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EXCLUSIVE: SHAMEFUL OVER SENSITIVITY
Author: Gregg Bemis
Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
Family Security Matters, NJ
May 4 2007
When truth surrenders to fears of insensitivity, there are dark days
ahead. FSM Contributing Editor Gregg Bemis studies the absurd lengths
to which "sensitivity" has gone, both in the U.S. and throughout the
West. Isn't it clear by now that cultural diversity is the opposite
of inclusiveness? Gregg has answers.
In England in the year 2000, Mr. Justice Gray wrote a 300-page
opinion destroying David Irving's ridiculous lawsuit against author
Deborah Lipstadt for criticizing Irving's insanity at denying the
Holocaust. Now a school in England has shown the ultimate cowardice,
or head in the sand if you prefer, by removing the Holocaust from the
history curriculum of one of their schools. The reason: because the
continued recognition and teaching of this monstrous black moment of
history is "insensitive" to the feelings of Britain's Muslim community
who deny the occurrence of the Holocaust. What total rot!
What have we come to? It is bad enough that we have become so
skittish that any truth that offends cannot be expressed verbally
or in writing. Any action, no matter how innocently undertaken,
if it offends is not allowed. I'm not talking about courtesy versus
offensive rudeness. I'm talking about history and realities. When our
Ambassador to Armenia inadvertently used the word "genocide" referring
to a dark period in the history of Turkish Armenian relations, he was
sacked. This is despite the fact that the U.S. Congress has from time
to time had bills of recognition of the fact up for voting.
When I attended Stanford University what seems like 100 years
ago, the student body, such as it was, was fully integrated and
inter-related. Now the University in its fervent attempt to be
politically correct, and to recognize diversity, has created "theme"
houses and "theme" organizations thereby driving peoples and cultures
into separate camps. This emphasizes dissimilarities rather than
likenesses. Does this create harmony? No. Does this create acceptance
of multi-cultures? No. It puts a premium on recognizing and supporting
differences, separating not bringing together.
Does America resolve its current problems of integration and
acceptance of minorities by ignoring our early history of abuse of
Native Americans or of our participation in the slave trade? I don't
think so. In fact the honor we have bestowed on President Lincoln for
his efforts to abolish slavery and hold the Union together play a major
part in any history of America. And surely the special considerations
we have bestowed on Native Americans, whether too much or too little,
certainly do not derive from attempting to sweep our history under
the rug.
Recently PBS has been doing a series on the Muslims, their culture
and their religion. Two renowned videographers with encouragement from
PBS produced an exemplary portrayal of the differences and conflicts
between the moderate versus the extreme sides of the culture. The
ever present, mind numbing, politically correct, left wing upper
management faction at PBS killed it. Reportedly they didn't want
to offend the extremists. In what possible way is that helping to
educate Americans or support the right to diverse thinking?
So, coming back to the United Kingdom, have things become so scary,
so out of control in Britain that one of the greatest monstrosities
of the 20th century has to be erased from the history books? The
Holocaust was a fact, not a myth. In its calculation and practice,
it was one of the most extreme examples of "man's inhumanity to man".
This decision no longer to include this historical fact in the British
school curriculum is a shocking reflection of how far under the tent
the camel has pushed its nose. When truth surrenders to fears of
insensitivity, there are dark days ahead indeed.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Gregg Bemis is a writer
for The New Mexican where this article first appeared.
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/gl obal.php?id=946016
Author: Gregg Bemis
Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
Family Security Matters, NJ
May 4 2007
When truth surrenders to fears of insensitivity, there are dark days
ahead. FSM Contributing Editor Gregg Bemis studies the absurd lengths
to which "sensitivity" has gone, both in the U.S. and throughout the
West. Isn't it clear by now that cultural diversity is the opposite
of inclusiveness? Gregg has answers.
In England in the year 2000, Mr. Justice Gray wrote a 300-page
opinion destroying David Irving's ridiculous lawsuit against author
Deborah Lipstadt for criticizing Irving's insanity at denying the
Holocaust. Now a school in England has shown the ultimate cowardice,
or head in the sand if you prefer, by removing the Holocaust from the
history curriculum of one of their schools. The reason: because the
continued recognition and teaching of this monstrous black moment of
history is "insensitive" to the feelings of Britain's Muslim community
who deny the occurrence of the Holocaust. What total rot!
What have we come to? It is bad enough that we have become so
skittish that any truth that offends cannot be expressed verbally
or in writing. Any action, no matter how innocently undertaken,
if it offends is not allowed. I'm not talking about courtesy versus
offensive rudeness. I'm talking about history and realities. When our
Ambassador to Armenia inadvertently used the word "genocide" referring
to a dark period in the history of Turkish Armenian relations, he was
sacked. This is despite the fact that the U.S. Congress has from time
to time had bills of recognition of the fact up for voting.
When I attended Stanford University what seems like 100 years
ago, the student body, such as it was, was fully integrated and
inter-related. Now the University in its fervent attempt to be
politically correct, and to recognize diversity, has created "theme"
houses and "theme" organizations thereby driving peoples and cultures
into separate camps. This emphasizes dissimilarities rather than
likenesses. Does this create harmony? No. Does this create acceptance
of multi-cultures? No. It puts a premium on recognizing and supporting
differences, separating not bringing together.
Does America resolve its current problems of integration and
acceptance of minorities by ignoring our early history of abuse of
Native Americans or of our participation in the slave trade? I don't
think so. In fact the honor we have bestowed on President Lincoln for
his efforts to abolish slavery and hold the Union together play a major
part in any history of America. And surely the special considerations
we have bestowed on Native Americans, whether too much or too little,
certainly do not derive from attempting to sweep our history under
the rug.
Recently PBS has been doing a series on the Muslims, their culture
and their religion. Two renowned videographers with encouragement from
PBS produced an exemplary portrayal of the differences and conflicts
between the moderate versus the extreme sides of the culture. The
ever present, mind numbing, politically correct, left wing upper
management faction at PBS killed it. Reportedly they didn't want
to offend the extremists. In what possible way is that helping to
educate Americans or support the right to diverse thinking?
So, coming back to the United Kingdom, have things become so scary,
so out of control in Britain that one of the greatest monstrosities
of the 20th century has to be erased from the history books? The
Holocaust was a fact, not a myth. In its calculation and practice,
it was one of the most extreme examples of "man's inhumanity to man".
This decision no longer to include this historical fact in the British
school curriculum is a shocking reflection of how far under the tent
the camel has pushed its nose. When truth surrenders to fears of
insensitivity, there are dark days ahead indeed.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Gregg Bemis is a writer
for The New Mexican where this article first appeared.
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/gl obal.php?id=946016