A comprehensive look at a strained America: The 'obsequious culture'

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me ... well, maybe just a little ... no, wait ... they definitely hurt me.

Whether or not you voted for our current president, the greatest singular message that resonated with the American public, in my opinion, and likely the reason he was elected was the exaggerated vocalization of his antipathy towards “political correctness.”

Speak all you will about his promise to “build the wall” or the fact that he was a political outsider who was going to “drain the swamp.” This man was going to say all of the things you wouldn’t dare say, but were thinking.

I wrote in my last article that there needs to be a catalyst to invigorate your base. This was it.

In Part 3 of “A Step Off in the Right Direction” I focused on social inequity amongst minorities and the efforts that have been brought to the forefront to exact change that would qualify as “progress.” Furthermore, I wrote about the dangers of losing the message when “change” becomes an instrument of doling out punishment to those who are generalized as the oppressors. Taboos surrounding certain behaviors and words created under these circumstances led to the above title, “the obsequious culture.”

Defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree,” the adjective “obsequious” aptly describes the product of political correctness.

The term “political correctness” has been around for the majority of my life, but it has evolved. Like technology, it’s hard to keep up with. What is “appropriate” and “inappropriate” is not clearly defined.

I have always taught my children to think before they speak and to consider the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I also taught them that they have a voice and a protected right to free speech, but that there is no guarantee of protection against what they find to be offensive. Our society has become one of eggshells that we must navigate cautiously without any clear definition of the rules; a hypersensitivity has developed, and it has stifled free speech out of fear of being labeled a racist, bigot or misogynist.

I use the word “hypersensitivity” because it seems that every person or group has a claim that they are being marginalized.

Example: During this last Super Bowl, there was a commercial where people were being taxied by an elevator bellhop. At each stop there was a real-life scenario being poked fun at. On one floor, a vegan dinner party featured a very unappealing platter of food and some stereotypically dressed guests. The day after, angry vegans and others took to social media to demand an apology and potential boycott of the company responsible for the advertisement. It is my opinion that this reaction was overreaching and only serves to do one thing — take away the legitimacy of those who have a genuine claim at being marginalized.

Eventually there will be a tipping point. If individuals are unsure of what is or isn’t appropriate to say, there will be a swelling of resentment.

A little story for you: A couple years post Sept. 11, a friend and I were taking a trip to Washington, D.C. While waiting in line at the airport, I was approached by a TSA agent who said, “Congratulations! You have been randomly selected for additional screening.”

I was promptly moved into a roped-off area along with a white woman who appeared to be in her 80s. Just after I was approached, I heard the TSA agent say again, “Congratulations! You have been randomly selected for additional screening,” this time to my friend; it is important to note that my friend is even darker than me. I’m not telling this story to point out profiling, but rather the story about the poor woman who had to suffer the indignity of additional screening. I believe the only reason she was selected was an exaggerated attempt to avoid the TSA from appearing to be profiling or racist. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall elderly women being a threat to national security. I would bet that she became all too aware of the reason why she was selected when my friend and I were approached, and I’m sure it frustrated her — maybe even made her a little angry and resentful? But would she dare say anything to either of us, or at least to the TSA agent? No — I suspect that in this instance, like most individuals, she was more concerned about being labeled as a racist and so buried those frustrations internally.

Eventually those frustrations surfaced and found their way out, through the mouth of our president.

There is a cause and effect to everything and, in my opinion, political correctness has done more damage than it has good. Thus serving as another strain on America.

Writer Uriah Wilkinson is a local political contributor and a history buff. Contact him at [email protected].