Ever pull that loose thread on your sweater? The whole thing unravels.
That’s the state of America today, with the Politically Correct Police pulling on every thread in hopes of unraveling, well, everything.
This summer, they came — again — for the Washington Redskins, and this time they succeeded. The NFL team on Monday announced that it will cave to pressure from the Left, which claims the
Redskins name is offensive to American Indians, and change their 87-year-old team name and logo.
But here are a couple of facts (not that those matter nowadays). A poll in May found that nine in 10 American Indians are not offended by the name, The Washington Post reported. And the son of Walter “Blackie” Wetzel — the Native American whose 1971 design of the Redskins logo depicts John “Two Guns” White Calf, a Blackfoot chief who also appears on the buffalo nickel — said the name and logo are not offensive.
Of the name change, Lance Wetzel said, “It takes away from the Native Americans. When I see that logo, I take pride in it. You look at the depiction of the Redskins logo and it’s of a true Native American. I always felt it was representing my people.”
But forget all that. The PC Police — who have been on the warpath of late (can you still say that?) — had decided that the name was offensive. And it’s clear they won’t stop — ever. The language police have no limit to what they find offensive, and until they wipe away everything they deem objectionable, no one is safe.
Consider this: The Oxford Dictionary defines the phrase “low-hanging fruit” as “a thing or person that can be won, obtained, or persuaded with little effort.”
But a college professor says no, it’s racist.
“For African-Americans, if you say ‘low-hanging fruit,’ we think lynching,” said Mae Hicks-Jones, an adjunct faculty member of Elgin Community College in Illinois.
“Grandfathered” is also racist, she said, according to a report this week in the College Fix. To Ms. Hicks-Jones, the phrase “grandfathered in” is reminiscent of a grandfather clause, which privileged white people’s right to vote over that of black people during the Jim Crow South.
Then there’s the “Masters” golf tournament. Rob Parker last month wrote a Deadline piece headlined “We’ve Lived with ‘The Masters’ Name Long Enough.”
“Augusta National was built on grounds that were once a slave plantation and was the property of a slave owner. And according to a 2019 New Yorker piece about the course, it’s believed that enslaved Blacks were housed on the property,” he wrote.
You’ll be surprised to hear there’s more.
The largest cosmetics company in the world announced last month that it will remove words like “whitening,” “fair” and “lightening” from the packaging of its products.
“The L’Oreal Group has decided to remove the words white/whitening, fair/fairness, light/lightening from all its skin evening products,” the French cosmetics giant said in statement, according to The Associated Press.
Even food brands are being targeted. Quaker Oats announced last month that it would remove Aunt Jemima from its 133-year-old brand of syrup and pancake mix, while the company that makes Cream of Wheat said it is reviewing its brand and packaging, which features a black chef holding up a piping hot bowl of cereal.
“B&G Foods, Inc. today announced that we are initiating an immediate review of the Cream of Wheat brand packaging,” the company said in a statement. “We understand there are concerns regarding the Chef image, and we are committed to evaluating our packaging and will proactively take steps to ensure that we and our brands do not inadvertently contribute to systemic racism.”
Meanwhile, the company that makes Uncle Ben’s rice said that “now was the right time to evolve” the brand. Their package features an elderly black man in a tuxedo next to its trademark saying, “Perfect Every Time.”
Mars Inc., the parent company of Uncle Ben’s, said in a release that as a global brand, “we know we have a responsibility to take a stand in helping to put an end to racial bias and injustices.”
Yup, rice is racist. Especially white rice.
Even the word “racism” is racist, at least according to a 22-year-old woman who recently graduated with a degree in law, politics and society. Kennedy Mitchum complained about the definition, so Merriam-Webster, a dictionary that’s nearly 190 years old, decided to change the entry.
“I basically told them they need to include that there is systematic oppression on people,” the recent Drake University grad said. “It’s not just ‘I don’t like someone,’ it’s a system of oppression for a certain group of people.”
Of course, this isn’t over. And it never will be. Once the PC police wield their social justice batons, everything is on the chopping block.
Wait, can you still say that?
*Joseph Curl ran the Drudge Report from 2010 to 2014 and covered the White House for a dozen years. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter at @JosephCurl. A version of this article ran previously in The Washington Times.
