The anatomy of political correctness...

A nice overview from Newsday....

Speaking of harm, some sort of trauma must have befallen a school aide in Waco, Texas, when a 4-year-old placed his face in her bosom while they were hugging. Citing sexual harassment seems a tad hysterical, but that's just what the preschooler was accused of - and, yes, suspended for. And he's not the only youngster this has happened to. Newsweek recently reported that 74 first-graders were suspended in Ohio last year for unwelcome sexual conduct. These little predators are lurking in cubbies throughout the nation, apparently.

Which raises the question: Has the adult population in this nation gone batty? In our collective zest for political correctness - which is often reactionary, arbitrary and context deficient - the lunatic fringe seems to have taken over the asylum, madly pointing fingers at innocuous vocabulary and behaviors once deemed normal, particularly in regard to schoolchildren.

When, for instance, did signs of affection from a preschooler morph into sexual deviancy? Schools at every level across the country have actually banned consensual hugging and any sort of harmless physical contact between students. Just ask eighth-grader Noah Stillman of Orange County, Calif., how his suspension is helping him curb his friendly impulses: He just served a third round after embracing a girl, in gross violation of Hewes Middle School's stifling hands-off policy.

"No touching" extends to recess, so playing tag is now taboo, too. Some schools in Massachusetts, for example, have banned tag, chase, touch football and other such childhood activities for fear of lawsuits, should a kid get hurt on school grounds.

It seems that, in lieu of teaching children how to deal with their occasionally callous world, sparing them any kind of emotional pain or indignity is the new millennium M.O., no matter the cost.

Here on Long Island, a few North Bellmore parents balked over a staged adaptation of the classic "Anne of Green Gables," because of the fictional story's insensitivity toward adopted children. They not only contacted school administrators but lined up the National Council for Adoption for support. The school then called upon an adoption agency for sensitivity training for teachers. After that precedent, with so many blended families around, some parents will no doubt shortly be demanding that all fairy tales with evil stepmothers and wicked stepsisters be banned from school libraries as well.

But maybe no one will listen, what with all the ruckus children make in their school cafeterias. As reported in this newspaper, almost 4,000 schools, including an intermediate school in Rocky Point, have purchased Talk Lights so kids will shut up while eating their lunch. Because we must have order. When the device turns red, it means the chatter is just too deafening. Kids can lose recess if the light doesn't return to green. Of course, the students aren't bothered by the noise, but who knows? Perhaps the lunchroom staff can't hear itself doling out rations.