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Is Political Correctness Silencing Australian Christians in Sport?

by | Wed, Jan 29 2020

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Margaret Court
Margaret Court

Political correctness is the idea that forcing people to use certain words or act in a certain way will create an environment that supposedly won’t offend other groups or people – particularly those considered in the minority.

Many organisations like Tennis Australia and Rugby Australia have gone out of their way to be so overly PC that they have ended up making decisions that impact negatively on the majority of their core audience.

In our society it’s become almost impossible to have an open discussion about race, sexuality, climate change or Islamic fundamentalism without finding yourself in a dense fog of political correctness.

  • If you criticise multiculturalism, you’re called xenophobic or racist.
  • If you argue that marriage is between a man and a woman, you’re called a homophobic heteronormative bigot.
  • If you argue against gender transitioning, you’re labelled transphobic.

Dr Kevin Donnelly, author of ‘A Politically Correct Dictionary and Guide’, joined Neil Johnson on Vision Christian Radio’s 20Twenty program to discuss the ‘chilling reality’ of what is happening to our language as it’s being manipulated by various groups.

Kevin first shared about the politically correct Tennis Australia making headlines over the weekend in the way they didn’t allow Margaret Court, one of Australia’s greatest sporting legends, to speak when they honoured the 50th anniversary of her Grand Slam.

“I think it’s a great shame that simply because Margaret Court has a strong view about marriage and she has made that very public, especially during the debate around same-sex marriage.  Because she’s committed to her [Christian] faith, there’s been a campaign to vilify her and to criticise her.”

Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne
Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne during the 2020 Australian Open. (Photo credit: Mo Wu / Shutterstock.com)

“Obviously, she is a tennis great and deserves to be recognised for what she’s achieved in her career as a tennis player. But because she is not politically correct, because she has the conviction to argue against the cultural left view that gender and sexuality are fluid and you can be whatever you want. Because she has that commitment, she’s being attacked.”

Last year things got so bad that there was a campaign to remove Margaret Court’s name from Margaret Court Arena. During the Australian Open this week protests continued at Margaret Court Arena with Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe holding up a banner demanding that the arena be renamed for Aboriginal tennis champion Evonne Goolagong.

Australian Open protest
Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe hold up a banner at Margaret Court arena. Photo credit: Twitter

John McEnroe, a retired American tennis pro, even went so far as to call Margaret Court the ‘crazy Aunt of tennis’ and urged Serena Williams “to do us a favour and win two more Grand Slams this year so we can leave Margaret Court and her offensive views in the past, where they both belong”.

“There is a view that if you express your view based on religion then you’re somehow open to personal attack,” Donnelly continues. “Instead of looking at the argument rationally, or being logical, people are attacked or vilified personally.”

Continue listening to Neil Johnson’s conversation with Dr Kevin Donnelly in the podcast below.

Tune into 20Twenty and join the conversation with Neil Johnson, weekdays on Vision Christian Radio. Click here for your local times and more interviews.

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