Just as there's hope that political correctness might at last be running its course, permitting Americans once more to trade 'farmer's daughter' jokes and 'Amos 'n' Andy' videos on the open market, along comes an even more oppressive phenomenon to suck the humor out of life:

Emotional correctness.

Under the new and terrorizing code of e.c., Americans risk complete banishment from polite society if they do not wholeheartedly join in each national day of mourning or celebration as decreed by the media."

In support of some preposterous notion of ''emotional correctness'', they crash around in the fragile ground-cover of people's relationships, tearing up by the roots their secrets and pretences; their private jokes and most intimate practices.

Let's ask this last question of the marchers who would like to see Lewis drummed out of the telethon: Just who is going to keep this cash machine going? Who is going to stand on that stage for 21 1/2 hours, maintain emotional correctness, never indulge in cashable pity, and still pull in $80 million for muscular dystrophy?