PC-ness is both correct and political

Political correctness, that four-letter word meant to strike fear in the hearts of put-upon people everywhere, has never really gone away. It just switched sides.

The PC culture really picked up steam in the '90s as a way to be more inclusive to everyone in the community. It was never about black and white, though, but about green -- as in money. The less people you offend, the more you can sell, whether it be goods or political promises or school-district tax dollars.

Thus, any race, religion or societal viewpoint, no matter how small or unimportant, was catered to. Handicapped became handicapable. Your mail man became your mail person. garbagemen became sanitation workers. A Christmas tree became a holiday tree, and Bill O'Reilly's nonsecular head exploded.

This isn't a completely bad thing, by the way. No, not the part about O'Reilly's head exploding (although that, too, would not be a bad thing), but the PC business. Going out of your way to not offend someone is commendable. Honestly, who can find a fault in that? Being more inclusive, realizing that there are more viewpoints than your own, is something we should all practice more of. Like it or not, political correctness is, in a lot of cases, correct.

We say that America is a melting pot, but this is only partially true, now and for the last 231 years. Take a trip through New York City sometime to see how well we've melted. You have decades-old neighborhoods for Italians and Jamaicans and Jews and Koreans and Chinese and gays and blacks and Greeks and pretty much every ethnic, religious and sexual subgroup. This is not a recent phenomenon, and it is not one found only in New York.

The idea of assimilation into an "American culture" has always been one we wished for other people, but not necessarily one we practiced ourselves. America is less a melting pot and more of a big stew, where potatoes and onions and carrots all work together for a common goal, while retaining most of the qualities that make them potatoes and onions and carrots.

It is because of these diverse roots, and the fierceness in which we hold tight to them, that PC-ness exists. You don't offend me, and I won't offend you.

So, yes, the correctness of political correctness is valid. It's the "political" part that gets in the way. And here is where I stop being PC: The "P" part has always been about the right vs. the left. The left wants to not hurt anyone's feelings and the right is reluctant to change. Of course, both sides are both wrong and right. But mostly wrong.

The problem with good intentions is that they inevitably get corrupted. If A works hard not to offend B, he will inevitably offend C. C will then picket A, who will try not to offend C, which will anger B.

We Americans never can seem to get the balance right, and the simple of idea of being more inclusive becomes this wacky exercise in watering things down until the words we use have absolutely no meaning. Every adjective has to be gender neutral, any religious holiday has to be neutered of any meaning and we all have an equal say in the public debate, no matter how ridiculous our objection. It only takes one voice -- a single chorus of the aggrieved -- to blow up the shaky peace.

But, wait, there has been a shift in recent years: The irony is that the people who USED to complain about political correctness are now the watchdogs for their own version of "correctness."

It's the right who now leads the PC charge. Say something bad about the War in Iraq or the military? Blasphemy! Criticize the president? Where's the rally? Any group that leaves out Christ in Christmas gets picketed. They've started a War on Xmas.

This will never end. None of it. The shift will happen soon, back to the left, back to "nonsecular holiday greetings to every man, woman, child and same-sex partnership." And then the right will rally back with the troops, starting the war anew.

And who is really hurt in all of this (besides free speech)? Well, no one, probably. It's just annoying.

There has to be a middle ground -- somewhere we can be inclusive and NOT insane about it. It's not politically correct to say, but I doubt we'll ever reach it.