Personal Aside: Liberal Control Over Expression and Thought Spells….

Language Tyranny.

The trouble with liberalism today…as distinct from yesterday…is that it exerts control over expression and thought that interferes with candor, free speech, academic freedom and even, incredibly, freedom of assembly (as I describe below in “Flashback.”). Originally employed, to correct scatological descriptions of race or gender…downplaying the “n” word for example…it served a purpose. It never had a reputable history—never. But then as our liberal friends always do, they carried it to extremes. For a time the word “lady” was downgraded for “woman,” but now, mercifully, is back…although the phrase, “let me help you with that heavy package, little lady” is regarded as hopelessly dinosaur-ish.

Thanks to liberal tyranny over language, whites must be very-very circumspect in how they use the word “boy” in whatever sentence formulation before black males, no matter how unintentional. I remember a white senior Quaker executive who had spent a lot of time raising funds for the United Negro College Fund using the word “boy” in joshing… “now, sit down and be a good boy”… in jest to black Vernon Jordan while all of us felt uncomfortable that the executive had forgotten himself (Jordon took no umbrage but we felt embarrassed, thus showing how prevalent liberal language tyranny is). Bob Dole was needlessly humiliated in 1996 while addressing a black audience and saying inadvertently, “let’s call a spade a spade.” The onus is always on the speaker rather than the liberal-coined code that abolishes forms of language.

These examples are carrying political tyranny over language to absurdity—and I’d like to break it. In World War II after we were attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, it became commonplace to call our enemies “Japs.” Well, viewed strictly, is the word “Jap” so offensive because it objectively is…or because we are told it is? I personally feel no shame at using the word since the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. “Polack” is used without condemnation because the Poles obviously don’t have a large pressure group. “Kraut” is occasionally used for Germans (which is my paternal nationality) but there is no backlash because Germans don’t own a pressure group. It is interesting to see that “The Sopranos” and the three “Godfather” films feature Italian mobsters but there is no derogative use of “dago” or “teameo”, words used against Italians. But the “n” word is and will forevermore justifiably be regarded as a term of derogation because it has a long history as such; not “Jap” I shouldn’t think. Jap should stay as long as there is memory of Pearl Harbor.

In the early civil rights days…at least when I hung around with Hosea Williams in Atlanta in the second Andrew Young campaign…whites were called “chalkies” by blacks in the South. I was called one by him jocularly and didn’t take offense; rather liked it. Use of the word has died out now but I wouldn’t mind if it were resurrected. Likewise, the word “Negro” was given great prominence in the early 1960s over “colored people”…still in use as the “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People” —but then somebody…I don’t know whom…ruled that “colored people” should be supplanted by “Negro” which in turn should be supplanted by the word “black.” Still, “persons of color” is highly recommended for usage.

Then His High Mightiness Jesse Jackson (of course) ordered that the term “black” be supplemented by “African American.” Why “African American”? Why not just “African”? Because the Reverend had ordained it, obviously: no other reason.

Once I used the word “mulatto” in describing Barack Obama and was condemned for it. I could have said mixed race—but why not mulatto? He is the product of a black father and white mother. I am the product of a German father and Irish mother but there is no single word to describe this as there is between mixed race such as mulatto. So I have merrily gone on using some of these words—not the “n” one—because I resent having to check with the liberals’ latest issued glossary every day to see what word I am allowed to use. They are the arch-liberal language tyrants.

The most egregiously vile use of liberal tyranny over language occurred in the last election campaign against Sen. George Allen (R-Virginia) when on August 11, 2006 he saw S. R. Sidarth, a video “tracker” who was following him taking videos for use by Allen’s opponent, Jim Webb. Pointing him out, Allen called him a “Maccaca or whatever he is.” I swear the designation was unknown to 99.9% of the American people but it is regarded as a term of derogation used in francophone African nations equivalent to the word “monkey.” Speculation grew that Allen may have heard from his mother who was born a francophone in French Tunisia. Then followed some of Allen’s old teammates at the University of Virginia who said in the 1970s he was using the “n” word frequently. Followed by a question he received at a dinner where he was asked if his mother was Jewish…meaning that under the Hebraic law if one’s mother is Jewish you are Jewish. That being true, Allen is and has been reared an evangelical Christian. He responded with some indignation which worsened the issue, some Jews believing he was dissing his heritage.

