CARSON: Political correctness and the slavery of Obamacare
Speech taboos are meant to silence patriotic dissent
WASHINGTON TIMES – Tuesday March 18,
2014
When I was in high
school in Detroit, there was a great deal of emphasis on clothing.
As
I became increasingly interested in fitting in with the “in crowd,”
fashion supplanted academic
achievement
in my hierarchy of importance. My grades plummeted and I became a
person who was less pleasant and more self-absorbed.
achievement
in my hierarchy of importance. My grades plummeted and I became a
person who was less pleasant and more self-absorbed.
My
mother was very disappointed, because she thought I had enough
insight and intelligence to
avoid the flypaper trap of acting like everyone else.
to
avoid the flypaper trap of acting like everyone else.
Fortunately,
after wasting a year pursuing acceptance, I realized that my dreams
went far beyond silk shirts and sharkskin pants. I decided to forsake
the “in crowd” and redoubled my academic efforts in time to
rescue my sinking grade-point average and gain admission to an Ivy
League university.
To
say that the “in crowd” was disgruntled when I abandoned their
association would be a gross understatement. It eventually became
clear to them that I would not rejoin their ranks under any
circumstances, and they left me alone.
Despite
the insults hurled at me, at the time of graduation, my classmates
voted me “most likely to succeed.” This indicated that they knew
the prerequisites for success but were unwilling to fulfill them, and
they wanted others to remain shackled to their underachieving
lifestyle.
Political
correctness (PC)
operates in much the same fashion. It is in place to ensure
conformity to the prescribed expressions and lifestyles dictated by
the elites.
)
operates in much the same fashion. It is in place to ensure
conformity to the prescribed expressions and lifestyles dictated by
the elites.
There
are rewards of acceptance and praise for members of the “in crowd”
as they attempt to silence or destroy any who dare think for
themselves or express opposing views. Similarly, the purveyors of PC
seize upon a word or phrase, which they emphasize in an attempt to
divert attention away from the actual issue that doesn’t fit their
narrative.
I
have stated in the past that Obamacare is the worst thing to occur in
our country since slavery. Why did I make such a strong statement?
Obviously, I recognize the horrors of slavery. My roots have been
traced back to Africa, and I am aware of some horrendous deeds
inflicted on my ancestors in this country.
The
purpose of the statement was not to minimize the most evil
institution in American history, but rather to draw attention to a
profound shift of power from the people to the government.
I
think this shift is beginning to wrench the nation from one centered
on the rights of individual citizens to one that accepts the right of
the government to control even the most essential parts of our lives.
This strikes a serious blow to the concept of freedom that gave birth
to this nation.
Some
well-known radicals have very publicly written and stated that in
order for their idea of a utopian, egalitarian society to emerge in
the United States, the government must control health care, which
ensures the dependency of the populace on government. Historical
analysis of many countries that have gone this route demonstrates
obliteration of the middle class and
massive expansion of the poor, dependent class with a relatively
small number of elites in control.
and
massive expansion of the poor, dependent class with a relatively
small number of elites in control.
This
is sobering information, and those who want to fundamentally change
America would much rather demonize someone who is exposing this
agenda than engage in a conversation that they cannot win. Others
join in the fray happily marching in lockstep with those who are
attempting to convert our nation to something we won’t recognize,
having no idea that they are being used.
Vladimir
Lenin is sometimes credited with coining the phrase “useful idiots”
to describe such individuals.
It
is time in America for the people to open their eyes to what is
happening all around them as our nation undergoes radical changes
without so much as a conversation out of fear of being called a name,
of facing economically adverse actions or of enduring government
harassment, characterized by the perpetrators as “phony scandals.”
Political
correctness is antithetical to our founding principles of freedom of
speech and freedom of expression. Its most powerful tool is
intimidation.
If
it is not vigorously opposed, its proponents win by default, because
the victims adopt a “go along to get along” attitude. Major
allies in the imposition of PC are members of the media, some of whom
thrive on controversy and others who are true ideologues.
The
true believers would be amusing if it were not so sad to behold them
dissecting, distorting and repeating words in an attempt to divert
attention from the rise of government control.
The
American people must learn to
identify and ignore political correctness if we are to escape the
bitter ideological grenades that are destroying our unity and
strength. Political correctness is impotent if we the people are
fearless. Let us emphasize intelligent discussion of issues and leave
the smear campaigns to those with no constructive ideas.
to
identify and ignore political correctness if we are to escape the
bitter ideological grenades that are destroying our unity and
strength. Political correctness is impotent if we the people are
fearless. Let us emphasize intelligent discussion of issues and leave
the smear campaigns to those with no constructive ideas.
Ben
S. Carson is professor emeritus of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins
University.
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