Santamas, the War on Christmas, and other such failures of society. (Finished.)

I was recently in a blog entitled "Florida Legislator Seeks to Ban Use of the Term 'Illegal Alien.'" [Link.] Jackbenimble mentioned that this kind of political correctness reminds him of the use of Newspeak in George Orwell's "1984." Though I have always thought Political Correctness was stupid, this comment really got me thinking. (Oh, Jack, sorry in advance if you're a politically correct woman.)

So, in case you missed the memo, FL legislator Frederica Wilson seeks to ban the use of "illegal alien" in official documents in place of "undocumented immigrants." "I find it offensive," says she in the article.

"Offensive"? Well guess what! I'm offended that you find my terminology unsuitable for official documents. What now? The point is, what is offensive is subjective. What offends one will not necessarily offend another. This much is obvious just in that I, as a white woman, can't go around shouting, "Nigger!" at everyone I see, but black people (sorry.... African Americans) are often caught calling each other niggers all the time. (Not to say all black people do, for you politically correct people.) It's mostly found in ghettos, but the point is, the double standards of our society are, to me, as plain as the nose on your face.

Frederica, I don't care what offends you. Here in America, we have the First Amendment. I'm going to put it to good use, no matter what you think I should do. The term "Illegal Alien" has already been established in our society; if they don't want that label, they should come in legally.

Another thing that the politically correct "liberals" love to wage war on is Christmas. "OMG WE HAZ 2 RESPETC ALL FATIHS TAKE DOWN THE CHRISTMAS TREE!"

Excuse me? If you're going to respect all faiths, let people put up whatever damn holiday decorations they want. Again: the First Amendment protects everyone, not just non-Christians. So what if a Jew is offended by the presence of a Christmas Tree? They have a right to be offended, but that right ends where another's begins. No one has the right to usurp another's free speech and religion in America, so you best get used to it. But no, we have to have the Christmas tree removed. But wait! Now you've offended the Pagans by removing their religious symbol! (They actually invented the Christmas tree. Another thing Christianity stole. Just adding.) Specifically, the controversy at the Seattle Airport involved such a removal. They are a private organization outside of government control, save for quality standards and such. They have the right to decorate their place however they want. As long as they aren't putting up Swastikas or anything, I see no reason for anyone to be offended. They're wishing people happy holidays. Not trying to parade their own religion.

This is what I like to call "correct stereotyping." You refrain from using a certain word, phrase, or gesture in fear that they might be offended. Though it's not necessarily a bad thing on a personal level, and it's not good to try to offend people, this type of stereotyping is assuming that everyone in a certain group will be offended by something. But I know plenty of black people who call each other niggers, homosexuals who say "That's so gay!", and a blind person who I make fun of for her condition. But she knows not to be offended, and I wouldn't joke about it if I knew she'd be seriously offended.

There is yet another aspect to Political Correctness that really pisses me off: correct blaming. In this type, a group of people is blamed for something that is not their own fault because a group of important people don't want to take the blame, when indeed it is their fault. A grand example of this is the video game industry. All over the place, you hear tragic reports of kids doing stupid, violent things because their video games told them to.

But whose fault is it, really? These video game companies have every right to publish whatever content they want as long as it goes through the ESRB. The ESRB exists for a reason, parents! If your kid can't handle playing a video game without acting just like it, then for Yahweh's, Satan's, Buddha's, Shiva's, or any other deity of choice's sake, don't let them play it! It's YOUR job to parent your kids! But alas, no, the parents of today have no desire to take responsibility. So they shift the blame to the video game companies. And now they're getting in trouble for something they have every right to do.

When I wish you a Merry Christmas, you should know that I mean to have a happy day and it happens to be Christmas. I'm not trying to convert you to a specific religion. Hell, I'm not even Christian, but I wish people a Merry Christmas nonetheless. To paraphrase Linaloki of Gaiaonline, "the day we have to say, 'Have a happy, merry, or otherwise good Christmas, Chanuckah, Kwanzaa, Saturnalia, Solstice, or any other holiday of your choosing or lack thereof!' Is the day I get to say I told you so."