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?"

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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