Not Very P.C.

“It seems to me now that the public face of social liberalism has ceased to seem positive, joyful, human, and freeing ... There are so many ways to step on a land mine now, so many terms that have become forbidden, so many attitudes that will get you cast out if you even appear to hold them. I’m far from alone in feeling that it’s typically not worth it to engage, given the risks."

--Freddie deBoer, from the New York Magazine article, "Not a Very P.C. Thing to Say" by Jonathan Chait.

I've long suspected that the current wave of language policing and finger pointing has contributed, in it's own unintended way, to what I believe Noam Chomsky once called an "atomized society."  There's a lot of us left-minded types going through our days with the same fear of sudden disproportionate outrage from forces known and unknown. 

The kind of fear that stops me from posting this on Facebook. 

Again, not worth it to engage.

It's as if the eggshells we walk on in everyday discourse are being balanced on eggs that have been already cracked by manufactured outrage. The best minds don't so much lack conviction.  It's more that they are already too afraid to show commitment and risk repercussion.  It's a pressure cooker environment that often sees steam let out in the form of hateful retaliation.  Think MRA sites, internet trolls, the passionate intensity of the worst. 

If any of  you have felt the same kind of trepidation, both in the online realm and in everyday one-on-one discourse, you need to read this article here.  It will put you to rest, just a little.  It will tell you that you're not crazy, that there is something different going on out there in the world dialogue.  Far from a right wing blog hate screed, it ends with optimism, which is nice for a change