Thank you for having the courage to bring up a touchy subject like this, greg 2342.

In my opinion Political Correctness is invented by the dark powers.
PC is poison for Freedom of Speech
- as is any kind of blasphemy prohibition
If you offend other people with your opinions, let them take you to court, provided you live in a socitety with a free spirited legislation,
- as I have a hard time seeing for instance stoning as anything fitting life of AD2011.

This goes in general - not only for the intelligentia.

Where are you from, greg2342?

These are the people that are above us mere mortals--they are mired in the muck of academia and only associate with their own kind.To them we are mere trolls or serfs--just look at the state of the US Govt. today and the media--if you push their agenda you will be rewarded with grants for money and be a member of the elite club--Most of us don't have a clue--look up Agenda 21--we are fighting this in our County and it is about power over the classless people--

interesting replies, but a bit off topic, nice to hear peoples thoughts on the subject

A couple of the research groups I was involved with were under restrictions of publication by the pharmacology company sponsors. The research was published despite them and much to the dismay of the sponsors. Some types of grant dwindled after that!
These corporations/companies continue to attack researchers with breach of contract and gagging orders, while at the same time manipulating the wider scientific community into thinking their products are better than they actually are. How? Sponsor 12 groups, only allow the positive results to be published. Then they sell more product, and make grotesque profit before renaming, re-branding and relocating; to avoid being prosecuted, and to pick up grants from various governments. Hence the phrase, evil drug companies.

Then there is the whimsical influence of politicians, who determine governmental grant aid to research teams. Scientists can't exactly express a political opinion or they will lose out on the next grant. If a scientist expresses concern over a factory continually poisoning a river that comes back on the politicians that funded and approved the factory. The same politicians that determine who gets what grant.

So while academic's can say anything they want, it's not free, there is a cost.

A vast majority of US academia is so far to the left they have fallen off the planet and out of touch with reality. Their self serving agenda is to promote their agenda no matter what the cost. Any and all conservative debate is quickly quelched and you're labeled a (right) wingnut. All you have to look at is where this country has gone under the current uber liberal administration. I'm sure our founding fathers are rolling in their graves.