Justin's note: As regular Dispatch readers know, every Friday we feature no-filtered insights from Doug Casey. You see, Doug isn't just a world-class speculator. He's a rare, independent thinker and a walking encyclopedia. Best of all, he isn't afraid to speak his mind. It's no surprise that these interviews have been a favorite among our readers.

Today, Doug and I talk about why the "politically correct" or "PC" movement is destroying America…

Justin Spittler: Doug, I want to ask you about political correctness. Obviously, PC culture's nothing new, but it kind of seems like it's spreading like cancer these days. Terms like "gender inclusivity," "cultural appropriation," and "white privilege" are everywhere.

A good example is last year's announcement by the University of Minnesota… saying it was dropping the names "Homecoming King and Queen" in favor of "Royals." It did this in the name of "gender inclusivity."

Is PC culture getting totally out of hand, or am I going crazy?

Doug Casey: Parts of the culture are borderline insane. There've been news items regarding this on scores of different colleges and universities across the US. What you mentioned at the University of Minnesota was just part of a greater movement. Although I've got to say that I find the use of "Royals" objectionable. I dislike the idea of a hereditary aristocracy—kings and queens and royals. They're basically just successful, silk-clad gangsters. Why the royal family in Britain is looked up to is a mystery to me. They, like all royals in the world, historically are just descendants of successful thugs.

But that's not the point that the PC people are making. They don't want to see people identified by their birth sex. They would rather that people "identify" as whatever gender—and I understand there are supposed to be about 40—you feel you belong to. You can say you are whoever you think you are. And oddly enough, I'm somewhat sympathetic to that. I think you should be able to call yourself what you want, do what you want, say what you want, this is all fine. And let people judge you by how you identify yourself. Say that you're a hermaphrodite dinosaur who was born on Mars, if you want. I don't care; it's your problem. But these PC types want to legislate that people have to treat the psychologically aberrated as if they were normal. They want laws and punishments governing what you can and can't do and say and even feel. They want to force you to respect, and pay for, the fantasies of a minority. And change—overturn actually—the whole social culture of the country. It's a very disturbing trend. It's likely to end in violence.