Rev. Father A. Maximiadis
Recently some opinions were published on this website that were censored by an inappreciable number of zealous advocates of ‘Political Correctness’. For alleged ‘derogatory’ comments of ‘persons,’ ‘country,’ and ‘religious affiliations’. The opinions in question appeared in two articles titled: ‘Father’s Views on the Imperialist Realpolitik in Iraq’, and the “Jehovah’s Witnesses”.
The views, expressed in the article on the war in Iraq, were formed from information extrapolated from media reports. Moreover, the views on the ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ were based, for the most part, upon quotations from their publications. Also, passages from the Patristic sources. In these situations, the information is on the public record, privileged communication and are, the basis for rational criticism of public figures. Their activities and ideologies in an acceptable, and legitimate form of discourse.
‘Political Correctness’ is reminiscent of the intellectual inactivity of the Dark Ages in Western European history (476-800). Since the middle of last century, there has been an increasing radical retrocession, of the collective western mindset. That had its genesis during the apparent rapid diminishing of western culture to mass mediocrity. Driven by commercial interests, in marketing goods and services, though the principal media organizations in New York and Los Angeles.
Cultural Fragmentation.
During the decade of the second Indochina War (1965-1975), there arose the counter-culture, and the countermovements for nonconformity, and the separatists movements. Namely ‘black power,’ later to be followed by women’s “liberation,” ‘Movement for the Ordination of Women,’ and ‘homosexual (“gay”) liberation’. There also arose the cults and sects that had the effects of interpolating Western culture with a variety of selected palatable elements. These elements were extrapolated from the exotic polytheistic cluster of Hinduism including (Sanãtana Dharma) from the Indian subcontinent. And from some of the eastern ethical movements (Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism) from China, Tibet et al. And the re-emergence of pre-scientific, superstitious, or irrational, concepts and practises, v.g., shamanism, witchcraft, astrology et cetera. These and other equivocal assumptions and practises have been given the preferential and incautious treatment. Rather than the scientific orthodox western disciplines; e.g., Psychology, medicine, social science et cetera.
Incarceration of Free Speech.
‘Political Correctness’ (or the ‘Frankfurter Schule’) migrated from Germany to the United States in 1935. From where it gradually gained mass public acceptance into the Western mindset without question. ‘Political Correctness’ is a surreptitious scheme of thought control that disallows open discussion under the Pollyanna pretext of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism asserts an equitableness of the various cultural units in the mainstream population of a host nation. All views and opinions that transgress the intolerant and repressive tripartite-edict of Political Correctness are vilified for being xenophobic, homophobic or misogynist. This threefold stratagem conceals the stark reality of the inequality of the various ethnic group’s inclusion and participation in the political and economic decision-making processes and shares in the nation’s wealth. Additionally, it has an ossific effect on the politically configurated collective mindset, and maintenance of the cultural, and the socio-economic status quo.
Arguments for censoring opinions, in these articles, is untenable. Firstly, due to the essential ‘manners’ – occasionally employing ‘assertive styles’ – necessary for writers, to convey precise thoughts on ‘matters’ in question. Moreover, secondly, but more importantly, the supposed democratic right “…to freedom of opinions and expressions … without interference”, guaranteed, at least in theory, under the First Amendment of the United States’ Constitution.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”.
Article V ratified 17/9/1787, and subsequent additional Articles/amendments (Article [1])); ratified between 20/11/1789 and 19/4/1939.
‘The Right to Freedom of Opinions and Expressions’.
‘Political Correctness’ is a dangerous anti-democratic assault against the most quintessential aspect of the human faculty of thought and freedom of expression.
“The free communication of ideas and of opinions is one of the most precious rights of man. Any citizen may therefore speak, write and publish freely, except what is tantamount to the abuse of this liberty in cases determined by Law”.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (Article II). National Assembly of France 1789, and formalized in the Constitution of 1958.
Writers of articles on this website have “the right to freedom of opinions and expressions,” and will continue to “hold opinions without interference,” notwithstanding the zealous watchdogs of ‘Political Correctness’. Moreover, in conclusion, it is hoped that visitors to this website, make fair and unbiased assessments of the site contents. Free from the sense of judgment being eclipsed by the repressive effects of ‘Political Correctness’.