The Death of Free Speech: Feds Ban Agencies From Using Certain Words, Phrases [Opinion]

Warning: Potentially offensive opinion piece ahead!  Some of you may wish to evacuate to your ‘safe space’ immediately. 

Political Correctness defined; author unknown:

A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

When I tell you that political correctness has invaded every aspect of America from your living room to Washington, DC, believe me, it has.  The terms origins date back to the Leninists of the Soviet Union to describe someone who steadfastly towed the Communist Party line.  This is just the first of what I believe will be wave after wave of death blows to free speech in America. What is policy within the federal government today will likely be law to control your mouth tomorrow.

PC is on steroids in America these days.  You most likely missed this in the Friday news dump last week.  I only saw it myself on Sunday and it’s taken me a day of doing a little homework to ensure that this is true and to then stop throwing up over the absurdity of it all.

On Friday, President Obama signed into law a bill banning federal agencies from using certain words.  Yes, the President of the United States signed a bill, passed by congress (Republican controlled now, mind you) that puts restrictions on free speech; a bill that flies directly in the face of the First Amendment.

So, what exactly have the lords and masters on the Potomac banned?  Let’s start with the word Negro.  Yes, I know.  It’s not a word that we, as a society, deem appropriate any longer.  I don’t think it’s a word I’ve ever used in reference to a black man or woman.  I don’t think it was even a part of my generation’s lexicon to be honest.  But if you work for Uncle Sugar, you are now officially no longer allowed to use it.  How will the United Negro College Fund communicate with any federal agency now?  The phones are tapped, so how’s that conversation going to be handled?

How about Oriental?  Yep, it’s also banned.  I didn’t even realize that word was offensive.  I had a conversation with a Vietnamese woman just a few weeks ago.  We were discussing food and she used that word no less than four times.  I don’t think I was offended.  I don’t think she offended herself.  Someone had better alert Oriental Trading Company. Federal employees won’t be able to shop there on government computers any longer.

American Indian is out also.  Henceforth, the appropriate term is Native American.  But society has been on that kick for years anyhow, right?  Midwestern State University dropped the Indians mascot a few years back after some strong arming by the NCAA.  Never mind that, in seven decades plus, MSU never (so far as I could find) said, done or acted out in any way that would be considered even moderately offensive to any reasonable person, American Indian or otherwise.

But, the ones who are usually so ‘offended’ are often times the most unreasonable people around. Also banned is the term Eskimo.  Yes, Eskimo!  So, no more Eskimo Pies in the lunch line at the congressional cafeteria, eh?  From now on, they'll have to order 'Alaskan Native Pies'.   For the record, my great-grandmother was a full-blood Cherokee.  You can say Indian around me all day long.  I’m cool with it.

The words ‘Spanish speaking’ or ‘persons of Spanish descent’ are also no longer allowed.  Now, the term to be used is ‘Hispanic’.  This one is meant to be a blanket term.  A few years ago, a Cuban man chastised me for using that term to describe him on air.  ‘I’m Cuban and I’d appreciate it if you’d refer to me that way, please.’  I was happy to oblige.  And last month, according to Breitbart.com, the Library of Congress began purging the terms ‘illegal alien’ and ‘alien’ from its document headings.  Can you see where we’re headed yet?

While we can all agree that some words should not be a part of our day-to-day culture and language as a part of just common decency toward one another, to ban speech because someone may find it offensive is not only unconstitutional, it’s just dumb.  Why is everyone so offended by everything these days?  Are we all so thin skinned?  I guess when we have cry baby college kids clamoring for a ‘safe space’ because someone dared to utter support for Trump on a college campus, the answer must be yes, some of us are just that thin skinned.

We have softened our society to a point that is truly nauseating.  Masculinity is frowned upon, women are berated if they happen to prefer to be home with their children and God forbid we label restrooms for ‘men’ and ‘women’.  Surely there’s a term to describe all of this.  Ah yes!  I believe the late comedian George Carlin referred to it as the ‘pussification of America’.  Sorry.  Perhaps that’s too offensive?