I had reserved this space tonight for a major rant. What makes one of my rants “major”? I was actually going to call for a boycott and a letter-writing campaign — I don’t recall ever doing that before. I wanted to show how collective outrage can make a difference. But you know what happened? Collective outrage grew on its own, quickly rising to a spontaneous chorus of “NO!” And the perpetrator listened.
Rant
Define “Political Correctness”
A story this week is notable not just because of my offered “definition” of “Political Correctness,” but for some interesting commentary it brought. First, the story, from True’s 28 August 2006 issue:
Sadly, This Isn’t a Lawyer Joke
I Expect to Get a Few Complaints from lawyer readers about the lead story this week — a lot of my readers are lawyers. (I also have a relatively high number of cops and preachers in my distribution. Apparently those three professions particularly like this kind of reading.)
Zero Tolerance — the Next Step
The lead story last week brought an outraged response from a reader. First, here’s the story, from the 2 July 2006 issue:
True: It’s Not for Everyone
Some people even whine when I say maybe they wouldn’t like to upgrade. Really.
Here’s what I said in last week’s newsletter:
Happy Politically Correct Holiday
Last week’s issue included this story, which naturally brought an incredibly whiny complaint by someone who clearly didn’t understand the concept at all:
Another Self-Proclaimed Religious Scholar
So I got this email from a reader demanding to know why I make my world-famous “Get Out of Hell Free” cards available. I’ve written about that quite a bit over the years, so I don’t intend to repeat it all here (see the GOOHF site if you’re not already aware of the story. The basic answer, though, is “Because people like them.”)
Still Fundamentally Wrong
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I dubbed Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson “The American Taliban”. In the four years since, not much has changed. In 2005’s 9/11 issue of True came this story:
The Truth about PETA
Does PETA protect and nurture the animals placed in its care? Find out — this story is from True’s 17 July 2005 issue.
Letters and More Commentary have been added farther down the page (jump there) — and be sure to see the several Updates (jump there).
Bats, Iron Bars, and Bricks
Several readers wrote to complain about a story in last week’s issue (26 June 2005):
Skirmishes in the War on Drugs
This is True’s 4 September 2005 issue had a line-up of several stories about druggies doing incredibly stupid things. It’s a fairly common theme in True, in fact: drug and alcohol abuse very often makes people do stupid things.
Dell Hell
A Few Reader Horror Stories
Updates: A Happy Ending?
Conclusion — and Lessons Learned
I’ve recommended Dell computers for many years. But my confidence in them was shaken when I got a new laptop in Fall 2004, and I ended up in “Dell Hell”. This is the story: ridiculous, but even somewhat funny.
Thanks to Zero Tolerance, You are Not Safe
The silly concept of “Zero Tolerance” may have started in American schools, but it certainly did not end there. It not only has spread to schools in other countries, what’s the expected result when all those schoolchildren get out of school, and into the Real World?
“An Insult to Every Black Man in America”
What happens when an academic type uses Political Correctness to excuse vile, reprehensible behavior — and then a lawyer gets hold of the idea? You get “justification” for beating a young child to death. True’s home page notes that the stories are not all meant to be humorous, and this one sure isn’t.
Proof I’m a Stinking Liberal?
Ronald Reagan died last week. I didn’t happen to mention that fact in last Friday’s free edition — which “naturally” brought a grumpy complaint from Jeffrey in Florida:
Who “Deserves” Freedom?
We’re often told not to discuss politics or religion in polite company. But sometimes your hand is forced. It all started with two stories that appeared in subsequent weeks — in the 9 May and 16 May 2004 issues:
When is Racism OK?
When some idiot in the public eye spews forth an outrageous racist remark or two, they’re always called to task! And rightly so. Well… are they really? What happens when people are afraid to call a racist a racist, because they’ll be called racist? This story was in True’s 29 February 2004 issue:
Hit Squad on Spammers?
I’ve been clamoring for action on the spam front since 1996. I’ve even dedicated a web site to a primer on what spam is, how spammers get your address, and other topics (which recently got some updates).
The Missionary’s Position
Or, Much Ado About Nothing!
I got exactly one complaint about a story in last week’s issue, and the basis of the complaint, by a Baptist Youth Pastor, is so eye-rolling in its cluelessness, you’ll understand why some kids are so screwed up.
One Brave Girl
or… Welcome to the 21st Century
Editorial comments from This is True for the week of 16 February 2003: