It’s popular to make fun of being “Politically Correct” nowadays. It works for Donald Trump but will it work for Princess Jasmine?
Princess Jasmine (R) vamping with another First Grade princess.
In an example of politically correct overreach, my Japanese-Caucasian granddaughter’s Princess Jasmine costume created a pre-costume-screening stir in the first grade, as did a little boy’s Bruce Lee outfit. Would the costumes offend any Arab or Chinese parents? Was it all right for a Caucasian boy to outline his eyes so they would look almond-shaped? (Even though Bruce Lee’s eyes were almond-shaped?). In what could have been an episode of “Portlandia,” parents debated in the hallways. The school’s Diversity Justice Alliance got involved. My first reaction was, “Give me a break! They’re SIX YEARS OLD!”
Eventually, reason prevailed and Princess Jasmine and Bruce Lee paraded without any problem. The justification for all the scrutiny was the desire not to offend anyone. That is probably impossible; no matter the situation, there is usually someone who takes offense. By trying to accommodate all of the outliers of common sense, we do ourselves a disservice. A more useful rule of thumb would be to disallow hateful, contemptuous or condescending behavior no matter the form it might take. That would be not only politically but also humanly correct.
