Nearly everyone in Connecticut knows that its capital city, Hartford, is a mess, and that its largest city, Bridgeport, is too. Yet for saying so about Hartford in an essay in The Wall Street Journal on New Year's Day, former gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski continues to generate outrage from news organizations and the establishment leaders they strive to give voice to. Predictably enough, none of the responses has addressed Stefanowski's specific criticisms. Instead the responses have constituted only mindless boosterism for Hartford.
Decades of boosterism haven't improved the city but the latest installment may be meant to prevent the failure of Connecticut's urban policies from becoming the issue it should be.
For example, why, despite ever-greater state spending on Hartford, do its demographics grow only poorer and its schools never improve?
Though it was already insolvent and a ward of the state, why was Hartford allowed to borrow tens of millions of dollars to build a minor-league baseball stadium, leading to a $500 million bailout by state government? State government could have prevented that disaster, so why didn't it?
Why did Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin pander to the "defund the police" crowd by reducing the city police budget by $2 million only to have to appeal for state troopers a few weeks later as crime in the city exploded?
Even the news organizations purporting to serve Hartford have yet to pose such questions. With his essay Stefanowski began to do so, and the response from those news organizations was only: That's mean! Don't do that again!
What'sreallymean is leaving Hartford, Bridgeport, and New Haven in perpetual poverty and dysfunction, where they will stay until the failures of policy and management are acknowledged. As Stefanowski wrote, state government shares responsibility for those failures. Those who took offense at their mere mention now share responsibility too.
* * *
COURANT'S P.C. POSE: Congratulations to the Hartford Courant for pledging, in the name of social justice, to do less of what it hardly had been doing anyway: publishing police photos, "mug shots," of arrested people.
This pledge was just a load of what is called virtue signaling, since few mug shots have appeared in the Courant lately not because of concern for social justice but because of the newspaper's long retreat from local news.
Of course this retreat doesn't contradict the Courant's argument that mug shots can be prejudicial and contribute to racial stereotyping. But crime itself is racially disproportionate, and it is not stereotyping to acknowledge it. A mug shot doesn't stereotype; it signifies an actual arrest. Andanyarrest publicity is potentially prejudicial.
So is the publicnotto be reminded that crime is racially disproportionate, just as family disintegration, educational failure, and poverty are? And is criminal justicenotto be watched closely so injustice may be diminished? Are only the arrests and mug shots ofwhitepeople to be published?
One could get that impression lately, as national news organizations are going out of their way to publicize any trivial incident in which a white person mistreats a Black person, like the incident the other day in New York City where a white woman mistakenly accused a Black teenager of stealing her cell phone. Meanwhile there is no reporting of trivial incidents in whichBlacksmistreatwhites. Are there no such incidents, or is political correctness overwhelming the news?
* * *
TEACHING MOMENT LOST: University of Connecticut President Thomas C. Katsouleas toadied to political correctness again last week in responding to an internet petition urging the university to "condemn" two students from Stafford who attended the "Stop the Steal" protest in Washington that ended with the attack on the Capitol. There was no allegation that the students broke the law, but one was photographed with the infamous provocateur Alex Jones.
Responding to the petition, Katsouleas wrote that Jones is "despicable." Katsouleas didnot write that the university has no business condemning anyone for peacefully exercising his First Amendment rights.
So a teaching moment was lost. Instead the P.C. petitioners were reminded of how easily the university president can be made to dance. Students may be learning that much anyway.
Chris Powell is a columnist for the Journal Inquirer.
More:
No one dares to answer for the disaster of Connecticut's cities - Journal Inquirer
- The Phony Debate About Political Correctness ThinkProgress - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Political Correctness Watch - December 12th, 2016 [December 12th, 2016]
- The Origins of Political Correctness - academia.org - January 13th, 2017 [January 13th, 2017]
- Spicer says 'political correctness' infringes on 'freedom of religion' - Washington Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Political correctness exists to build respect for the oppressed - Kenyon Collegian - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Letter: Political correctness has gone too far - The Herald-News - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Boy Scouts ruined by political correctness: Your Say - USA TODAY - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Spicer Says Religious Liberty Is Getting 'Pushed Out' By Political Correctness - TPM - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Lawrence Modisett: Need for political correctness still holds true - The Providence Journal - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Trump's right-wing political correctness makes us less safe - Daily Kos - Daily Kos - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Authoritarian political correctness - Dailyuw - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Fixing political correctness - The Stanford Daily - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- The Politically Correct Presidency of Donald Trump - The Atlantic - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Letter: Political correctness is akin to golden rule - The Buffalo News - Buffalo News - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Pro-Trump priest casts political correctness aside and creates quite the stir on social media - BizPac Review - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Slamming 'political correctness,' Casper scraps recycling program ... - Casper Star-Tribune Online - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Political correctness is life and death on a hilarious It's Always Sunny - A.V. Club - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Too PC? - Two Views on Political Correctness - Huffington Post - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Foregoing Political Correctness, The Senate Should Have Let Warren Speak - Daily Caller - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- To a Collegian columnist: Disregarding political correctness hinders social justice causes - Kenyon Collegian - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Political correctness | The Economist - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Netflix Boycott Over 'Dear White People' Is Right-Wing Political Correctness in Action - Heat Street - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Salman Rushdie's New Novel is About Political Correctness and the ... - Heat Street - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Letter to the editor: The truth doesn't require political correctness - Anniston Star - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Trump's Right-wing Political