Kameel Majdali's Road Ahead

The year 2016 has arrived and it has come with a bang. As we offer an ‘early-warning service,’ here are some things to watch for: US Presidential election: The campaign for the Democratic and Republican nominations for the office of President of the United States has been in full swing for many months … with many more months left to go. Since US President Barack Obama has been elected twice, and is constitutionally barred from running for a third term, he will be replaced by either the Republican or Democratic nominee who wins the November 2016 general election. The inauguration will be 20 January 2017. Hillary Clinton, former first lady, US Senator, and Secretary of State, is the current front-runner for the Democratic Party. Husband, former President Bill Clinton, would dearly love to return to the White House as history first-ever ‘First Gentleman’ and is prepared to campaign hard on behalf of his wife. Mr. Clinton is a master campaigner. Hillary has many endorsement...

In our first part, entitled: ‘Y ou Bigot, Can Political Correctness Keep People from Being Offended, ’ we looked at how political correctness tries to protect people (especially women, ethnic and sexual minorities) from being offended. As a result, ‘freedom of speech’ has taken a big hit. Even the slim possibility that one minorities might be offended means the other party must be closed down verbally, just in case. The broader scene is about the ‘New Tolerance.’ Political correctness is the mother tongue of tolerance and those who are politically correct are the patron saints. Jonathan Sarfati in ‘ The Tyranny of Tolerance’ says  “ Not long ago, the world ‘ tolerance ’ meant ‘bearing or putting up with someone or something not especially liked. ’ However, now the word has been redefined to ‘all values, all beliefs, all lifestyles, all truth claims are equal. ’ Denying this makes a person ‘ intolerant, ’ and worthy of contempt.’ Failure to conform to the New Tolerance ...

A group of university students protest outside the administration building. Their complaint: they want to ban racism, sexism, homophobia, islamophobia and all other forms of intolerance; New York City’s Commission on Human Rights wants to re-interpret the city’s anti-discrimination laws. These will cover all citizens in all public places. If a person is denied same-sex facilities, or cross-dressers are treated differently or if a person is called ‘he’ when they want to be called ‘she,’ this would be a violation of the anti-discrimination regulations. The penalty: a $250,000 fine. Religious and social conservatives complain of being silenced by the social media giants for violating ‘anti-abuse’ regulations. What is the ‘abuse?’ Expressing a dissenting opinion from those from the Left Wing. What do all these incidents have in common? The demise of free speech as we know it. For all these examples, and many more, are practicing ‘political correctness,’ with the ult...