[Matt Robesch replies: Questioning two inpertinent local battles the Left recently chose for itself does not make someone complicit with racism. Claiming so seems more a gut reaction than an intellectual one. I was merely pointing out a few of the ways which progressives have been shooting themselves in the foot for well over two decades now. Micro-managing politically correct ideologies by protesting every single little thing that offends you isn't progress at all; it's wasted energy. Such behavior is akin to some kind of group obsessive-compulsive disorder. It doesn't draw people to your cause... usually it has the opposite effect. No one likes a self-righteous jerk no matter what side of the political spectrum they're from or what they are protesting.

As for media stereotypes: Every single person portrayed on TV is a stereotype simply because they are projected images with no essence of reality. They're puppets controlled by writers, producers, editors, camera people, etc. (please see: "Deconstructing the Idiot Box," ) If you don't like the way the media is portraying a group you identify with, turn off your TV. Better yet, become the media yourself. Don't just picket and complain... tell your damned story! Personally, I'm far more interested in who you are as an individual than I am in hearing what you think the fake people on TV should say and do. Fighting corporate TV is like shadow-boxing.

Humanity needs unity. Short of stopping an alien invasion ala "Independence Day," there are very few causes that the vast majority of earthlings can relate to on equal terms. Saving Earth's environment from irreparable destruction comes to mind as one. Stopping multi-national corporations from initiating a modern global feudalism may be another. The Left is the only movement philosophically equipped to deliver such a movement.

Perhaps the solution the Left is looking for is a simple repackaging of all the seperate minority causes (Gay rights, Latino rights, Black autonomy, Indian sovereignty, etc, etc. etc.) into one large majority cause called Human Rights. In some ways this is already happening but, mostly, it isn't. I imagine this movement would be better equipped philosophically to deal with the small issues (stereotyping, etc.) at the same time that it mobilizes to fight the larger more important fights. As long as said movement could keep the term "human rights" from becoming devalued and ridiculed the same way the term "politically correct" has been, I don't see how it could fail.

As things stand in the US today, I adhere to the notion that an overabundance of mini-PC struggles is killing the Left and, as a result, jeopardizing the existence of everyone on the friggin' planet! The United States needs a strong internal progressive force more than any other nation on Earth... and it doesn't have one.]