Correctness Makes Us Less Safe - Huffington Post - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- When Will They Purge Indian History Of Political Correctness And Teach Us As It Is? - Swarajya - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Editorial: Brown puts political correctness above jobs - Daily Astorian - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Slamming 'political correctness,' Casper scraps recycling program for electronics - Casper Star-Tribune Online - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Letter: Political correctness has endangered our safety | INFORUM - INFORUM - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Letter to the editor: Political correctness has influenced minds - Post Register - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Political Correctness Is An Absolute Must | Time.com - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Political Correctness Propagates Radical Liberalism and Undermines The Truth - Accuracy In Media (blog) - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- This Day: Charlton Heston speaks at Harvard about Political Correctness - The Apopka Voice - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Words, Tweets and Stones in the "Political Correctness" Wars ... - EconoTimes - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Ferguson Political Correctness - The Missourian - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- PewDiePie: Alt-Right Nazi, Victim of Political Correctness, or Just an Idiot? - Reason (blog) - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Political correctness weaponized in face of unpopular opinion - The Vermilion - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Populist correctness: the new PC culture of Trump's America and Brexit Britain - The Guardian - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Trevor Phillips: political correctness ushered in the populist wave - The Guardian - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Political correctness on a downward spiral - NCC Linked - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- PewDiePie's Misguided War On The Media Sounds Familiar - Forbes - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Better Education Responsible for Political Correctness - NYU Washington Square News - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Publishers Pen - Political Correctness and Lawlessness: A Rant - Up & Coming Weekly - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Fed up with political correctness - The Rushville Republican - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Thursday's best TV: Born Too White; Has Political Correctness Gone Mad? - The Guardian - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Political correctness is to blame for terrorist payout, says Leo McKinstry - Express.co.uk - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Jones: It's not political correctness, just common decency - Philly.com - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Is There Space For Political Correctness In Fashion? Gucci Says Maybe Not - Refinery29 - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- The Dark State of Political Correctness - American Spectator - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Thursday February 23, 2017 - Israel Hayom - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Jim Bailey column: Caught up in political correctness - The Herald Bulletin - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Op-ed: He's just saying what we're all thinking: How political correctness fails us in the age of Trump - The Eagle - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- The Bus Campaign That's Giving UK Political Correctness a Run for ... - CBN News - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Has political correctness gone mad? 'Comedians must be allowed to offend' - thejournal.ie - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- CPAC inadvertently shows logic behind political correctness - UT The Daily Texan - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- Despite Rumblings About Political Correctness, the Black Oscar Nominees This Year Deserve All the Accolades - Heat Street - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- EDITORIAL: Political correctness ... and more absurdities | The ... - The Daily Progress - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Political correctness puts end to much loved television characters ... - Starts at 60 - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Political Correctness Hurt the Oscars - WSAU (blog) - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- The Bus Campaign That's Giving UK Political Correctness a Run for Its Money - CBN News - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Fox News' Tucker Carlson says 'Moonlight' only won Best Picture because of political correctness - ThinkProgress - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- O'Reilly: 'Americans Are Tired of Political Correctness & Left-Wing Totalitarianism' - Fox News Insider - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Enough with the political correctness: transgender individuals shouldn't be allowed to compete in sports - The Rebel - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Is political correctness killing US institutions? - Canada Free Press - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Jennifer Saunders Claims Political Correctness Has Ended ... - Huffington Post UK - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Conservative Rag Bends to Political Correctness - American Free Press - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Why John Howard thinks Australians are sick of political correctness ... - Starts at 60 - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Columbus Statue Removed at Pepperdine Bow to Political Correctness - The New American - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Why 'rage is not a policy' - Washington Times - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Donald Trump Is Actually The Most Politically Correct Politician Of Them All - Huffington Post - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Misguided political correctness is problem | Letters To Editor | union ... - Walla Walla Union-Bulletin - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Political correctness is curtailing free speech: Letters - LA Daily News - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- 'La La Land' is the Ultimate Victim of Hollywood's Political ... - Heat Street - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Political correctness sends ACC from Tobacco Road to Brooklyn - Power Line (blog) - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- Give political correctness a failing grade - Canoe News - Canoe - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Nick Ferrari: Political correctness is turning our police into social services - Express.co.uk - March 12th, 2017 [March 12th, 2017]
- Littleproud: program is 'political correctness gone too far' - Warwick Daily News - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Editorial: freedom of speech in an era of political-correctness, part two - Daily Sundial - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- When Republicans defend Republicans' bad behavior, we justify 'political correctness' - Mooresville Tribune - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Marvel V.P. Admits Political Correctness Killed Comic Sales ... - FrontPage Magazine - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]