I touched on the problem of political correctness in my blog a few days ago about the events in Rotherham.
It seems that many other people have had a similar impression, that those people who were aware of what was happening failed to speak out for fear of having the term racist hurled at them.
The training for some jobs, particularly various types of social worker have to bear some responsibility in this.
In school particularly all sort of strange things were brought in during the eighties......not having any sort of competition so as not to disadvantage the less able, not reading books by despised authors like Enid Blyton,
And of course not talking about colour or ethnicity at all.
The insistence on political correctness meant that individuals were targeted and many very good teachers left the profession.
The problem is that the "rules" meant that there was no recognition that as people we are all different. The attempt to shove us all into the same mould led to many people simply keeping quiet...the label "racist" was a damming one...not something to aspire to.
My own brushes with social workers here in Cornwall have confirmed earlier suspicions. It seems to be part of the system that individual needs or requirements are often neglected or even condemned as politically incorrect with no mercy given to those who break the code...
We are all different. We are brought up to be individuals and yet somehow the fact that some are clever at one thing and are hopeless at another is ignored.
As a species our gene pool is vast. We are given different talents as well as handicaps...and it's often the talents which are not recognised and nurtured.
Is it time to get rid of the sort of political correctness that denies individual ability , which seeks to make us all the same, in one mould for ever...
God gave us a multitude of talent both mental and physical...isn't it time to celebrate these and stop throwing insulting remarks at people who are and who dare to be a little different.
I've spent a life time not fitting into any sort of mould. Viva la difference!
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2 comments:
The equality and diversity agenda was driven by blatant discrimination which diminished and degraded those who were different. I supported this and still do.
The mistake that we've made (in the same way as health and safety legislation) is to let it totally drive political and public perceptions to the extent of now penalising anyone who thinks differently from the "acceptable thought process instilled through slavish devotion to legislation" and a total abandonment of common decency, compassion or common sense.
It's inevitable that some people as they become elderly will cherish the way that they've been raised and will find it difficult to change. Many will say things that are thought to be racist or sexist in ignorance that they're causing offence to some. What they need is kindness not punishment. Understanding not ostracisation.
We have to accept that we come in all sizes, shapes, colours and we'ere all unique. What we can do is to us the 'multi-cultural' society so often trotted out by politicians to make everyone fit into a box.
I'm totally liberal, coming from a back ground in the East End, when migrants were coming in regularly from Asia and Africa and the West Indies. The climate of resentment accompanied my upbringing, an example being in our Catholic School, we were asked to give and to pray for the starving 'black babies' in Africa, which to my mind, diminished the people there and their suffering. What about all of the other children and their families?
I could say that I've never held racsist or sexist attitudes, but that would be a lie. But I can say that my life experience, wide exposure to other cultures and people quickly made them seem immature and inhumane. My biggest eye opener was when I was appointed as an Equality and Diversity Officer and Trainer and attended a course at Cranfield University - there my whole life and cultural attitudes were strongly challenged and I came away totally changed in heart and mind and became a strong advocate of seeking the best in people while valuing the different outlook and skills that they could bring to the party. This was the single biggest change in my life, apart from my coming back to faith in 2008.
I think that those whose slavish obedience to rules and regulations without any thought for the people concerned and no detailed understanding of their circumstances is dangerous and fool hardy. It leads to situations like Rotherham and Oxford and Rochdale, where recent cases have highlighted the consequences.
Thanks for that Earnie....I'm afraid that sometimes the charge of racism is driven by malice rather than any other emotion. There are people who enjoy making this charge and I suppose we should feel sorry for them but when it leads to what has happened then I'm afraid I just feel sick at heart for all those involved and especially for the girls whose lives have been blighted.
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