It’s all Donald Trump’s fault.
Back in 1994, I wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal that poked gentle fun at yuppies who tried to make Christmas more ‘politically correct’. The WSJ added the illustrations and ran it 1/6/1994. Since then it’s appeared on hundreds of websites, and has been attributed to several people including my (surprised) husband.
Every Christmas I like to reblog it, but this year I’m just not sure.
I blame Donald Trump. He doesn’t actually know what “politically correct” means. He’s not alone.
It’s happened over and over again. Back when I headed up HR for companies full of those who should have known better, I found myself—with depressing frequency—confronting people accused of harassing their coworkers. And always—EVERY. SINGLE. DAMN. TIME.—their response was to accuse the one making the complaint.
- “She wants to be one of the boys, but she can’t take a joke.”
-
“Since when is kidding around against the rules here?”
- And…wait for it… “He/she/you are just being politically correct.”
I wish I could explain to Donald Trump what I told them. “There’s no such thing as Politically Correct. It’s just your way of saying that a big issue doesn’t exist because you don’t value it. So you deflect the debate onto what constitutes humor, or workplace camaraderie, or whatever else you want to call it. But to paraphrase the Bard—A turd by any other name would still smell like crap.”
(Okay, and I kind of wish I could then fire Trump’s ass like I did theirs. But at least I don’t have to vote for him.)
So here’s a little test. What happens if you replace the words “politically correct” with what they really are—a coded form of “people with points of view other than mine or those pesky fact thingies I don’t like?”
In his tweets: Donald J. TrumpVerified account@realDonaldTrump
[1:29 p.m. – 8 Aug 2015] ~ So many politically correct fools people with points of view other than mine or those pesky fact thingies I don’t like in our country. We have to all get back to work and stop wasting time and energy on nonsense!
[9:53 PM – 30 Jun 2015] ~ @webster07 @realDonaldTrump wish there were more people in the public eye with this attitude. It’s only way 2 defeat political correctness people with points of view other than mine or those pesky fact thingies I don’t like“
[3:18 AM – 20 Jul 2015] ~ @RW84JR: @realDonaldTrump Glad U R Man Enough 2 Speak the Truth in this Pathetic Politically Correct World of people with points of view other than mine or those pesky fact thingies I don’t like!
Or in his public appearances:
6 August, 2015–GOP candidates debates:
Fox News’ Megyn Fox: “Mr. Trump, you’ve called women you don’t like ‘fat pigs,’ ‘dogs,’ and ‘disgusting animals.’ Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women’s looks, and you once told a candidate on Celebrity Apprentice that it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of someone we should elect as president? And how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who is likely to be the nominee, that you are part of the war on women?”
Donald Trump: “I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct people with points of view other than mine or those pesky fact thingies I don’t like.“
6 July, 2015— After several corporations withdrew support following Trump’s press release stating that “The Mexican Government is forcing their most unwanted people into the United States.”
Donald Trump: “Macy’s, NBC, Serta and NASCAR have all taken the weak and very sad position of being politically correct people with points of view other than mine or those pesky fact thingies I don’t like even though they are wrong in terms of what is good for our country.
9 December, 2015 — Speech explaining his call for ban on all Muslims entering US
Donald Trump: “We can’t worry about being politically correct people with points of view other than mine or those pesky fact thingies. We just can’t afford any more to be so politically correct people with points of view other than mine or those pesky fact thingies.“
Well you know what Donald Trump? “Politically Correct” isn’t even a thing. It doesn’t exist. But I’m perfectly happy and proud so say that I own up to being one of those people you hate, those annoying people with points of view other than yours. I might even have a few of those pesky fact thingies.
So I’m going to do it anyway. Here’s my old Wall St. Journal Christmas piece. Ho, ho, ho Donald Trump.
