Snobbery vs Political Correctness or Is a snobbery like a shrubbery? (apologies to Monte Python).

Reflection: If there is anything that will choke the blood from our brains and cause us to cease to have reason (as a person and as a country), it is political correctness.  You might wonder what event or experience on this trip might make me come to this conclusion.  The answer is experiencing the many facets of RV life. Even though we have had limited experience with “camping” or “RVing” we had not really lived it.  Upon returning from our various directions (me from Las Vegas and MJ from SC) and starting out again, we tried unsuccessfully to make reservations at a park of our choice near Houston.  We ended up in a park “on the lake”.   The park was a spit of land with a creek backwater on one side and a canal on the other.  The spaces were stacked side-by-side about 25’ line to line.  According to the manager, 70% were permanent residents.  The school bus made a stop every day.  Our next door neighbors were a family of four or five (not sure if the guy was a husband, boyfriend, or son).  One night there was a couple in the car smoking weed.  An over-sized woman in pajama pants was across the street making sure the camper windows were closed.  Although signs stated clearly to respect others' sites, ours was a regularly used shortcut.  Although signs said “If your dog poops, please scoop”, some scooped and some did not.   

It looks better than it is.

I have never considered myself a snob.   I feel guilty when I catch myself thinking I am superior to someone else in some way.  Nevertheless, there was a heaviness in living in this place.  I am not suggesting that anyone here was not nice, civil, and friendly.  No one there was unclean or ragged.  The manager was cordial and helpful.  The kids were all clean and friendly. They were "making it" and living their lives day-to-day.   But I still found myself wanting to leave….and asking myself if I am a snob.  This led me to wonder if I am “prejudiced”, which led me to consider the words “discriminating” and “discerning”.  Which led me to remember that it was once a compliment if someone described you as being "a person of discriminating taste".  Another friend reminded me that many years ago, I had quoted my mother as giving me this advice, “John, it is OK to be open-minded, but don’t be so open-minded that your brains fall out”.  I had not remembered her telling me that. 

Prejudice must come from pre-judge, which indicates you have made a decision or come to a conclusion about something ahead of time, and without knowing everything about that situation.  I have made a prior judgement that it is not a good thing for me to drive after drinking alcohol.  I should not consider how I feel at the time, because I may not feel impaired.  Nevertheless, I have decided ahead of time not to drive. Is this pre-judgement (prejudice) bad?  

We are faced with may decisions about many things every day.  We must continually make choices between many alternatives.  This is a process of discernment or discrimination.  Making choices about what is good for you or others in a given situation is discrimination.  Without prejudice and discrimination, we would make many bad decisions or fail to make any decision, both leading to negative results.  Which brought my thoughts to political correctness which ASSumes that all prejudice and discrimination is bad.  Political correctness also assumes that any and all moral judgments are bad.  There are many threads that could be followed at this point, but many other people with better writing skills have already done it. I am left with the question, “How, in this world of political correctness, can one not feel belittled and befuddled for doing what is demanded of any morally responsible adult, and that is to discern, judge, and discriminate as to which attitudes, actions, lifestyles and choices are right, and which are wrong?”

You may be wondering if we left the trailer park.  Yes, we did.  We paid three times the price after upgrading to somethings closer to a true “RV Resort” and then choosing to be on a waterfront lot on the edge of Lake Conroe.   

My spirits lifted immediately!  Am I a snob?

Lake Conroe at Dusk

You might also wonder about Snobbery and Shrubbery – It sounded good when I was thinking about the words.  Look for a future reflection on why all “camping” is not created equal.

By the way, if you go to Fort Worth, you need to eat tacos in this place: