Political Correctness Run Amok

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Rick Sanchez of CNN felt obligated to apologize for a comment he made during a debate. He referred to President Obama as the "cotton pickin' president". Shortly afterward, the show went to break. Upon returning from break, Sanchez apologized for his choice of phrase. He said he received many tweets about that issue. He referred to the first Black president as "cotton pickin".

Oh my sticks and stones. How many people have referred to someone or something as "that cotton pickin"..... whatever. I've used the phrase several times myself. It's a phrase used when you want to say something stronger but try to restrain yourself. Having trouble opening that cotton pickin jar? That cotton pickin so and so hit your car in the parking lot?

Had this phrase been used to refer to any White president, nothing would have been said. However, because Mr. Obama is Black, we're forced to govern ourselves to the point of being unable to express ourselves at all. I'm reminded of Bill Cosby's comment when he said he used to think his father had a mental problem because he never finished his sentences: Why you little.... I oughta.... I'm gonna ...... Go to your room!

When we can't use common phrases such as "cotton pickin" to refer to someone, things have gone too far. It's no secret I'm not a follower of Mr. Obama. However, I do think he would have laughed this off rather than take offense to it. I'm sure he would have understood the context of the phrase and not thought any further of it. He is an adult, after all. Opposed, that is, to such as Al Sharpton who complained to his almost exclusively Black audience that Glen Beck was preaching to an almost exclusively White audience.

Maintaining this level of political correctness is stressful. It's gotten to the point that by trying not to offend all the "Minorities", I've gotten offended. We can't even have a Christmas program at the school because someone in the audience MIGHT not be Christian. We can't use certain terms around certain people because they MIGHT be offended.

I suppose Sanchez could have said "He's the f***ing president", but then that would suggest he's off having sex all the time. We could use "the G*d D**n president", but that would offend someone. Granted, he probably would have been better off just saying "the president", but in the heat of the moment he used a colorful metaphor. Personally, I think people should be grateful Sanchez used a fairly mild and, in most cases, harmless phrase. Don't worry about racial slurs. You're putting too much emphasis on things that aren't harmful. Remember, sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never harm you. Unless you let them, that is.