The 12 Days, Deconstructed
On the 12th day of the Eurocentrically imposed midwinter festival, my acquaintance-rape survivor gave to me,
TWELVE males reclaiming their inner warrior through ritual drumming,
ELEVEN pipers piping (plus the 18-member pit orchestra made up of members in good standing of the Musicians Equity Union as called for in their union contract even though they will not be asked to play a note…),
TEN melanin-deprived testosterone-poisoned scions of the patriarchal ruling class system leaping,
NINE persons engaged in rhythmic self-expression,
EIGHT economically disadvantaged female persons stealing milk-products from enslaved bovine-Americans,
SEVEN endangered swans swimming on federally protected wetlands, SIX enslaved fowl-Americans producing stolen nonhuman animal products,
FIVE golden symbols of culturally sanctioned enforced domestic Incarceration,
(Note: after members of the Animal Liberation Front threatened to throw red paint at my computer, the calling birds, French hens and partridge have been reintroduced to their native habitat. To avoid further animal-American enslavement, the remaining gift package has been revised.)
FOUR hours of recorded whale songs,
THREE deconstructionist poets,
TWO Sierra Club calendars, printed on recycled processed tree carcasses and a Spotted Owl activist chained to an old-growth pear tree.
–Barb Taub (The author acknowledges inspiration from the Los Angeles Times booklet “Guidelines on Ethnic, Racial, Sexual and other Identification,” and Henry Beard and Christopher Cerf’s “The Official Politically Correct Dictionary and Handbook.”)
Ellen Hawley said:
Oh yes indeedy deed. I tend to take “politically correct” as meaning, “You’re interfering with my right to say insulting things about people without getting any grief for it, which is trampling on my right to free speech, so just shut up.”
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barbtaub said:
Oh yes—I like your translation MUCH more than mine!
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Ellen Hawley said:
I liked yours as well–and it works as a substitution, which mine doesn’t.
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The Story Reading Ape said:
Don’t forget that there are a LOT of males, like me, who respect you ladies – so don’t give up on us 🙂
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barbtaub said:
I was about to jump in and say that I didn’t mean you. But actually, I didn’t just mean this to be about the way Trump treats women. It’s a bigger, more systemic problem: he has somehow found a way to mine a huge vein of resentment, and given permission back to racist, sexist, misogynistic and just plain “I want to have power over you because I’m more important than you” behavior.
As if calling something “politically correct” somehow makes it untrue or irrelevant and thus confers on him the right to just carry on in blithe disregard of facts or reality.
[whew! dusts off hands and climbs down from soapbox…]
Sorry about that. And I’m particularly sorry that anyone who does NOT behave this way would for one second think I’m including him or her. I think that anybody on the web who has ever had the good fortune to be at your blog knows just how much you value everyone.
Why can’t everyone be like you?
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The Story Reading Ape said:
If everyone was like me Barb, there’d be too much confusion to have time to cause trouble LOL.
Seriously though, I DO get concerned when I see the current increase of hostility between religions, genders, ethnics, etc, and wonder why this seems to be on the increase…
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First Night Design said:
Oh, oh, oh! Well said. I’ve just had to tell my other half to turn over from CNN and the Republican debate because I really don’t want to be sick for the umpteenth time.
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barbtaub said:
I know what you mean. Part of me says that I need to know what’s out there…and part of me just doesn’t want to know.
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coldhandboyack said:
I admit to having a problem with the PC issue. Those who are looking to get their feelings hurt will always find someone to lable as a hater. But, damn, this was a good opinion piece. I will ponder it all day.
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barbtaub said:
Thanks for those kind words and for the pondering.
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AmirhoseinGhazi said:
Brilliant & awesome article!!!
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barbtaub said:
Thank you so much!
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AmirhoseinGhazi said:
My pleasure!
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21timetraveler said:
Love. Love. Love.
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barbtaub said:
Thanks, thanks, thanks!
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judithbarrow1 said:
Reblogged this on Barrow Blogs: and commented:
Wonderful!!! Well said, Barb.
