When teachers are encouraged to refer to a student’s failure as “deferred success,” something is amiss. Political correctness has gone too far.

Because of political correctness, we as a society collectively tiptoe around how we really feel about social issues. It’s because of political correctness that all Little Leaguers get a trophy and an abortion clinic will never have the slogan, “We bring out the kid in you.”

It’s dangerous because it manipulates our language and, therefore, affects thought. The use of politically correct language forces us to group people together in niched subsets of society. Specialized labels for people only create more divisions within our already fragmented and argumentative culture.

The concept was founded on a noble principle: Be sensitive to others. But like almost everything in America, we got overzealous and ran it into the ground. At some point it was determined that all of society needs to be updated and conform to the ridiculous demands of political correctness.

Such examples include: secretaries being referred to as “administrative assistants,” and the Washington Bullets having to change their name to the Wizards.

Politically correct terminology amounts to little more than speech codes. It assumes there is a right way to think. Guess what? There really is no right way to think. That’s like saying there is a right religion or political affiliation. While we are on the topic, just exactly who defines these terms that are deemed appropriate? The answer shouldn’t surprise you: wrist-wringing liberals who think freedom of speech is OK as long as they approve of it (see Tipper Gore and hip-hop).

Every alcohol manufacturer has to include the message “drink responsibly” in its advertisements because to not do so is politically incorrect. Casinos also encourage gambling in moderation for the same reason. Neither of these industries have any interest in people conducting themselves with self-control, but they pretend to so special interest groups will not protest against them and hurt their public image.

Recently, I wrote a column about Hillary Clinton and referred to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as a “non-illness.” That comment got more attention than the column itself, because it wasn’t politically correct of me to slam an illness that I “didn’t know anything about,” according to multiple emails.

CFS sufferers contacted me with their displeasure of my assessment or did so on our website. Some demanded an apology, others wanted me fired, and the rest just wanted me to know how awful their lives are. My belief at the time, and still today, is that the symptoms – while authentic and tragic for those who suffer from it – are frequently faked by doctor-shoppers to score prescription pain pills and/or amphetamines.

Political correctness is why I had to dance around calling Thomas Beatie, the pregnant “man”, an “it” in a recent column. Calling Beatie an “it” will undoubtedly bring down a fierce hellfire of criticism from Lesbian Bi-sexual Gay Transgender Intersexual Queer Questioning Alliance activists everywhere, the “Alphabet Soup” of all special interest groups.

It’s my right to refer to Beatie as whatever I please, even though it is neither in good taste, nor politically correct and even ignorant to do so. It’s my freedom of choice that enables me to be callous and insensitive – it’s everyone else’s freedom of choice to ignore this column and take it at face value. Don’t like the views in this column? Don’t read it. Simple.

Voltaire said it best: “I don’t agree with what you say but defend to the death your right to say it.”

How, when or where did that idea become politically incorrect?

Jordan Guinn can be reached at [email protected]