.His mother, Harriet Lumbroso was a Sepharic Jew and Allen later sought to recover by saying that he was disinclined to announce this because of some discrimination that might be visited upon his mother’s relatives in Tunisia. Not really believable. At any rate he came across as needlessly defensive, of his use of “Macacca,” his possible former use of the “n” word in the 1970s and his mother’s Jewish heritage. At any rate, Allen lost the election…and a chance at the 2008 presidency… quite possibly due to “Maccaca” and his immediate evasion at being called Jewish…but more probably because of the Iraq War and the effective criticism of it by Webb who was a Vietnam hero and novelist as well as Reagan’s secretary of the navy.

The word gay is an old, honorable word. But now you can’t even put it in quotations when referring to homosexuals because they have adopted it as theirs so no quotation marks are allowed…e.g. “He is gay.” That word has been abolished from the lexicon except for special interest exclusive use. By order of the High Exalted Church of Secular Liberalism.

Now political opponents of Barack Obama for president have lunged at his staff’s use of the word “Punjab” in connection with Hillary Clinton…and joined by the liberal media, of course, who reject any defense of it by assailing the defenders as themselves being soft on bigotry. This, quite frankly, is the most outrageously contrived reason for so-called racism that can be found. Only a fervid liberal community seeking more sacred cows would move on this issue.

It has to do with Obama’s campaign circulating a document critical of President and Sen. Clinton’s link to India so as to portray Sen. Clinton as having a poor record in opposing outsourcing and protecting American jobs. Understand that Sen. Clinton herself, speaking at a fund-raiser hosted by a major Indian-American supporter said, “I can certainly run for the Senate seat in Punjab and win easily.” She having said it and having undergone no criticism, the Obama staff turned out a campaign document headlined: “Hillary Clinton (D-Punjab)’s Personal Financial and Political Ties.” It detailed Bill Clinton’s holdings in an Indian bill payment company as well as the fact that he collected $300,000 for paid speeches from Cisco Systems, a company thast has shifted hundreds of jobs from America to India. Also the fact that Sen. Clinton is co-chair of the Senate India Caucus.

Nothing wrong with the idea or concept whatsoever; it is adequate grounds for political discourse. But not for the latter-day liberal language tyrants. To write this is to smack of…ugh…bigotry. Racism. All bowing down to some U. S.-Indian pressure group with a PAC that wants to silence favoritism to its origins…and liberal tyrants go along.

The liberal tyranny of language carries a gag rule to an absurd degree. The height of ridiculousness came several years ago when a city council member in Washington, D. C. said that the new mayor’s budget was “niggardly” in human services…causing one key black staff member to threaten to resign because of racism. The city council member was indeed ignorant of language but the mayor…a black man himself…was admonished not to use the term because at least one person took offense.

What language tyranny of today underscores is this: today’s liberals have very few absolutes so restrictions on language absorb the slack. You can criticize elements of the Judeo-Christian moral code and receive no opprobrium from liberals. You can freely criticize patriotism as being jingoistic. Or the flag. Or patriotic speeches. Or books on history that glorify our ancestors. Catholics are targets for any elitist snob’s sophistry.

Not Indian-Americans for now. That’s why this absurdity should be ended by journalists and others. They should declare they will re-utilize words that out of cowardice have been discarded in obedience to the Great Liberal Law of Language Tyranny.



Tell me what other words you feel should be sprung free from the isolation booth where they are held prisoner by the Liberal Language Tyranny.