Jon Stewart: "Racist Or Not Racist?"

One of the delights of our "public discourse" in the last few decades, has been the way an expression that begins as a joke, turns into a totally "serious" dominant issue of our times.

Lemme 'splain yer: back in the 80s, people would joke about other people getting their knickers in a twist about whether something was "politically correct".  They were referring to the kind of shallow-minded coward who dare not form his* own views, and then debate them in public. Instead, such individuals would only adopt a position if they felt safe, because their stand was "politically correct" and no one in their neighborhood would challenge them.

It was a joke.  Geddit?

Now political correctness is one of the most important factors in any one's life, especially someone in public life - take Rob Ford (idiot) and Anthony Wiener (reasonably able, fairly idealistic Congressman) as recent examples.

Tragically, as has been pointed out, our public life is now often in a place where people are more likely to be turned off by what someone says, (call General Petraeus "General Betray Us") than by what they do (murder hundreds of people, kidnap and torture, set back international relations by decades, and undermine democracy at home and abroad). Take your pick of examples.

(*I know, it would be politically correct to say "his or her"....)

Last night, Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" ran a brilliant skit on the media's shallow-minded adherence to these shibboleths (ain't that a great word?).  Here it is, y'all - "Racist Or Not Racist?" (Click to watch)