Does Political Correctness Influence Your Mailing?

For me, the issue is the symbols that are absent. There are many important stores in our history that are not being told.

In my opinion the current political environment is to virtual signal while actually continuing the status quo. When I travel or when I watch international events I am struck by the diversity that America has and the lack of diversity in other locations. I am also struck by the focus on 'white supremacy' at the exclusions of all the other past and current cases of one group oppressing another group. The number of slaves today is more than in the 1800s, where is the focus on this important human rights issue? For such an important topic which is generating great amounts of victims, death, and suffering I think that having at least one stamp issued each year by every country would be appropriate. But it rarely happens, no one wants to anger those who control the largest economies in the world.

Money rules everything and the Chinese economy represents huge amounts of it for the most powerful people. The Chinese Communist Party immediately brings down the hammer anytime anyone wants to highlight the human rights violations it is currently committing and companies, media, and politicians back off in fear of losing one of the largest markets in the world. Imagine the economic fallout if a country started issuing stamps which promoted the current CCP human rights violations.

I think that the USA is a remarkable country with remarkable people but also agree that it can do better. But virtual signaling can be an oppressive tactic; add Juneteenth to the calendar but do not address the black bloodbath in the streets of urban areas. Remove some statues but do not give parents educational options for their kids. Have Google donate $12 million to BLM while only having 4% black employees (and half of them are not in technical jobs). Show NBA athletes being woke while being funded by oppressed people working in China's factories.

But these virtual signaling deflections work very well, it keeps many people focused on superficial things while allowing the rich and powerful to become more wealthy and more influential. Arguing over 'history' keeps folks from addressing the real current issues, playing the corporate and media 'woke' game maintains the sad existing state of affairs. Follow the money not the manipulation.
Don

Nor is there discussion nor current acknowledgement of the fact blacks freely took live as part of the genocide against other Americans, our Native Americans. When will this black history be erased as well:




As an aside, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (the person with POTUS Bush a few pages back) lost his long time friend, judo buddy and San Jose State (now SJSU) roommate last week, Emilio H. 'Mel' Augustine.

"The past is not dead. It's not even past". The fact is that "the history" is the present. In the US, you see it in crypto-fascists who've spent forty years trying to undermine the Voting Rights Act through voter suppression and gerrymandering, shamefully supported by a Supreme Court Chief Justice. Here there's an unwillingness to confront the actions and effects of an Imperial past - indeed, a glorification of the stigmatising of "the other". And isn't virtue-signalling rather better than hatred-signalling?

I do not consider this to be about the US; European invaded and took control of Caribbean, Central and South America peoples. And then there was the Aboriginal Australians... And last time I looked at my world stamp collection, the English had a few 'colonies'. The truth is that groups of people have been 'conquering' other groups of people since humans have lived together.

History does have an important lesson to be learned; 'divide and conquer'.

As long as those in control keep us blaming and fighting, they keep us divided and they stay in control. Blame the left, blame the right, blame white people, blame black people, blame the Muslins, blame the Jews, blame the rednecks, blame the tree huggers...and on and on and on. When will we stop drinking their purple Kool-Aid and realize that the divisive talking points serve to control us?
Don

Nobody's said anything about scrubbing curricula. I think we all know (although apparently not) how a teaching history from books is very different than glorifying a person with a prominent statue erected in a public place. Again, look at Germany: lots of debate, lots of teaching, no statues needed.



Unclear what 'diversity' you're referring to, but I'd consider it like this: if I went on this board and started extolling the virtues of whitening stamps with some over-the-counter solvents and cleaners, I'm pretty sure the thread would be locked and I'd be told to cut it out. I could moan about "diversity" and "promoting alternative viewpoints" and so on, but the moderators would (rightfully) understand that some folks might take it the wrong way and go out and start destroying stamps if they don't have the proper contextual understanding.

Is that stifling free speech? In a way, perhaps, but it's done with an understanding that my kitchen experiments probably don't constitute a scientific analysis, and that "what worked for me" could still be harmful. "Experimentation is awesome, even if it is not always safe for stamps" wouldn't fly here.

I do not think that is accurate, differing opinions are supported here. If you made that post I would add a post that in my opinion that would not be good stewardship but many of my posts also include comments like 'I support personal property rights and people doing whatever they want with the stamps they own' or 'people can light cigars with their stamps if they want'.
I also can show you multiple threads where I have said, "experiments help expand the philatelic knowledge base".

For example, on 5/9/2021 I posted,


Don

Just have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying this thread. So many thought provoking comments from people with differing points of view at times. Awesome!

Please identify the subject(s) of your label "crypto-fascists."

Is this "crypto-fascist" in the sense of the William F. Buckley-Gore Vidal debate of 1968 (Vidal actually called Buckley a crypto-nazi, and later said he meant to say "crypto-fascist").

I would really like to know who you are calling a fascist. Is this a group, an individual, a political party, or what?

Many thanks in advance!

John

It started out as some individuals, but at this point it has become an entire party.

And which party might that be?

John

It should be obvious to anyone who does not get their news from OAN, NEWSMAX or FOX. Every other news media will show it's the Republicans. People can agree or disagree, what anyone else thinks will not change the truth.

I am concerned when conversation turns to making generalizations about and insulting individuals, as well as whole groups, just because they happen to hold different opinions and have different viewpoints. As well as claiming to have sole possession of the truth. That's why some of us consider self righteous virtue signaling, with the frequently associated denigration of others who think "differently", along with the sanitization of history quite troubling.

Too bad the partisan BS killed this thread. GG
Don