QUESTION: Do the people of NIU get the feeling that the majority is going to accept political correctness being imposed upon them whether they want it or not? On Feb. 25, we were told it had been decided “we” would experiment with limited PC (without any referendum of popular voting or ballots) and that your “grade could be affected in a minor way by the guidelines” if you don’t follow them. Is it just me, or is this pretty much PC through the back door to get a majority to gradually accept what it doesn’t want?

What is the difference between “grades being affected” and full PC implementation? Some could argue our Student Affairs officials and the “Freshman English Committee” voted for this, therefore it is fair and democratic. I’m not sure who the “Freshman English Committee” is comprised of (or the SA for that matter), or if people with a preference for PC weren’t stacked into these groups (a typical trick—to use a large committee to push something through and claim it was a democracy). Even if elected representatives voted for this, one can only wonder what back room deals influence duly-elected student and university representatives once in positions of authority. If the majority doesn’t want PC, did these groups serve our interests? Are they dictating what constitutes “for our own good?” Do we only think we know what we want?

The only benefit from this issue is that it serves as a fine example of elected officials all across America. Something bad happens to majority interests once elected officials enter office. Let’s take the U.S. as an example. It is potentially the single most wealthy entity on earth with its largest asset integrated and developed market. This would give the U.S. the economics of scale for the largest corporations in the world (How can you lose with this advantage coupled with our agriculture?) The U.S. is also the “bread basket” of the world with some of the most fertile farm land in the world. We possess the ability to literally almost feed the entire planet (but who knows how long if those curious weather patterns and ozone layer holes continue to deplete America’s water table).

Has this made America the economic leader globally? In fact, an island the size of California, called Japan, has taken many of the world’s market in heavy industries (while Americans were being reassured the service economy would fill these lost jobs). Their banks are larger than ours and worst of all, their giant corporations are fat from our markets (How large would Japanese corporations be if they only sold to their own internal market?). Now how do we arrive from overwhelming potential advantage into our markets benefiting Japan? Largely from policies, or lack of them, from our “democratically” elected leaders who are supposed to serve majority interests.

Is democracy where a very narrow selection of mediocre politicians who we elect under the promise that they serve our interests (and never do—compare presidential promises with accomplishments), and then get subverted by all sorts of back room politics?

Does it strike anyone as insane that student MAP awards were cut by 12 percent by the federal government for lack of funds, yet Israel will be loaned 10 billion dollars in addition to the FREE 4 billion we give them yearly? Could we safely say political self-interests are being served over American interests here?

With a 200 billion dollar trade hemorrhage every year, a 4 trillion dollar debt where payment on interest alone is close to overtaking social program spending, where politics such as Affirmative Action take a priority over economic efficiency, and entrance exams (i.e., college, FBI, and the like) are lowered, and yet the world wonders where America’s quality has gone. This type of superficial democracy will surely bring down the U.S. economy much like that of the USSR.

Americans, ask yourselves: Are your interests being served? Start thinking for yourselves; don’t let the media think for you. In fact, ignore the media (or at least read between the lines); mass media has become a poison which lulls one into docile acceptance. I suggest that all Americans seriously ponder that part of the Constitution which states that when a government no longer serves the interests of the people, the people are obligated to change that government.

PC at NIU is just a small example of disregard for popular interest. On a broader scale, imagine reading these headlines someday:

“Good news. General Motors just went bankrupt, the U.S. economy has just collapsed following decades of abuse, but America has ‘officially’ decided that Columbus was Eurocentric and therefore bad. It’s a great day for America.”

OR: “America has officially decided all 50 states must be perfectly equal. Therefore, all state maps will be redrawn, all excess population above the accepted level will be relocated. All valleys will be filled, all mountains leveled. Due to our inability to cultivate the western deserts because of the hole in the ozone layer, we will make the Midwest arid. We shall lower the Midwest’s water table. Since all states don’t have beaches …”

Darrel Rizzo

Junior

Medical Technology