Victor Davis Hanson: American Groupspeak
[Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the author, most recently, of The Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and Modern.]
Juan Williams was just fired from NPR. His sin? He confessed to occasional anxiety when people in Muslim garb board airplanes, and then went on to explain why stereotyping is wrong.
The fate of Williams reminds us that Americans have developed two personas — one public and politically correct, the other private. Mix the two and big trouble ensues.
Here are some reminders about what to keep quiet about.
Don’t discuss the deficit. Instead, call borrowing “stimulus.” Trillions are not much different from billions. Debt can be paid back with more borrowing and someone else’s higher taxes. Ignore the lessons of Greece and California. To appear noble, call for more unemployment benefits, free medical care, and more entitlements. To sound cruel, complain about borrowing to pay for them....
Read entire article at National Review
Juan Williams was just fired from NPR. His sin? He confessed to occasional anxiety when people in Muslim garb board airplanes, and then went on to explain why stereotyping is wrong.
The fate of Williams reminds us that Americans have developed two personas — one public and politically correct, the other private. Mix the two and big trouble ensues.
Here are some reminders about what to keep quiet about.
Don’t discuss the deficit. Instead, call borrowing “stimulus.” Trillions are not much different from billions. Debt can be paid back with more borrowing and someone else’s higher taxes. Ignore the lessons of Greece and California. To appear noble, call for more unemployment benefits, free medical care, and more entitlements. To sound cruel, complain about borrowing to pay for them....