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barbtaub said:
Thanks so much Judith. I appreciate the reblog!
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kirizar said:
Why does ‘rhythmic self expression’ sound so very dirty to me?
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barbtaub said:
Me too! Er… I mean… I have no idea what you’re talking about.
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Mary Smith said:
Well said, Barb. I see Mr Trump is calling us Scots lots of names today because he lost his court case over the turbines he doesn’t want to spoil the view from his golf course. With a bit of luck he’ll have a massive sulk and say he’s never going to set foot in Scotland again.
Four hours of whale song made me giggle.
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barbtaub said:
Sigh… I think it’s time to apply for that British passport. (I’m just not having any luck convincing people I’m actually Canadian.)
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judithbarrow1 said:
Glad he hasn’t discovered Wales, yet, Mary. We’d have to set the sheep on him… Bah…
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Mary Smith said:
Oooh, I can just picture him being chased off land he thinks would make a wonderful golf course by a herd of angry sheep – lovely image 🙂
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Bastet said:
Reblogged this on Bastet and Sekhmet's Library and commented:
Got to love Barb for telling it like it is … with such sterling humour … this is brilliant!
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barbtaub said:
Thanks so so much for the fabulous reblog. I really appreciate it!
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Elyse said:
Don’t worry. If he gets elected, you won’t have to worry about reposting it. We won’t survive long enough.
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barbtaub said:
Well, I don’t think he stands much chance of being elected. In fact, judging by his recent behavior, I don’t even think he wants to be elected. But I do wish he could be the Republican candidate. For Hillary’s sake…
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Catherine Hokin said:
Great post – CNN recently called Trump the post-truth candidate as in he doesn’t bother with simple lies anymore, he just completely makes things up (eg. watching 1000s of muslims in New Jersey cheering on tv as the twin towers went down) but explaining that to the great American public makes no difference. Terrifying. Funny though that white middle class males feel threatened by political correctness…
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barbtaub said:
It’s funny but in a kind of horrifying way. The really awful part? It works. I’ve seen it over and over, a kind of entitled bullying that gets results. So if Trump became US president, he would claim all kinds of success because his brand of in-your-face bullying and intimidation might indeed make it look like others were backing down from his willingness to confront them. And Trump has shown a kind of genius in the way he taps into the undercurrent of anger among his supporters—religious conservative working class who blame their own lack of success on competition from immigrants instead of economics and poor education.
But I have to confess that part of me wants to see him as the Republican candidate, both for the entertainment value and because it’s like handing the presidency to Hillary Clinton on a silver platter.
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patriciasands said:
Brilliant! Now if only someone would read this to The Donald. This is the perfect example of why none of your posts should be missed! Thanks, Barb!
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barbtaub said:
Somehow I don’t think this would be new info for him….
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Kassandra Lamb said:
So glad you re-posted this. I somehow missed it previous years. Love the spotted owl activist chained to an old-growth pear tree. Brilliant!!
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The Regular Guy NYC said:
If you look up Politically Correct in the dictionary Trump’s picture is right there.
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The Regular Guy NYC said:
Sorry, I meant Politically Incorrect!
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barbtaub said:
Ah!
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Ali Isaac said:
Totes amaze balls! And totally mad. Love your posts, but please don’t let Donald ruin you Christmas… he just ain’t worth it!
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patriciaruthsusan said:
I love the word “thingy”. It fits so many…well thingies. What will the stand-up comics do for material if Donald Trump fades back into the woodwork?
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barbtaub said:
I don’t know what the comics will do, but I’m guessing that Hilary gets down on her knees every night and thanks God for sending The Donald. I expect she’ll be pretty sad if he’s gone…
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Jadi Campbell said:
Brilliant!
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Léa said:
Add monsieur Trump to the list of reasons I am so thrilled to be an ex-pat! My P.O.V.’s are right at home here in La Belle France.
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