Recently, Madison's Alcohol License Establishment Response Team met with concerned neighbors of the Capitol area to discuss the future of Club Majestic. The club, known for its rhythmic music and lively environment, was called into question for supposedly being linked to related acts of rowdiness and violence in its vicinity.

A local neighborhood association, Capitol Neighborhoods Inc., labeled the club's patrons "gangsters." Other suggestions at the meeting called for measures as drastic as disallowing the club to play hip-hop music.

Perhaps it should be mentioned that many of the people who frequent Club Majestic are black.

Local residents are entitled to peace and quiet in their neighborhood. However, it is absolutely outrageous that many of the ideas put forth at the recent meeting were little more than thinly veiled attempts to repel black people from the area.

Unfortunately, implicitly racist practices are hardly uncommon in today's society — a society that seemingly believes itself to have eradicated racism. Sadly, these practices are largely the result of political correctness; a philosophy intended to have the opposite effect.

In Madison, one has to look no further than the dress codes at certain bars to understand how the racism believed by many to be wiped out has simply been replaced by a more subtle form. At downtown establishments like Johnny O's, dress codes are in place to prohibit the wearing of clothing that is baggy or not sufficiently "dressy." Owners of these businesses can simply hide behind a politically correct clause of equality, denying that there exist cultural fads maintained more by one particular societal/ethnic faction than by others. This allows the implementation of obviously racist methods for screening clientele at the door. I'm sorry, but a white guy who belongs to the College Republicans simply isn't that likely to be sporting FUBU gear.

It's not that today's implicit racism has popped up only as the result of a society hell-bent on political correctness. In reality, employers, restaurants and other businesses have always practiced hush-hush procedures to disenfranchise the minorities they didn't approve of. However, what the current politically correct sentiment has created is an environment in which racism, sexism, etc., can be conveniently codified without fear of legal repercussions.

If proponents of political correctness had hoped to achieve — however naively — a society of equality via the implementation of their philosophy, they have failed miserably.

Every time a middle-aged white guy in the suburbs sarcastically says the word "multiculturalism," he is simply getting away with saying "those damn minorities." Every time an anchor on "Fox News" says "Mz." in reference to a woman, men in rural Idaho can see his tiny eye roll and relax, knowing the network holds the same stereotypes as them. And every time Trent Lott uses the term "African-American" in an apology, good old boys can laugh at the clear insincerity.

In a way, political correctness has been the biggest gift ever given to chauvinism. Today, bigots are able to bypass off-kilter terms and convey their hatred and bias in a socially acceptable code.

There is no easy solution in dealing with the negative effects of political correctness. On the one hand, were political correctness to be eliminated, society would benefit, as people would quickly learn the vast extent to which racism, sexism and the like still exist. This would, presumably, help in resolving many of these issues. On the other hand, it would be painful for many minorities to hear society revert to terminology that for so long was equated with oppression and hate.

Perhaps the best solution, for now, is to simply call bigots on their politically correct bluffs. If a club owner enacts a racist dress code, the community must boycott his club. If racists sarcastically refer to "Native Americans," they should be forced to use the terminology they're insinuating with their tone. And if any neighbors of Club Majestic want the club to ban hip-hop, people should petition their favorite establishments to enact a dress code requiring FUBU clothing for entry.

Rob Rossmeissl ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism and political science.