IS WEARING MEDALS NOW POLITICALLY INCORRECT? 上市 Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 14, April 4, 2004, Article 9
IS WEARING MEDALS NOW POLITICALLY INCORRECT?
Dick Johnson writes: "An article in the Opinion section of the
Wall Street Journal, February 13, 2004, sent shivers down my
back. It stated that a picture of a man wearing medallions is
now politically incorrect.The author, Diane Ravitch, should know. She wrote the book,
"The Language Police" and in her Journal article, "You Can't
Say That" states that textbook publisher Harcourt/Steck/Vaughn
now sends out a printed guideline to textbook authors to remove
pictures from their books that, in part, shows a "woman with big
hair or sleeveless blouses and men with dreadlocks or
medallions."So now it is politically incorrect to display medals? This should
come as a slap in the face to the 26.4 million American veterans
who served in the military. Campaign medals and decorations
of honor are a mark of accomplishment. And now school
children are not to view illustrations in their textbooks which
show some Americans have received these symbols of
achievement!How misguided is this instruction? To what direction is our
culture, our country, going? How much further nonsense must
we endure to appease these wimps? Because some people
cannot (or won't) serve in the military that it is now NOT NICE
to show that some people did and proudly wear these badges
of military service that these medals symbolize.Just who is behind political correctness? Ravitch states
"feminists, religious conservatives, multiculturalists and ethnic
activists, to name a few." She also lists the words that must
be purged from textbooks: "landlord, cowboy, brotherhood,
yacht, cult and primitive" are at the top of her list.The picture comes to mind of Mark Spitz after he won seven
gold medals at the 1972 Olympic games. He is shown with
these seven medals on his nude chest. I could fault him for
banging the medals together (as a numismatist I recognize this
creates minor nicks) but I admire him for this unprecedented
accomplishment. No one in the world has ever accomplished
a similar feat!This picture should be displayed in every classroom in
America to show that hard work can achieve goals and gain
special recognition -- not to be purged from the very textbooks
that children are exposed to. Hard work, motivation,
perseverance, self reliance should be encouraged and
rewarded, not discouraged.I wonder about the status of the Boston School Medal. Are
educators in that city to stop giving out the Franklin Medal?
This has been bestowed to student scholars since 1792, at the
direction of Benjamin Franklin's will. What would Franklin
think of our educators today?Opinions anyone?"
- 2004-04-04
- 7