Well, the week was bookended by Sam Newman and Donald Trump with some interesting takes on political correctness.
Sam, for those of you who have better things to do, was an AFL footballer who has since gained notoriety on a TV show where he regularly performs the role of clown. In the past few years, he has made several provocative statements, appeared with black-face to impersonate ex-footballer Nicky Winmar, exposed his penis, inappropriately touched a doll, and generally done the sort of the thing that would have one sacked in any normal workplace. But all this was done on TV, so one presumes that it gives him the sort of freedom to do things that he wouldn’t do in the privacy of his own home.
But even though Sam has never lost his job for such things, he was concerned about how “political correctness” was hampering his style so he wrote an opinion piece for “The Herald-Sun”.
Like many of those who complain about this, he takes the view that he should be allowed to say what he likes and not stifled. Other people saying what they like about his offensiveness, however, stifles him and he thinks that they shouldn’t be allowed to do this.
Yes, people complaining about homophobic, racist, or sexist comments should be prevented from speaking because it upsets the poor petals who like to make them. It’s got so you can’t come out and be a red-blooded man any more without being criticised and well, criticism is really hard to take…
In the interests of freedom, we should ban political correctness!
So, Donald Trump’s little outburst seems topical. For those of you who missed it, Trump thought it appropriate to mock a reporter’s disability.
Personally, I have this theory that Donald Trump thought it’d be fun to run for President but had no genuine desire to really be a long term candidate because that would involve actual work, and that at least once a week, he says something that he hopes will allow him to withdraw because his support base had eroded to the point that he could do so without looking like he has no real concern for the democratic processes. Then he could just throw the few remaining supporters behind some other guy – who’d then owe him if he actually won. (I’m not being sexist – I just can’t imagine Trump suggesting that a woman should be president!)
Of course, after watching Trump mocking that reporter, I suddenly had an epiphany. Am I any better? After all, I mock people like Abbott, Pyne and Abetz (Barnaby Joyce just mocks himself) Am I just another Donald Trump when I make fun of Sam Newman whose overcome a complete lack of sophistication to find a job where you’re extremely well paid to humiliate yourself.
And both Trump and Newman have done so much to improve their physical appearance while I’ve let myself go to the point that I have grey hair and wrinkles, but they, through clean-living and a healthy life-style still have their natural hair colour. In Sam’s case apparently when he raises his eyebrows it also pulls up his socks.
Yes, I’m no better than Donald Trump. I’m ashamed of myself.
But then, neither he nor Sam believe in political correctness, so I guess it’s all ok!
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