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who are either too cowardly to resist the pressures of the PCers or who
have come to agree with them. The examples are numerous and often
hair-raising.
7. SflIdenfs
Aside from the harm of political correctness to the clarity of
thought, its main victim is the helpless student. Political correctness
would not only deprive students from learning something of the heritage
of Western civilization, it also tries to brainwash students with a substi–
tute culture of minorities and with the politics of popular culture. As I
have said, it also teaches students that truths and judgments are relative
and therefore cannot be applied to moral or intellectual questions. It in–
doctrinates students with the idea that standards are code words for
racial and gender interests and that they serve only to perpetuate white,
male power. The educational effects are disastrous. For without the de–
constructed outlook of political correctness, students have enough trou–
ble with whatever traditional knowledge is offered them; now they have
a rationale for not learning even a minimal distillation of Western civi–
lization.
8. Egaiifariallisltl
It would be a mistake, however, to attribute all the ills of education
to political correctness. Political correctness is the false educational rem–
edy that not only acts to miseducate students but also has the effect of
obscuring some of the fundamental causes of the educational crisis in
America. The fact is that a wave of anti-intellectual and anti-educational
attitudes has swept over the country. The belief that a properly educated
person makes for a civilized citizen has almost disappeared. We cannot
conceal the fact that standards have fallen, that the primary value for
many students is in getting a degree, not in learning. This situation has
been documented over and over again by educators who do not mouth
the cliches of educational jargon. It has been demonstrated endlessly by
Albert Shanker, one of the few commentators to take the issues head-on.
Unfortunately, this dismal situation has been obscured not only by advo–
cates of political correctness but also by those myopic politicians dazzled
by the power of money who advocate more and more spending. But
spending, it should be clear by now, is not the solution to what is basi–
cally a cultural malaise. And, unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to
this widespread cultural phenomenon. The only answer, I'm afraid, is for
clear thinking by intellectuals and educators to mount a steady campaign
for the importance of a traditional education in maintaining a civilized
society. Of course, the PCers are of no help in this matter. Their put–
down of so-called elitism and of intellectual traditions supports the na-
