The eCrozier

The term “politically correct” connotes different things to different people. To some, it’s being overly sensitive to humor or behavior by others that some might find offensive. To others, it’s merely being empathetic to those who differ from us by avoiding humor or behavior that they might find offensive. Those who see it as being hyper-sensitive often say that people who are offended should just “lighten up.” It’s just people having some fun. Besides, people are only exercising their rights of free expression. If you find it offensive just look the other way or don’t listen. Those who see it as being empathetic to others who are different from us will often say that such people are really bigots cloaking their bigotry in humor or what seems to be harmless fun.

We all can recall examples of both extremes where we said either: “those people should lighten up” or “those people were clueless about how their actions hurt others.” I don’t know about you, but I have offered both responses numerous times to events I have seen or read about. Many times I find myself in the via media on political correctness hoping we all could develop thicker skins and, at the same time, greater sensitivity to how our actions, however humorously intended, might be received by others.

A case in point: A few years back students at a high school in Minnesota had a “Wigger Wednesday” dress-up day. About 70 students during homecoming week wore oversized sports jerseys, low-slung pants, hats cocked to the side, and ‘doo rags’ on their heads. Officially it was supposed to be “Tropical Day,” but these students turned it into “Wigger Day.” To those unfamiliar with the term “Wigger,” it’s a derogatory term for a white person who emulates black culture. It’s hardly surprising that there’s a lawsuit against the school system for tolerating this event. Were these 70 students racist? A few probably were, but most probably were not. My hunch is that most were just “having a laugh,” as the British would say. And I think a law suit as a response is preposterous unless there is evidence of other times when the school system’s leadership encouraged such things or at least consistently ignored similar behavior.

But that does not mean I think holding a “Wigger Day” is OK. I find the term alone offensive. Yes, one could argue the students had a right to do it, that no one was really harmed by it, so what’s the fuss? That, however, isn’t the point, at least for those of us who attend ourselves as Jesus’ disciples. St Paul, in 1 Corinthians 8 addresses the issue of eating food sacrificed to idols. Apparently some in the Corinthian Church were chowing down regularly at steak houses connected to pagan shrines where animal sacrifices took place. St Paul says there’s nothing wrong with that since those are merely “dumb idols.” St Paul, however, then says that even though disciples have a right to do so, they shouldn’t out of concern for other disciples who may misunderstand the right or be offended by the practice. St Paul concludes by saying he just won’t frequent those steak houses out of his love and concern for other members of the Body of Christ. That ought to be the plumb line applied to political correctness. The plumb line isn’t whether we have a right to do something that others find offensive. Rather, the plumb line is our love for one another and what “builds up the Body of Christ,” as St Paul would say.

+Scott