Vince Deagler

hi folks.  if you have been following the news you are well aware of the controversy involving shirley sherrod.  as if there isn’t enough out there already, i will throw my two cents out there.

first, let me say as clearly as i can.  i do not think political correctness should be a national priority or value.  in fact, i believe it is political correctness that is at the heart of this controversy.  the bible says we are to speak the truth in love and that it is the truth that will set us free.  if we valued truth telling over political correctness our culture would improve. 

second, i am not interested in investigative journalism and have no intention of digging into this story any further than i address here.  whether all the facts are in, or not, have no bearing on what i am about to write.

third, let me run down the story as i understand it to have unfolded (a summary, not every detail).  the naacp came out with some kind of resolution the tea party movement was racist or at least condoned racism or something like that.  a conservative blogger came out with a video of shirley speaking at an naacp dinner where she allegedly made some racist remarks.  the head of the agricultural department, where shirley served in some capacity, either decided on his own, or with the help of the obama administration, that she should be fired, or resign, whatever.  this had to happen quickly, according to reports, before fox news got a hold of it.  as if that would matter.  so before anyone on fox even was able to start the conservative pep rally, shirley was gone.  then it comes out, the tape was edited.  the story she was telling, was a story of her own personal journey from a racist past to the realization that racism has no place in her heart or our nation.  that anger, bitterness, hatred is self destructive.  turns out it was a story i tell all the time, b/c that is exactly what god is trying to do for each one of us…transform us to be more like jesus.  so now the fingers of blame are flying, the buck is being passed big time, and the whole mess is being analyzed.

so why am i writing all this?  i do not know this woman, have no clue about her in any way.  but, i do know this.  why do we have a tendency toward political correctness?  seems to me the whole idea, as i have heard it explained, is to protect minorities.  but all this political correctness led to this woman (a black woman) being fired.  how can that be?  that is not supposed to happen, but it did.  now let’s suppose, instead of having a politically correct culture, we had a speak the truth in love culture, knowing the truth would set us free.  would all this have happened?  or would we have a very different story, and maybe even a very different world.  i think so.

as i have mentioned before.  i can’t change washington, sactown, the media, etc.  but i can change me.  you can change you.  (i am not denying god’s role in transformation as much as i am emphasizing personal responsibility here, so chill out)  i want you to speak the truth in love to me, i need you to do this for me.  i define accountability as helping each other keep our commitments to god.  i need this.  we need this.  so can we tone down all the political correctness and start elevating truthtelling in love.  it may not change the world…but around here will be a lot better.  :)

thanks for reading, and as always i welcome your feedback.  blessings.  vince