The Peoples Republic of California has long been a PC police state. Now it has taken a giant leap forward in its restriction on human rights, this one coupled with an assault on the English language. On Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed three illegal immigration-related measures, including one that removes the word “alien” from California’s labor code because it is seen as a disparaging term for those not born in the United States.
The other two bills allow non-citizens in high school to serve as election poll workers and protect the rights of immigrant minors in civil lawsuits.
The bill banning “alien” is needed to modernize state labor law, in the same way many newspapers have stopped using the term “illegal alien,” said state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), author of the bill.
“Alien is now commonly considered a derogatory term for a foreign-born person and has very negative connotations,” Mendoza said. “The United States is a country of immigrants who not only form an integral part of our culture and society, but are also critical contributors to our economic success.”
Removing the word “alien” is another example of political correctness gone mad, not the Donald Trump kind of political correctness where everyone is either stupid or an idiot. Rather, we are talking about banning words that are part of our civil discourse.
About two years ago at the urging of the PC bullies, the news media decided the term “illegal alien” does not accurately describe illegal aliens and since then have been using the ridiculous euphemism “undocumented worker,” which falsely implies that every illegal alien is gainfully employed.
If I steal a car and the cops come to my house asking me to show papers proving its ownership, am I a car thief or an undocumented driver? If I kidnap a child and I’m asked to show the kid’s birth certificate to prove parentage, am I an undocumented parent or a kidnapper?
This forced linguistic change is systemic. In some communities manholes have renamed “personnel access units” to avoid offending women. Even though only Christmas that is an official U.S. holiday, communities have renamed their Christmas displays “holiday displays” in order to assimilate Chanukah, a holiday at least partially about a war against assimilation, and Kwanzaa, a day invented by a black separatist in 1966 designed to separate, rather than unite, people.
Remember the day when people would get their Academy Awards after hearing the phrase “and the winner is…”? Not any more. Now, to spare the feelings of the (ulp!) “losers,” the presenter says, “and the Oscar goes to…”
Face it. Our culture has been damaged by political correctness, where no one’s feelings are ever hurt and everyone gets a participation trophy — whether they participate or not.
The assault on our language and culture has a supposed goal of softening words that are hurtful, but in doing so the PC police are destroying the true meaning of words and actions. In the extreme, this means that when a terrorist straps a bomb to his body, barbarically explodes it, and kills dozens of innocent civilians, he is described by the MSM as a “militant” or, worse yet, “freedom fighter.”
The guardians of political correctness have invaded every area of our language. Today a “tax increase” is a “revenue enhancement” and “government spending” programs are called “investments.” Whatever you call them, either way we end up with less cash in our pockets.
In the end, the real intention of the self-righteous left is to limit expression and the discussion of vitally important issues. By insisting on euphemisms and refusing to call a spade a spade, they put a gag order on the truth and skewing the discussion.
Cross-posted at The Lid
