{"id":3326,"date":"2011-01-25T08:55:06","date_gmt":"2011-01-25T15:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harmonicminer.com\/wordpress\/?p=3326"},"modified":"2011-01-25T00:25:38","modified_gmt":"2011-01-25T07:25:38","slug":"political-correctness-amok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harmonicminer.com\/wordpress\/2011\/01\/25\/political-correctness-amok\/","title":{"rendered":"Political Correctness Amok"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is no doubt the death of six people and the wounding of 13 others in Tuscon was a terrible tragedy.\u00a0 As more information on the killer comes out each day\u00a0 it is clear he is and has been a very troubled man.\u00a0 But there is another tragedy in all of this – the tragedy of those who would use this horrific incident for political gain.\u00a0 The number of silly accusations hurled towards Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, talk radio and others have been as baseless as they have been shrill.\u00a0 Sarah Palin is to blame because she used the word “targeted” in describing certain congressional districts of interest in the last election.\u00a0 She is also blamed because some of her literature used the graphic image of a scope sight’s cross hairs.\u00a0 The PC crowd would have us believe that these words and images, long used by many in both political parties and elsewhere, are now enough to drive someone to violence.\u00a0 And it didn’t take long before the PC madness began to take hold.\u00a0 A mere 10 days after the mass murder CNN was apologizing<\/a> for a show guest who had used the phrase “in the cross hairs”.<\/p>\n

Do rational people really think that removing gun metaphors from idiomatic speech will stop random acts violence by the Jared Loughners of this world?<\/p>\n

If anyone truly believes this then in the interest of public safety let’s commit fully and wholeheartedly to remove these phrases from our language:<\/p>\n

Henceforth…<\/p>\n

No longer can a person be chewed out by their boss for something and then say, “She let me have it with both barrels”!
\nNo longer can we have a civil dispute where the first side to get a lawyer is often referred to as “bringing out the big guns”.
\nNo one is allowed to “go off\u00a0 half cocked”!
\nYou can no longer commit fully to something “lock stock and barrel”.
\nNo more firing off a letter.
\nNo more outlines with bullet points
\nWomen can not be described as “hot as a $2 pistol”.
\n…or, as a “pistol-packing mama”. (I’m sure women are heart-broken about THAT!)
\nit is now off limits to “use a shotgun approach” (as to cover all bases).
\nConcluding a deal can no longer be referred to as “pulling the trigger”.
\nAnd poor old Roy Rodgers would have had to rename his horse AND dog!
\nThe makers of Colt 45 Malt Liquor will be adversely affected.
\nHenceforth nothing streamlined will be described as “bullet-shaped”
\n(They’ll have to do something about that high-speed train in Japan)
\nBeing drunk or high can no longer have the synonym “loaded”
\nBasketball players will have to come up with some other way of trying to make a basket since they will no longer be able to “shoot” the ball.
\nNo one can stand “ramrod straight”
\nNo one who speaks plainly and truthfully can be a “straight shooter”
\nBeing accurate is no longer being “on target”
\ngetting very angry is no longer “going ballistic”.
\n“Shooting from the hip” can no longer explain someone speaking extemporaneously.
\n“He’s just a flash in the pan” cannot be someone of temporary fame or importance
\nYou may not “bite the bullet”.
\nyou may not “jump the gun”.
\nSuperman will have to describe his speed in terms of something other than being “faster than a speeding bullet”.
\nYou cannot be “gun shy”
\nYou had better not get caught “gunning your engine”.
\n…or “rifling through drawers”
\nno more “shotgun weddings”.
\nno more operations that result in “shooting blanks”.
\nNo more job candidates described as “high caliber”
\nNo more developed biceps described as “guns”
\n(And no more sleeveless shirts, apparently.)
\nYou can no longer be “under the gun”.
\n…or “In the crosshairs” (thank you, CNN)
\nYou cannot “drop the hammer”
\n..or look for “the smoking gun”.
\nYou may not “ride shotgun” in a car
\n..or hazard a guess with “a shot in the dark”.
\nYou cannot spend all your money and then complain “you shot your wad”.
\nYou most certainly cannot describe the attitude of determined preparation as “locked and loaded”.
\nNo one will encourage you to refrain from getting upset by telling you to “keep your powder dry”
\nYou won’t be in any danger of “being out gunned”
\nAnd you won’t explain your preparation to tackle a difficult task by being “loaded for bear”.
\nNobody will ever be a “loose cannon” again.
\nYou’ll never be in danger of being “out-gunned”.
\n..or by having anyone “taking shots” at you.
\n(I wonder if this will adversely affect Tequila drinkers…)
\nThere are no easy cures and no longer any other way to say it like, “there’s no silver bullet”.
\nThere are no more “warning shots”
\n…or “a shot across the bows”
\nYou cannot be “shot down”.
\nor “shot down in flames”, no matter how badly you lose an argument.
\nAnd you can’t “shoot yourself in the foot” ever again
\nYou cannot be a “son of a gun”
\nYou don’t have to take any “flak”.
\nAnd no one will criticize you in a malicious, underhanded manner by “sniping” at you.<\/p>\n

That’s all there is to it.\u00a0 Just see to it that these and other gun metaphors are forever banished from our language, then sit back and watch the world become a safer place!<\/p>\n

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