The Tyranny of Political Correctness

I am a white male that is nearly fifty years old. I was raised in an extremely liberal environment; so liberal that it bordered on the sociopathic. Having realized the error of my ways, I am now somewhat conservative.


The mere fact that I feel it necessary to preface this essay with explanatory, biographical data just goes to show how ridiculous political correctness has become. The PC Nazis have done more to curb free speech than Stalin. And what's really funny is that they don't even see the hypocrisy of their own positions.


I can no longer say that I prefer not to put my dick in another man's ass without being accused of being a bigot. A bigot? You're got to be fuckin' kidding me. As late as a few years ago, this behavior was still considered illegal in most states. And I don't want to hear a rationalization based on the idiocy of old "blue laws".


I can no longer like or dislike whom I please. I am now obligated to like, or pretend to like, everyone on the planet. This is not going to happen. In case you haven't looked around lately, the world is still filled with some pretty serious assholes.

I can no longer say mailman, chairman, fireman, etc. ( I'm confused here. Do I have to say madperson instead of madman? ) Now, we're changing the entire English language. Where the hell is this going to end?

I can no longer compliment a woman. This does not have to be crude comments about body parts. Merely saying that a woman looks good can be construed as sexual harassment. This has made courtship intensely difficult.

There is politeness. There is culture. Then there is political correctness.

Rationgize

dam smart-never lerned to spel.
-Rachel Ehrlich


When I have free time, which I seem to have alot of lately, I occasionally look over these old blog postings and cringe. Some of them are horrible; with syntax and grammatical errors that almost qualify me for rap star status. It's a real bitch not having editors. In my defense, I like to say that these writings are not intended for publication. ( Then why the hell are you posting them? You ask.) For all practical purposes, these are nothing more than on-line notes. It's convenient. I don't have to carry around a notebook, digital or traditional, and I can access them anywhere in the world.

Oh, almost forgot. You're probably wondering about the title. Well, let me explain. You know how people apologize and rationalize at the same time? ( Sorry, I fucked your wife, but...) That's exactly what this is. Ciao.

The Sobriety Diaries

I am a recovery alcoholic. I have "recovered" on several occasions. Some of these have been voluntary. Others have been prompted by the gentle application of handcuffs or the dismal lack of funds. This particular period of abstinence has been voluntary. Well....sort of.

As part of my recovery process, I have been going to group therapy. These are mini AA meetings that are refereed by a drug counselor. I'm supposed to sit in these meetings and talk about intimate aspects of my life with a group of total strangers. Yeah, right.


As you might expect, a room full of alcohol and drug users can produce some pretty strange imagery. During a recent group; as a fellow hostage was sharing about about their sponsor, Sven Golly; I started to drift into this sort of surreal MTV documentary that was part Postcards From The Edge, part Analyze This!, and part One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. I can only imagine what goes through the minds of the other occupants.


After two weeks of meetings and a substance abuse evaluation, I was given a copy of my advanced treatment program. It stated that I have abused alcohol and drugs for thirty years. It also stated that I was alcohol and cannabis dependent. Sounds like I'm the poster child for the Betty Ford Clinic, doesn't it? Well, what I told them and the conclusions they've reach don't exactly match. You decide.

Like alot of Americans kids, I started partying in high school. I'm not trying to play the blame game here, but this was in the mid to late seventies and if you remember,( I understand if you don't ),during that decade we had a pretty liberal attitude toward drugs. Hell, at the time NORML was even trying to get cocaine decriminalized. Like many of my classmates, I went to my share of parties and did a cornucopia of drugs.

After high school, the drug use has been has been practically non-existent.With the exception of one downer, which I took when I was already drunk-visualize The Hangover- and one overnight session with cocaine, in the last twenty-two years all I've done is drink and smoke pot. The pot smoking has been very sporadic. ( The last time I smoked a joint was over six months ago.) Unfortunately, the alcohol intake has been slightly more than sporadic. I am what is known as a "periodic binger". This means that I can take it or leave it. However, when I do take it, I take it very well.

These are the facts that were revealed. Maybe I'm deranged; addled by too much drug use, but I think the conclusions are a little misleading. Now, at least there is a permanent record. Isn't technology wonderful?

Existential Pizza

My spiritual path is 100 proof.
-John House

I've read books on the occult and books on every "ism" and "ology" under the sun. I've also read the Bible and other religious texts..Do I have any definitive answers? Hell no! Run from anyone that says they do.


These days I like to call myself a Christian, though I do have some problems with it. (Correction, I am still a Catholic. People make a distinction between Catholic and Christian. I thought all Christ-based beliefs were Christian.) Some of the biggest assholes I've ever met have called themselves Christian. With a perfect being as a role model, it is easy to find fault with anyone. If beliefs systems are a sort of spiritual assembly line, then I guess you would judge them by the product they produce, no?


To give equal billing, I also have a few problems with most philosophies. Usually they are the product of one person; merely their opinion and no matter how much they try to be objective, their bias will always be included. This bias will naturally justify their own behavior, regardless of how twisted it is. Another problem I have with a lot of philosophies is thesaurus overload. A "philosopher" will take a perfectly simple piece of commonsense, cloak it with 64 dollar words, and claim some sort of cosmic profoundness. Unfortunately, these "revelations" usually directly contradict the insights that you received last week. No wonder Nietzsche went nuts.


These days I try to make my life as simple as possible. The "Golden Rule" seems good enough.