Getting right to the point

George MacDonald, an author, poet and Christian minister at the turn of the 20th century said, “The two pillars of 'political correctness' are: A. willful ignorance, and B. a steadfast refusal to face the truth.”

I reference his quote for some folks who took offense over my unfortunate choice of metaphor that appeared in this column on Tuesday, March 10: “The question is whether the next (NHS) principal will have the intestinal fortitude to do the job. Or will the new principal fall into that same old warm and chummy dark place that results in the Indians running the show instead of the chief?”

Verbatim, an anonymous blogger wrote this on the NI’s Web page: “Put the city's newspaper racist and culturally insensitive journalist beliefs for all to see. I agree that phrases such as 'Indians running the show instead of the chief?" ARE JUST UNCALLLED FOR and just highlights the authors lack of political correctness and discriminatory beliefs and attitudes. It is embarrassing that the editor allowed this to be printed....oops my bad the editor and author are the same person! As an educator in the community I am now having to develop a lesson to counter this derogatory phrase that was blantantly published in the NI so that our community's students and youth don't think that such racist, stereotypes and just plain ol'rude and stupid journalism is a shared, collective belief of the NI readers. I respectfully request that the NI, author, editor (whatever hat you want to wear the same head wears them all) publish an apology to the community and any Native American citizens and/or descendents that might reside in Nogales. And also please be more aware of what you are printing in the NI.”

Manuel C. Coppola, the NI’s editor, publisher, chief cook and bottle washer, says, “My apologies to Native Americans who may have taken offense. None was intended.”

To this “educator,” I say: “Get over yourself and brush up on your grammar and sentence structure.”

Perhaps a more palatable and to-the-point metaphor would have been “the teachers running the show instead of the principal.” Now that is calling a spade a spade �“ in reference, rest assured, to the playing cards and not a particular race or color.

(Write us 268 W. View Point Dr., Nogales, Ariz., 85621 or editorial@nogalesinternational.com.)