THIS WEEK'S MOVIE REVIEW "Starsky and Hutch"  by Mike Smith

ODDSERVATIONS Academy Awards Oddsverations....Indecency Hearings  by Andy Lalino

DEADGUY'S DEMENTIA Gay Marriage Amendment  by Mike Scott

BLACK DOG The Ghosts of Columbine  by Joshua Montgomery

THE DROW Collectible Card Games and You  by Dylan Jones

NICHOLAS REX P.C. Aftermath: The Response  by Nick King

THE OGRE Ybor's Ups And Downs  by Clayton Smith

SPLASH PAGE The Passion in Brooksville....I Wanted the Scarecrow....FCC and the Sponge, Follow-Up....WMD At The Academy Awards?....Things I Didn't Know But Probably Should Have  by Brandon Jones

MIKE'S RANT And The Winner Is....In Other News....How Could She See Over The Wheel?....March 5th....Meet The Beatles, Part 7  by Mike Smith

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P.C. Aftermath: The Response

It appears I’ve stirred up quite a hornet’s nest with my column from last issue. To be completely honest I’m surprised by the responses that have come in. There are several things that I wish to go over as far as the responses to the piece are concerned. I’m not going to speak ill of the people who wrote in because that is not, nor has it been, my intention. I will simply answer the questions raised and respond to the responses that have come in.

First, Mr. Moriarty asked for more clarifications on my sources and my definitions of several things (Re: Will's letter from last issue---N). Controlling one’s language in the workplace is something I encourage greatly. I nearly lost one job for a supermarket company because another co-worker and I were flirting while off the clock and still at the store. One of the managers overheard our conversation and felt that I had crossed the line with a few comments. The comments in question were answers to a question she had asked me about what I thought of her body. Needless to say I was a little bit more graphic than I should have been but I was also 19 at the time. Both the young woman and I straightened the matter out but not after the manager had taken the matter to the store manager. Thankfully I didn’t lose that job but it taught a very valuable lesson. Perception is reality, something my mother had instructed me in for years. What I perceive is not what another person perceives.

Another question raised is my willingness to stand against the rules of political correctness. This is something I feel very strongly about and I’ll stand up to anyone who takes the opposite stance as myself. That is what makes this country great. We all have the ability to shout at the top of our lungs that which another person would spend their lives fighting against. Will I censor my own language in certain situations: ABSOLUTELY! Because I’ve learned at the tender age of 23 that I must consider the feelings of others. But I will not censor my words simply because someone else tells me that I have to. The only two things that I have to do in this life are 1) pay taxes and 2) eventually shuffle off of this mortal coil.

To provide a definition of masculinity, check out a dictionary. It’s just as vague as I was in the column. What is my definition of masculinity? That is something that I’m afraid cannot be put into words. It is an intangible that has to be showcased. Do I believe that men are better than women? No. Do I believe that woman are better than men? No.

Do I believe that both sexes are just as screwed up as the other? Yes.

Christian has put forth several interesting opinions that I do agree with (Re: Christian Dumais' letter from last issue---N). Language is a living entity that morphs and changes with the times. Take a look at the most ancient languages of this world. If you were to put a person who speaks Chinese from the 10th century in a room with someone from today’s era, they would catch maybe 1/4th of what the other person was saying. My non-use of the N-word is a personal choice on my part because as Nolan stated, many people would have read the column and stopped at that point, requesting that Nolan divulge my address for the purposes of a personal visitation.

The idea that we choose the words we as a society use is correct. What was acceptable then is not now. Then can be considered as anytime prior to today and the here and now. This says much for the attention span of today’s group of humans.

Michael, I do appreciate your words and the feeling that comes across from them (Re: Mike Smith's letter from last issue---N). It is unfortunate that we must deal with these things as young children. Words do not lose their sting at any age unless we take that power away from the person using the words. If they have the power, then they win. They seek to control your response through the use of certain triggers that they know exist in every single human being. These triggers can be anything from race, to a system of beliefs, or one’s sexual orientation. Do I believe that words have power? Absolutely, otherwise our language is meaningless. Words have the awesome ability to both empower and tear down an individual. To abuse the power that our language gives us is what my column was about. We as a society and as a race of entities are stuck on the using words as labels. Gay, straight, American, French, Iraqi, Russian, and all the others that exist. We as a race of sentient beings have not yet understood that we are all the same. The same organ flesh, even down to the human genome, which is the foundation for our species, resides within each one of us. The day that we learn to forget the labels and the political correct way of speaking to each other, is the day that we as a species can ascend to something better than what we are now.

Anyway, these are my thoughts on the responses given by you wonderful people. Thank you so much for your critiques and your opinions. Have a nice week.

Nicholas King