"I did not attend his funeral; but I wrote a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain
As this quote from Twain suggests, niceness is a universal constant in our society, an idea which would have been as alien to our ancestors as the notion that we might one day conquer space and set a man on the moon. Niceness is our defining characteristic - not bravery, not innovation and certainly not action, but niceness, plain, simple and bland. We will not be remembered by future generations as pioneers in the fields of art or mental agility. We are overshadowed by our forebears in matters of devotion and discovery. Ours is not a golden era, but a quiet one, a simple one, a nice one.
By "niceness" I do not mean any kind of genuine or heartfelt sentiment. Niceness originates not from a desire to please others but from the desire to be well thought of - a self-serving urge. Niceness is a faade, erected amid a culture of narcissism. Genuine kindness is the opposite of niceness; its inverse, to the extent whereby the two cannot co-exist. Kindness is intended to make others feel good; niceness is a tool used to encourage them to be (or at least seem) kind to you.
At the societal level, political correctness is the name for the philosophy of niceness gone global. North America is now stifled under the aegis of this repressive orthodoxy which has made its presence felt in all sectors of society, from the media to our politics. One does not choose to conform to the standards of the politically correct class, one is required to. To break with the norm and take a stand for individual expression is an enormous social risk. To speak out against political correctness risks retribution comparable to that experienced by dissenters who spoke out against the old soviet regime. To suggest, for instance, that The Game exists would be dangerous enough, but to do so repeatedly and concertedly would be socially suicidal.
Political correctness is not easy to define, specifically because it stands for nothing. It is neither racist nor sexist - indeed, it is inherently opposed to both. It represents a negative construct created to oppose such positive forms of prejudice. It acts by cutting out and denouncing any ideological statement whatsoever. To stand for political correctness is to stand for negativity - for nothingness - for a social vacuum at the very heart of society. Political correctness is the ultimate form of hypocrisy, in that while it calls upon you to denounce nothing and no one it simultaneously requires that you denounce all those who do not conform to the strictures of a carefully regulated world in which political correctness is law.
What exactly is political correctness? It is easier to say what it is not. It is not racist, it is not sexist and it is not restrictive. It is not anything at all! It is intolerance of intolerance itself. Any ideology draws a boundary somewhere as to what is acceptable and what is not; what is tolerable and what is not. Propriety, in the past, was prescribed by dogma. Ironically, political correctness denounces dogma as being intolerant, yet manages to be no less judgmental. In the end all we are left with is blandness, tepidness, mediocrity; in other words, niceness!
And herein lives the final triumph of the Players. Equipped with political correctness they can say and do as they please so long as they manage to do so without letting conviction or moral forbearance get in the way. Anyone who objects to their dominance is politically incorrect and will be excluded from the hub of society which they control. The reality is that we are having our rights stripped from us gradually but inexorably. Over time we have been reduced to the status of mindless inmates operating within a society which has become a prison. And the worst thing is that most of us will never notice because for all its evils, this particular prison is so, so nice! - 31521
As this quote from Twain suggests, niceness is a universal constant in our society, an idea which would have been as alien to our ancestors as the notion that we might one day conquer space and set a man on the moon. Niceness is our defining characteristic - not bravery, not innovation and certainly not action, but niceness, plain, simple and bland. We will not be remembered by future generations as pioneers in the fields of art or mental agility. We are overshadowed by our forebears in matters of devotion and discovery. Ours is not a golden era, but a quiet one, a simple one, a nice one.
By "niceness" I do not mean any kind of genuine or heartfelt sentiment. Niceness originates not from a desire to please others but from the desire to be well thought of - a self-serving urge. Niceness is a faade, erected amid a culture of narcissism. Genuine kindness is the opposite of niceness; its inverse, to the extent whereby the two cannot co-exist. Kindness is intended to make others feel good; niceness is a tool used to encourage them to be (or at least seem) kind to you.
At the societal level, political correctness is the name for the philosophy of niceness gone global. North America is now stifled under the aegis of this repressive orthodoxy which has made its presence felt in all sectors of society, from the media to our politics. One does not choose to conform to the standards of the politically correct class, one is required to. To break with the norm and take a stand for individual expression is an enormous social risk. To speak out against political correctness risks retribution comparable to that experienced by dissenters who spoke out against the old soviet regime. To suggest, for instance, that The Game exists would be dangerous enough, but to do so repeatedly and concertedly would be socially suicidal.
Political correctness is not easy to define, specifically because it stands for nothing. It is neither racist nor sexist - indeed, it is inherently opposed to both. It represents a negative construct created to oppose such positive forms of prejudice. It acts by cutting out and denouncing any ideological statement whatsoever. To stand for political correctness is to stand for negativity - for nothingness - for a social vacuum at the very heart of society. Political correctness is the ultimate form of hypocrisy, in that while it calls upon you to denounce nothing and no one it simultaneously requires that you denounce all those who do not conform to the strictures of a carefully regulated world in which political correctness is law.
What exactly is political correctness? It is easier to say what it is not. It is not racist, it is not sexist and it is not restrictive. It is not anything at all! It is intolerance of intolerance itself. Any ideology draws a boundary somewhere as to what is acceptable and what is not; what is tolerable and what is not. Propriety, in the past, was prescribed by dogma. Ironically, political correctness denounces dogma as being intolerant, yet manages to be no less judgmental. In the end all we are left with is blandness, tepidness, mediocrity; in other words, niceness!
And herein lives the final triumph of the Players. Equipped with political correctness they can say and do as they please so long as they manage to do so without letting conviction or moral forbearance get in the way. Anyone who objects to their dominance is politically incorrect and will be excluded from the hub of society which they control. The reality is that we are having our rights stripped from us gradually but inexorably. Over time we have been reduced to the status of mindless inmates operating within a society which has become a prison. And the worst thing is that most of us will never notice because for all its evils, this particular prison is so, so nice! - 31521
About the Author:
John Berling Hardy debunks the myths which frame our world. For more of his writings please visit www.playingtheplayers.com
