The Paper • Page 6 • May 24 2018
Political Correctness Cont. from Page 5
from approving audiences numbering in the millions.
“White men marry all the pretty Latinas,” Paul Rodriguez quips in front of a predominantly MexicanAmerican audience. “But I don’t blame you women. You want to be homeowners. If you want to rent an apartment your entire life – you marry a Mexican!” The audience is engulfed with laughter.
However, when an ‘outsider’ should join in the comedic roughhousing, as mentioned above, things can quickly become ugly, turning the performance stage into the gallows. And the audience priming the guillotine, shouting for the intruder’s head, in the name of ‘political incorrectness.’ An unpardonable sin, for so-called ‘ethnic outsiders.’ The above actually happened to English actor, producer, and worldfamous comedian, John Cleese, who tripped on an ethnic doublestandard and fell head-first into the treacherous and murky waters of political incorrectness. The highprofile condemnation was so unforgiving and so volatile that the incident succeeded in driving John Cleese into abandoning any similar future attempts. The former Monty Python star angrily called the PC culture “condescending.” Later, before a network television audience, John Cleese gave reason for completely stopping race-related jokes after audiences were angered and insulted over his jokes about Mexicans in his routine.
Cleese stated: “Make jokes about Swedes and Germans and French and English and Canadians and Americans, why can’t we make jokes about Mexicans? Is it because they are so feeble that they can’t look after themselves? It’s very, very condescending there.” Between the polarity of extremes, therein lies the underbelly of everyday society. Many claim PC ‘overcorrects’ us into a meek, submissive shell of a tortoise. For many, PC has veered greatly out of control.
Case in point, Jay Leno, of “The Tonight Show” fame, confesses a true-life account of political correctness gone haywire. As Jay Leno explains: “I’ll give you an example. We had college interns visit the show’s studio. During the last year of the show, one of the interns comes and says, ‘Mr. Leno, I’m getting lunch, what do you want?’ So, I said, ‘I don’t know, where are you going?’ And he said, ‘We’re getting Mexican.’ And I said, ‘I don’t really like Mexican.’ So, he says, ‘Whoa! That’s kinda racist.’”
Leno takes pause, pushing back from his chair as if to emphasize his next point, “That’s not racist!
Being anti-guacamole is not racist, okay?!” Clearly and understandably upset from being grossly misjudged, Jay Leno shows his well-placed anger by stating his inner-thoughts: “You have no idea what racism is. That’s not racism – you idiot, you moron!”
In such real scenarios, ‘political over-correctness’ can summon up the negative side of human beings. Such as in the example recounted with Jay Leno, which ignited his fuse.
It wasn’t that long ago that Escondido, California, made national news involving a firestorm of opposing views on PC guidelines. It became a branding-ironhot issue which embroiled the entire San Diego North County, pushing many buttons of the citizenry. The controversy surrounding the Escondido Police Department’s random Vehicle Inspection Checkpoints: Sobriety Enforcement and DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoints, became a lightning rod of sorts, which attracted national attention and vehement accusations of racism from the largely Latino community, claiming racial profiling and breaches of political correctness. The claim being that such vehicle checkpoints are a disguised way for police to identify and deport undocumented residents.
However, even Hispanics have voiced differences within their own ethnic community, expressing their desires to keep their own community safe and law-abiding for their families, though such opposing opinions (from Latinos) are often shouted-down by other Latinos and, consequently, all is lost in the din of demagoguery. And so, continued allegations of racial profiling gone wrong goes unchallenged. Regarding the Escondido Police Department’s random Vehicle Inspection Checkpoints, one young Latino parent personally told me, “I’d rather they impound a car from a drunk driver than have that driver claim my little daughter’s life later on. After all, what is there to fear at these checkpoints if you are not breaking the law?”
