Doublestandardspeak

In the Star Trek TV series ¹, Captain Kirk remarks in earshot of a Yang tribesman about the plan they'd have to carry out "...If we're going to get our freedom".

'Freedom'? It is [our] worship word. You will not speak it!

Mankind (well, our culture, anyway) seems obsessed with words. Some words are good, others bad. Some words are good if spoken in one circumstance, but bad in another. Some are acceptable if spoken by one person, but a cause for scorn if mouthed by another.

Don Imus knows this now, if he didn't before this month began. He dared breathe some words which many others had spoken before; he's now between underperforming radio shows.

While I was certainly not an Imus fan, barely being aware of his existence, the double standard over the words he used is striking. The high priests of political correctness have come to a consensus. They have a decision. It's clear. We have been told:

"'Nappy ho'? These are our worship words. You will not speak them!"

Now, back to our regularly scheduled media circus.

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¹ The Omega Glory, from the original series, for those geeky enough to care but not geeky enough to have memorized.

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