The Retreat of Reason
The Institute for the Study of Civil Society (CIVITAS) has recently published a book on the subject of political correctness, “The Retreat of Reason” by Anthony Browne.
Issues that Browne discusses include :
| Issue | Politically Correct Truth | Factually Correct Truth |
| Women’s pay less than men’s | Sex discrimination | Different work/life choices, childcare breaks |
| Explosion in HIV | Teenagers having unsafe sex | African Immigration |
| Rise in anti-semitic attacks | White skinheads | Muslim youths |
| Africa getting poorer | West not giving enough aid | Bad governance |
The Full document is available here.
Without a doubt we are living in a time where a virtuous emotional appeal based on a largely false set of concepts of victim-hood have replaced all reason, stifling free speech and debate. It seems almost impossible to have a reasonable rational debate with anyone these days, particularly if you touch one of the PC brigade’s holy cow subjects and besides since I’m an educated white middle-class male - I’m always wrong (even when I’m right).
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man.”
Bertrand Russell
Update (07/01/06) : Although a contradictory view to my own, at last some intelligent argument from the left - excellent.
Before you get too enamoured with Browne’s rant, I suggest that you read its dissection at The Virtual Stoa. Scroll down to read all eleven short posts, beginning with one titled “Political Correctness Gone Mad” (CTRL + F to find this phrase).
You might also be interested to know that Browne has been a paid contributor to the American racist site V-Dare.
I’m sorry Andrew but I just can’t find any reason to agree with you. I went and had a look at your post on your blog about the subject and frankly you seem to fall into that classic PC pundit trap, you make an emotionally charged case rather than a rational one. I will grant you that Mr Browne’s assertion that the Netherlands is facing destruction is over the top but many Dutch people I have spoken to in the last year might even agree with Browne. Also had a look at the link you posted and found the counter arguments there quite weak, hell some were even criticising his punctuation. I’m not convinced. Finally I find your assertion that Browne is merely racist slanderous and without foundation, the V-Dare group you mention as far as I can tell is an American anti-immigration pressure group and not actually racist. I think that Brown’s arguments do have the occasional academic flaw but are on the whole very true. I am indeed concerned about the rise of the PC mantra, its ruining lives now and I fear that one day we will pay a yet higher price for these intellectually lax times.