Exclusive: Shameful Over Sensitivity
Gregg Bemis
Author: Gregg Bemis
Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
Date: May 4, 2007
When truth surrenders to fears of insensitivity, there are dark days ahead. FSM Contributing Editor Gregg Bemis studies the absurd lengths to which “sensitivity” has gone, both in the U.S. and throughout the West. Isn’t it clear by now that cultural diversity is the opposite of inclusiveness? Gregg has answers.
Shameful Over Sensitivity
By Gregg Bemis
In England in the year 2000, Mr. Justice Gray wrote a 300-page opinion destroying David Irving’s ridiculous lawsuit against author Deborah Lipstadt for criticizing Irving’s insanity at denying the Holocaust. Now a school in England has shown the ultimate cowardice, or head in the sand if you prefer, by removing the Holocaust from the history curriculum of one of their schools. The reason: because the continued recognition and teaching of this monstrous black moment of history is “insensitive” to the feelings of Britain’s Muslim community who deny the occurrence of the Holocaust. What total rot!
What have we come to? It is bad enough that we have become so skittish that any truth that offends cannot be expressed verbally or in writing. Any action, no matter how innocently undertaken, if it offends is not allowed. I’m not talking about courtesy versus offensive rudeness. I’m talking about history and realities. When our Ambassador to Armenia inadvertently used the word “genocide” referring to a dark period in the history of Turkish Armenian relations, he was sacked. This is despite the fact that the U.S. Congress has from time to time had bills of recognition of the fact up for voting.
When I attended Stanford University what seems like 100 years ago, the student body, such as it was, was fully integrated and inter-related. Now the University in its fervent attempt to be politically correct, and to recognize diversity, has created “theme” houses and “theme” organizations thereby driving peoples and cultures into separate camps. This emphasizes dissimilarities rather than likenesses. Does this create harmony? No. Does this create acceptance of multi-cultures? No. It puts a premium on recognizing and supporting differences, separating not bringing together.
Does America resolve its current problems of integration and acceptance of minorities by ignoring our early history of abuse of Native Americans or of our participation in the slave trade? I don’t think so. In fact the honor we have bestowed on President Lincoln for his efforts to abolish slavery and hold the Union together play a major part in any history of America. And surely the special considerations we have bestowed on Native Americans, whether too much or too little, certainly do not derive from attempting to sweep our history under the rug.
Recently PBS has been doing a series on the Muslims, their culture and their religion. Two renowned videographers with encouragement from PBS produced an exemplary portrayal of the differences and conflicts between the moderate versus the extreme sides of the culture. The ever present, mind numbing, politically correct, left wing upper management faction at PBS killed it. Reportedly they didn’t want to offend the extremists. In what possible way is that helping to educate Americans or support the right to diverse thinking?
So, coming back to the United Kingdom, have things become so scary, so out of control in Britain that one of the greatest monstrosities of the 20th century has to be erased from the history books? The Holocaust was a fact, not a myth. In its calculation and practice, it was one of the most extreme examples of “man’s inhumanity to man”. This decision no longer to include this historical fact in the British school curriculum is a shocking reflection of how far under the tent the camel has pushed its nose. When truth surrenders to fears of insensitivity, there are dark days ahead indeed.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Author: Gregg Bemis
Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
Date: May 4, 2007
When truth surrenders to fears of insensitivity, there are dark days ahead. FSM Contributing Editor Gregg Bemis studies the absurd lengths to which “sensitivity” has gone, both in the U.S. and throughout the West. Isn’t it clear by now that cultural diversity is the opposite of inclusiveness? Gregg has answers.
Shameful Over Sensitivity
By Gregg Bemis
In England in the year 2000, Mr. Justice Gray wrote a 300-page opinion destroying David Irving’s ridiculous lawsuit against author Deborah Lipstadt for criticizing Irving’s insanity at denying the Holocaust. Now a school in England has shown the ultimate cowardice, or head in the sand if you prefer, by removing the Holocaust from the history curriculum of one of their schools. The reason: because the continued recognition and teaching of this monstrous black moment of history is “insensitive” to the feelings of Britain’s Muslim community who deny the occurrence of the Holocaust. What total rot!
What have we come to? It is bad enough that we have become so skittish that any truth that offends cannot be expressed verbally or in writing. Any action, no matter how innocently undertaken, if it offends is not allowed. I’m not talking about courtesy versus offensive rudeness. I’m talking about history and realities. When our Ambassador to Armenia inadvertently used the word “genocide” referring to a dark period in the history of Turkish Armenian relations, he was sacked. This is despite the fact that the U.S. Congress has from time to time had bills of recognition of the fact up for voting.
When I attended Stanford University what seems like 100 years ago, the student body, such as it was, was fully integrated and inter-related. Now the University in its fervent attempt to be politically correct, and to recognize diversity, has created “theme” houses and “theme” organizations thereby driving peoples and cultures into separate camps. This emphasizes dissimilarities rather than likenesses. Does this create harmony? No. Does this create acceptance of multi-cultures? No. It puts a premium on recognizing and supporting differences, separating not bringing together.
Does America resolve its current problems of integration and acceptance of minorities by ignoring our early history of abuse of Native Americans or of our participation in the slave trade? I don’t think so. In fact the honor we have bestowed on President Lincoln for his efforts to abolish slavery and hold the Union together play a major part in any history of America. And surely the special considerations we have bestowed on Native Americans, whether too much or too little, certainly do not derive from attempting to sweep our history under the rug.
Recently PBS has been doing a series on the Muslims, their culture and their religion. Two renowned videographers with encouragement from PBS produced an exemplary portrayal of the differences and conflicts between the moderate versus the extreme sides of the culture. The ever present, mind numbing, politically correct, left wing upper management faction at PBS killed it. Reportedly they didn’t want to offend the extremists. In what possible way is that helping to educate Americans or support the right to diverse thinking?
So, coming back to the United Kingdom, have things become so scary, so out of control in Britain that one of the greatest monstrosities of the 20th century has to be erased from the history books? The Holocaust was a fact, not a myth. In its calculation and practice, it was one of the most extreme examples of “man’s inhumanity to man”. This decision no longer to include this historical fact in the British school curriculum is a shocking reflection of how far under the tent the camel has pushed its nose. When truth surrenders to fears of insensitivity, there are dark days ahead indeed.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Labels: Genocide Denial, Genocide Education
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 9:47 PM
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