Sensitivity braining » Has political correctness gone mad? Adam Tatelman Staff Writer M aybe I’ma straight white cis-gender male living in a phallocentric, casually misogynist : rape culture that disadvantages everyone except me—but | often feel that my generation has become impractically sensitive. Since their profession revolves around walking the line of political correctness, it’s fitting that some of the first to address this issue are outspoken standup comics fed up with stiff audiences. In an interview with ESPN’s Colin Cowherd, comic Jerry Seinfeld said, “I don’t play colleges. I hear a lot of people tell me, ‘Don’t go near colleges. They’re so PC,” After an amusing anecdote involving his 14-year- old daughter calling her own mother a sexist, Seinfeld added, “They just want to use these words: ‘That’s racist. That’s sexist. That’s prejudice’ They don’t even : know what they’re talking about. Seinfeld’s not the only one not to the jokes but to the : “buzzwords” in them. The subsequent outrage over : Seinfeld’s statements by leftist : publications proves his point: : three articles by three different : writers at Salon all paint Seinfeld : asa “bad joke” or “the next Bill : O'Reilly” with creatively titled : articles like “Jerry Seinfeld is a : Wimp.’ Stay classy, my friends. It’s not a one-sided “Comedy is medicine,” replied Ross. “It’s the best : medicine, laughter. You don’t : want it generic. You want it : : potent.” : either. Fellow comic Colin Quinn : : noted that this trend began in : the ‘gos. He saw people reacting Honestly, I’m not a Seinfeld : fan. I’ve always been partial to : George Carlin’s irreverent sass. In : the ‘60s and ‘7os, non-PC humour : was what the well-to-do protest- : happy liberal college students : wanted. That breed of comedy : thrived on campus venues. Now : I’m wondering when left-wing : society got so into censorship. : That’s what they’ve been bashing : the right for all along. It’s like the : children of the ‘6os ran from their : parents so hard, they became : : their parents—on steroids. : conversation, thankfully. On Real : : Time with Bill Maher, known : : PC opponent, Maher and fellow : comic Jeff Ross came to Seinfeld’s : : defence with some zingers of : their own. “If Jerry Seinfeld is : too politically incorrect for you, : maybe you should look ina : mirror,’ said Maher. The irony is so thick you : could press a suit with it. : Maybe it’s time to develop a bigger vocabulary for dealing : with people whose views differ : from ours instead of relying : on the tired “racist, sexist, and : homophobic” rhetoric as a crutch : to shut them up. Who knows? : If we learn to be self-critical, : we might also learn not to take : ourselves so seriously all the time. Image via The New York Times » Tearing down the Confederate flag is the smallest step in endin Elliot Chan Opinions Editor © opinions @theotherpress.ca | nless you tie a flag around someone’s throat and choke the person out, flags are simply a symbol—harmless. Altera swastika slightly and you'll have the symbol for Buddhism. Banning the Confederate flag is the easiest thing to doasa reaction to the Charleston church : shooting in South Carolina. It’s the easiest way to say we disagree with discrimination and murder. But such an act will not temper the hate brewing in so many. The Confederate flag is a different symbol for different people. Some believe it represents : Southern heritage, Dixie pride, the Dukes of Hazards, etc. For others, it’s not unlike the swastika; it represents white supremacy, the Ku Klux Klan, g hate : and neo-confederates. So, is the : Confederate flag racist? How isn’t : : it? Are there any ethnic people : in South Carolina pissed that the : flag is being banned from big : brand retailers and removed from : : government buildings? My guess : is few are. Pll admit, what I understand : of the southern region of the : United States has been received : secondhand through books, : cinema, and television. Clearly ? I don’t know what it’s like to walk down the street and receive : Southern hospitality, and you : can understand how I—someone : : clearly not white—may be : wary to step into a room full of : Confederate flags. I can’t help : feeling that people who defend : guns and the Confederate flags would not defend you or me with : : the same amount of passion. : While I believe the flag is : indeed a symbol for slavery, : therefore racism, I’m not > convinced that banning it will : accomplish much in the long run. Flags can burn, but ideas : can pass on like viruses. It’s a : lame reflex reaction that allows : those in charge to feel a little self-righteous, patting each other : on the back as if they themselves : have abolished slavery. No, : Apple, you have not ended racism : by eliminating all American : Civil War games from your app : catalogue. No, Wal-Mart, you are : not heroic for taking Confederate : flags off your shelves. Flags are not the real problem. Flags don’t kill people, guns do and murderers do. : Malicious groups and backward- : thinking education systems kill : people. The Confederate flag did : not motivate 21-year-old Dylann : Roof to enter that church ona Wednesday evening in June and : kill nine people while severely : injuring one. The reason was : much more deeply rooted than : a flag. eC Image from thinkstock THE OTHER PRESS IS HIRING The Other Press is hiring for an Editor-in-Chief for the 2015/16 year. 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