Agreed. But what are they learned from? I disagree with you that political correctness is a process of unlearning those lies. These stereotypical responses are not lies. They are founded in hard, cold fact. Those who are "indoctrinated," as you say, are bigots. There's a difference between being vigilant against stereotypes and bigotry. Big.
If I see three black young men advancing rapidly toward me at night...looking left and right and back as they approach...one with a teardrop tat on his face, one with his hand in his pocket and something sticking out from there...I'm going to be scared ****less. Mine would be a stereotypical response. And it just might keep me alive.
THANK YOU for that.
Being politically correct in real life does get people hurt, particularly women. Not wanting to be offensive or rude, women will hesitate to run, decide NOT proceed to her car in a parking lot but instead towards other people, NOT get ahead of the curve if a date is becoming increasingly pushy and forceful - and a whole list of other ways. Being politically or socially correct, or not wanting to seem afraid, can get a person robbed, assaulted, raped or killed.
But there is ANOTHER stereotype I urge against. That a man has less rights to self defense than a woman does.
I think if Zimmerman was a woman, attitudes would be different. TOO MANY people think if there is a MAN in the house, then no reason to lock the door or that there is no danger as long as a MAN is along. That men just fist fight and the good guy always wins like in the movies if there is an attack - and that assuming the attacker doesn't pull a knife or - as in the case of Martin (in my opinion) - when the assailant or other guy has "won" he doesn't just proceed to stomp on your neck, stick his fingers into the man's eyes permanently blinding him, stomping on his throat, choking him to death, kicking his ribs into his lungs etc, etc.
MEN also have a right to defend against attack or a realistic sense that one is imminent and not have to rely on "I'm a man" thus being disarmed. My childhood and then adult past was very, very tough and it made me tough and a psychologists would say a phobic need to remain so, to never have reason to fear a man. If someone saw me charging down on the angrily and that my motive, they have a gun and shoot fast - because their are few men I couldn't do any amount of damage or injury I wanted to.
What I would to see is people allowed guns in public, but ONLY IF they have gone through REAL training and testing. On law. On weapons. And correct responses. And a bit of psychological inquiry too. WITH THAT I'd like to see quasi citizen cops. Police usually only arrive after assaults, robberies, rapes and murder.
But back to your point, if you're white and see some black guy (doesn't have to be 3) coming towards you and you sense danger for whatever reason, it is foolish to convince yourself that you can't reacte negatively and defensively for fear of seeming like a racist. Or via versa or whatever. Most people who are assaulted (not all) had a sense of danger before it happened - and disregarded it or under reacted to it. Don't. It only takes one time to ruin the rest of your life. There are 6 BILLION people on this planet. It absolutely doesn't matter what someone you don't even know thinks about you. Look out for yourself. Look out for others.
Men, just because you're a guy doesn't mean you aren't in danger. And women, just because you're with your man doesn't mean you have a trained body guard with you.
The quicker you put up your guard and reacte to a sense of danger, the higher likelihood that NO ONE is hurt. Then you never know what didn't happen.
On the other hand, if you MUST pick, pick trying to prove you're innocent rather than you or your family trying to seek justice against whoever made you his victim. No guilty verdict, even no death penalty, not once, ever undid one iota of what the assailant did to the victim.
Sorry for the soap box speechifying.