep quiet all the time in fear of it. Obviously I choose my audience, I wouldn’t tell anti origami jokes to an Origami Club.

You may well find that many who went to Chick-Fil-A don’t care in the slightest about same sex marriage but are there because they are sick and tired of being told how to think and to tolerate things they feel are bad for society and being told not to speak.

When political correctness first took its toll on society the cries of racist, sexist, homophobic etc. did stop many debates but as time went by those cries were mostly shown to be proof that the person saying it simply can’t back their argument or actions.

The consequence of that now is that many legitimate cases of discrimination may be dismissed as crying racist, sexist etc.

It’s interesting to note that even when some feel they are rebelling against society they seek the protection of those values.

Take marriage, those who simply lived together in what was seen to be a rebellion against society’s values suddenly wanted the same rights and protections of marriage. Many people who abandoned basic etiquette saying it was stifling them only wanted it to be a one way deal where others still treated them with courtesy.

The reality is political correctness and the Leftist agenda that seems to follow it has not made our lives any better. It’s something you need to suspend your disbelief and ignore history to make it work and I for one am not doing that. I won’t lie for political correctness.

The intolerance displayed by these self-appointed social guardians is glaringly obvious and no amount of suspending your disbelief can hide it and judging by the support for Chick-Fil-A more and more people are ready to reject the rotten standards the politically correct are try to force on us.

Political correctness is a threat to society, it stops people from talking and pointing out what’s wrong. And while the politically correct believe they are tolerant nothing is further from the truth.

Remember, if you say something that doesn’t match what they think word for word they engage in the previously mentioned finger pointing and name calling routine. Apart from their obvious hypocrisy their minds are closed to the fact that maybe what you have said is true.

I’ve encountered this myself, I’ve made a point and before I have a chance to qualify it properly the finger pointing begins.

Many are tired of celebrities, politicians and others with an agenda telling them how to think or what to care about. I certainly don’t need them to do that, I have the morals and standards that I was brought up with before political correctness took hold of our societies.

And I will stick with them. They are more tolerant and forgiving where appropriate and that alone makes them superior to political correctness.