Political Correctness, the hard foul, and the softening of America

When I started college the political correctness movement began in earnest. This was the softening of language to ensure that you didn't hurt someone. Midgets were no longer midgets, they were vertically challenged. Gays were no longer gay, they were homosexual. Blacks weren't black, they were African-American. That type of softening has now seeped its way into the NBA. When I was younger, the NBA had enforcers, players who controlled the paint and any opponent who dared venture into the paint paid a physical price. Players got hit, clothes-lined, smacked, and on the odd occasion punched. Today, the NBA and other sports leagues are so worried about their "Image" that they punish players who act in this manner. Players like Rick Mahorn, Ed Nealy, the mid 80's Boston Celtics, and Kurt Rambis could never play in the league today. They would be spending too much time on the suspension list. The game has softened its image. The NFL has done this as well with outlawing hits with and to the head. Defensive lineman now have a strike zone with which to hit the quarterback, nothing above the shoulders or below the knee. Baseball pitchers are suspended for throwing at hitters, which has been an accepted form of internal discipline for the game for over 100 years. Now the question is, is this softening good for America? Since 2007 there has been a spike in foreclosures, the banks who sponsored the loans lost money and were insolvent. Rather than letting capitalism run its course and allow these businesses to fail, we bailed them out with TARP. The auto industry was broken, they got bailed out. Millions were unemployed and couldn't find work, we extended unemployment benefits to bail them out. The government can't balance a budget, so they raise the debt ceiling to bail themselves out. When or where did this softening start? Well obviously with the political correctness movement on college campuses. You can no longer say words that have the perceived ability to hurt someone. It trickled down into sports at the youth level where everyone gets a trophy. Then it seeps to the high schools where everyone must get playing time. Coaches get fired for not playing the right kids enough or parents with an axe to grind complain until school districts do something about it. Case in point, there was an article on yahoo sports about a month back about a woman suing the school district for violating her son's constitutional rights by cutting him from the basketball team. Her argument was that cutting him decreases the chances of him getting a college scholarship. Perhaps someone should explain to her the fact that there are 12 other players who are better than her son reduce the chances of him getting a scholarship. And the fact that no player on that roster is even being recruited, further reduces her son's chances of getting a ride. Perhaps if in the youth basketball stages if someone told her the truth, a ridiculous lawsuit wouldn't be filed. When or where does this softening stop? Life is hard, there are cruel twists and turns that you must accept and move on. Soldiers who do everything right, perform maneuvers to perfection still die from a stray round. Honest, good people die every day in car wrecks or get cancer. Cats get feline leukemia. That's life. Are we really that naive to believe that if our sports or words aren't offensive the ugliness in the world will go away? Sports are a reflection of life. Sadly there is ugliness, but that shouldn't be shunned or hidden in some dark corner never to see the light of day. Rather, it should be shown, in its nastiest most hideous form. Only then can we appreciate the game or life's true beauty.