Opinion

Can We Take Political Correctness Seriously After Paris?

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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Jonathan Chait is a critic of political correctness on college campuses, yet he’s coming close to suggesting we should employ it in our foreign policy rhetoric.

It makes sense to suggest that our national leaders (and candidates) be specific and responsible when talking about our enemies—I’m speaking here of radical Islamists, not the vast majority of peaceful Muslims. But the other alternative (a sort of weak-kneed parsing of language) makes it impossible to marshal the moral clarity and resilience needed to defeat an organization that refers to itself as the Islamic State.

What happens when Western civilization lacks the kind of passion and unity that their enemies have in spades?

Politicians must be wise and prudent, but they also must be given some artistic license when rousing the public to fend off an existential threat. Churchill summoned the spirit of Britons by talking about defending “Christendom.” (He began warning of gathering storm clouds long before he became prime minister.) He framed World War II as a fight to preserve civilization.

Churchill was right. Still, to 21st century ears, that sounds exclusive and politically incorrect. (Today, Chait is criticizing Sen. Marco Rubio for talking about a “clash of civilizations.”) It might also sound counterproductive. But Churchill’s rhetoric was a key component to giving his Island nation the hope and pride it needed to endure.

Defeating radical Islamism will likewise require Western civilization to unite and rally around shared values. Inspiring rhetoric is still the most effective way to accomplish this. To be sure, there is a fine line between reckless demagoguery and a stirring speech. But the policing of such speech risks depriving us of the psychological boost that this moment requires.

Sometimes an “us versus them” mentality is harmful and destructive. But sometimes that’s exactly the kind of mentality we should be encouraging. There are times to rally around a friend, rally around your family, rally around your country, or even—as the case may be—rally around the cause of liberal democracy and Western civilization against the forces of barbarism.

This is not meant to be a “hot take,” but it occurs to me that those warning about political correctness on college campuses should also consider the potential impact political correctness run amok might have when it comes to waging war. In short, what happens when the student protesters from Yale are running our country?

Matt K. Lewis