Despite any semblance of countertruth, the power of political correctness has often caused many city, state, and federal entities to quickly back-down from any such confrontation, for fear of being labeled a racist, a label which can quickly end any career outright. Such consequences are often perceived to be far worse and more degrading than being bounced from a Biblical leper colony.
According to repeated nationwide polls, such thinking creates an unhealthy fear of PC.
Many feel that disguising the truth or hiding it in the name of pseudo political correctness, may be the first step for a culture to surrender
Political Correctness Cont. on Page 7
In 1905 there were only 8,000 cars in the United States and only 144 miles of paved roads. The speed limit was 10 mph. Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California with a mere 1.4 million population. California was only the 21st. most populous state. Look what happened in just 113 years!
Would you like to reach the top rung in automobile aficionados? Look no further than the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal. In the Gear and Gadget Section under the title “Rumble Seat” you will find expert automobile writing by Dan Neil. With his comments you need to have a dictionary nearby, as he has a vast vocabulary. He’s my favorite writer.
This week’s mystery car was built by a company that first built covered wagons in 1852. Fifty years later it was making cars, but only electric ones. They didn’t get around to gasoline powered automobiles until 1911. In 1963 they brought forth one of the most advanced creations in the industry with the Raymond Lowey Designing Team. This car was ultra-exotic and the most innovative since the Cord. It was the first U.S. car with front disc brakes plus blazing speed powered by a 289 cubic inch V-8 that broke 29 Bonneville Salt Flats Records including a top speed flying mile of 170 mph! The fiberglass body was built by Molded Plastic Body (MPB) who was also providing bodies for the Chevrolet Corvette. This beautiful four passenger sports car was built for two model years (1963 &1964) by this independent US Manufacturer. Unfortunately, they had financial difficulties and failed a few years later. Total production was 4463 cars. You may have guessed that I owned one of these early on and have lots of great memories. This is the car I was driving when I met my wife. Answer: Studebaker Avanti. Avanti= Advance in Italian. Official name of Italian newspaper in WWII
Fire Communities Work Together
I have been appointed to a new Select Committee on Natural Disaster Response, Recovery and Rebuilding, co-chaired by Assemblymembers Marc Levine, D –Marin, (Santa Rosa Fire), and Monique Limón, D – Santa Barbara (Thomas Fire). Most members represent districts severely impacted by CA wildfires, including Cecilia Aguilar-Curry, D-Winters, (Napa Fire), Dr. Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg (Santa Rosa Fire), and myself (Lilac Fire). This week we met to hear from local governments and other experts on improvements to California’s response, alert systems and best practices in the rebuilding process. Since San Diego County's tragic Cedar Fire in October 2003 (273,246 acres, 2,820 structures, 15 lives lost) and Witch Fire in October 2007 (197,990 acres, 1,650 structures, 2 lives lost) we have learned a lot about communications, public alert systems and rebuilding. There is still more to do for future wildfires. Our committee is learning from each other and from the community leaders who are dealing with the latest fire aftermaths. In December, the Lilac Fire
destroyed over 150 structures in the Fallbrook area, including 75 manufactured homes. My legislation, AB 1943, which updates archaic state laws that get in the way of rebuilding and block conventional home financing, recently passed the Housing & Community Development Committee unanimously. Since AB 1943 has an urgency clause, once it’s signed by the Governor, it goes into effect immediately. Fires, earthquakes, floods and landslides are part of California living. Antiquated laws and regulations impacting natural disaster assistance and recovery must be updated. Most of all, we must be prepared. San Diego County Emergency Services has a great app called “SD Emergency” with real time information on incidents, emergencies and recovery. Also Cal Fire’s website: CAL FIRE - Home is a great source of information for communities in high fire risk areas like ours.
Minority Floor Leader Marie Waldron, REscondido, represents the 75th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the communities of Bonsall, Escondido, Fallbrook, Hidden Meadows, Pala, Palomar Mountain, Pauma Valley, Rainbow, San Marcos, Temecula, Valley Center and Vista.