Respect (or Political Correctness?)

[Paul Trummel <trummel -at- U -dot- WASHINGTON -dot- EDU>]

On Wed, 9 Feb 1994, Tammy Williams wrote:

I saw an earlier message that used the cliche:

        "if you can't stand the heat [stay out of the kitchen]."

My response is a cliche many of you probably were taught as children:

        "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!!!"

Tammy Williams
williams -at- oclc -dot- org


I comprehend what she means:

Just become politically correct. Take care that what you say, what you
think, and what you do, offends nobody. Decide issues not on the basis of
the evidence or the merits, but on the behavior of the group to
which you belong. Follow the ideology of other group members and become a
PC clone. Then, the group power will allow you to impose your opinions
upon others who express different views. Consequently, you may revel in
the group harassment of consentaneously selected victims and attain
greater feelings of power and self-worth. Finally, be grateful that all
of these benefits result from parental admonitions of long ago and
always remember, in anything you say, that:

        "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!"

Your rewards will probably become manifest in absolute parental pride in
your activities.

Difficile est saturam non scribere. Juvenal (Satires c.60-130)
[It's hard not to write satire.]


Paul Trummel

Department of Technical Communication
University of Washington

email:  trummel -at- u -dot- washington -dot- edu
fax:    206-227-9486
vox:    206-227-9486