Political correctness is currently represented as almost an act of Parliament, when in actual fact, I understand, it has no legality whatsoever. Its roots are in communism, and it is a tool for the minority to beat the majority with. From what I read and hear, I believe that it is increasing with every year, and is like a pebble in a shoe to the indigenous population. Political correctness seems to take precedence over common sense and logic. The gollywog, a prime example, is no longer seen in shops, or is not even on the dictionary in this computer. A well loved smiling, black faced, soft doll, with terrible tangled black woollen hair, was in every household in the 30s. Jam jars, and other articles had golliwogs as emblems to draw attention to them, they were loved, like the Black and White minstrels, for what they were, not what people suggest today that they represent – the Negro slave. My mother would refer to a colour as ‘nigger brown’, ‘working like a black,’ and sundry other statements, and neither she nor I ever considered how they originated at the time. As an immigrant in Northern Ireland, through my English accent, I have had to accept jokes, repeated ad nauseam, at my expense, and I never really thought anything about it. The gollywog could never be interpreted as anything other than an eccentric looking doll, but it is a convenient way of complaining, for those who wish to use political correctness as a tool to draw attention to themselves, and make a political point. We in the North of Ireland know all about political correctness; great arguments take place over the inscription on a memorial to dozens of people who were blasted to the hereafter, allegedly by a dissident organisation, which is now the phrase used to placate those who no longer wish to be blamed. This is a warning. If you allow political correctness excessive credence, over and above common decency, you are being blackmailed, and worse, manipulated. It is the camel and the tent syndrome, (an Aesop fable), whereby pleading, and acceding, repeatedly, can change the order of the day finally to be totally reversed. As an immigrant myself, I believe it is the duty of those visiting a country as guests, and having subsequently been welcomed, to make every effort to conform to the culture of the host country and not to try to impose, rather than suggest, aspects of their own culture which might ultimately lead to a ghetto culture. Harmony allows progression and understanding, insistence on political correctness and or aggression can only lead to disruption, and ultimately hatred. Before legislating, politicians should think very carefully of the long-term effects of what they do, rather than shooting from the hip, which appears to be quite common today. Above all, in today’s rapidly shifting political scene, political apathy must be avoided, it shifts the power and undermines the majority.