In this age of Political Correctness I am frequently astonished by new examples of P.C. I thought America was the world leader in P.C., but my time in England in the summer these last few years has convinced me that the U.K. is a serious rival to the U.S.A. in this department.
Then, this Sunday morning on the telly, as our British friends refer to T.V., I saw an astonishing new example of P.C.. A morning talk show had expert guests discussing whether Great Apes should be subject to Human Rights. One professor argued that great apes show evidence of enough intelligence that they should be subject to human rights, while another professorial expert argued that the evidence of such intelligence was specious and that these apes do not possess enough intelligence to be considered eligible for human rights. A whole group of experts played intellectual ping-pong with this subject of rights for apes.
I find all this debate a bit of Alice in Wonderland. We’re talking about apes, for God’s sake. Now before the A.C.L.U. and assorted tree hugger mentalities condemn me as a crass and insensitive lout, I want to assure them that I certainly do not condone mistreatment of these magnificent creatures or the wanton destruction of these animals or the unnecessary capture and sale of them. But human rights? Let’s get real.
Now, if you want to talk about the extension of human rights to the dispossessed and downtrodden of the third world or the victims and refugees of war-torn regions of the world---then you’ve got my attention. Let’s do something about that and stop this ridiculous P.C. Patrol investigating this nonsense of human rights for great apes. Enough, already…
Where do we put people like Sarah Palin on that evolutionary tree?
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