Climategate is not just a story of some fringe scientists who conspired to hoodwink the public and expand the reach of the government. Rather, the real scandal lies in the unholy trinity that emerged among the major institutions of society: academia, government, and the media.
Indeed, misrepresentations and lies have become so widespread in our world that they have become embedded in the very meanings we ascribe to words. Take the phrase “politically correct,†for instance.
Many believe being PC connotes thinking and speaking in a socially-proper manner. But the truth is, a far more ambitious agenda lurks behind those two innocent-sounding words.
According to the online Free Dictionary, the real meaning of politically correct is, “Of, relating to, or supporting broad social, political, and educational change, especially to redress historical injustices in matters such as race, class, gender, and sexual orientation.â€Â
How many Americans knew that?
Achieving a radical political transformation in a democratic society requires the acquiescence of large swaths of the citizenry. That can be achieved only when free speech becomes constrained and logical thought subverted.
Just consider how many times this past month you murmured a soul-less “Happy Holidays†instead of joyfully exclaiming, “Merry Christmas� Such is the pervasive power of political correctness.
For all the Americans disgusted with the Orwellian doublespeak, 2009 represented a watershed year. Millions turned out for the Tea Parties that swept the nation. Conservatives mounted a fevered political renaissance.
And while the New York Times staged its grand disappearing act, a parade of iconoclastic books marched across the newspaper’s bestseller list: Mark Levin (“Liberty and Tyrannyâ€Â), Ann Coulter (“Guiltyâ€Â), Bernard Goldberg (“A Slobbering Love Affairâ€Â), Michelle Malkin (“A Culture of Corruptionâ€Â), Glenn Beck (“Arguing with Idiotsâ€Â), and Sarah Palin (“Going Rougeâ€Â).
Now isn’t that a delicious irony?
Politicians began to sense a shift in the cultural Zeitgeist, as well. When President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court in May, Sen. Pete Sessions of Alabama derided her “wise Latina†comments. And others ridiculed her ill-considered claim that “Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences,…our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging.â€Â
But the defining moment of 2009 came four months later. It happened on the floor of the House of Representatives during a televised speech on healthcare reform. The claim, made by the president of the United States, was that the new healthcare reform proposal “would not apply to those who are here illegally.â€Â
That misrepresentation was more than one of the lawmakers in the audience could stomach. “You lie!†Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina called out, jabbing the air with his finger, his fervent voice carrying into the four corners of the House chamber.
Rep. Wilson was later forced to apologize. But he did not recant. Within days, his fund-raising operation bulged with an infusion of millions of dollars from around the country.
“You lie!†was the rhetorical shot heard across the nation. It stoked the healthcare debate, energized the citizenry, and pricked the long-dormant liberal conscience. Above all, it served notice that the liberal half-truths, misrepresentations, and lies would no longer pass unchallenged.
Congressman Wilson, you are the winner of the 2009 Award for Political Incorrectness.
