The right never grows weary of shouting at the top of its lungs about America’s political correctness problem. And, in case the recent outrage over Esquire’s scandalous decision to put a 17-year-old white male (how revolting) on its Tuesday cover didn’t make clear enough, America does have a political correctness problem.

Or more accurately, it did. Now that problem has evolved into something far worse. Much like we distinguish an alcoholic from a person who indulges in one-too-many cold ones, it’s important to discern that as a society, the United States has moved out of the “problem” phase and is slowly revealing itself as diseased. The sickness? Let’s call it “Political Correctness Disorder.” The vicious disease hasn’t yet spread throughout the entire American body, but significant swaths of the U.S. population have been infected.

If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, you might be suffering from Political Correctness Disorder and should contact a relevant medical expert immediately.

1. You have a nervous breakdown when a white male, or anyone else deemed too privileged, is featured on the cover of a prominent magazine.
2. You firmly believe that, because stories about the “white male experience” have been told in the past, they shouldn’t be shared anymore.
3. You stereotype people based on race, class and gender. Especially middle-class white males.
4. You’ve redefined inclusivity to leave out white males and other groups deemed too privileged.
5. You’re appalled when someone doesn’t share your opinion on issues of gender or race.
6. Your gut instinct is to vote for political candidates based primarily on their gender or race – or both.

To be clear, maybe Esquire’s decision to focus on the struggles of a white, middle-class teen in the midst of Black History Month wasn’t the most brilliant. But rabid reactions to the cover on Twitter, one of which came from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, are uncalled for and frankly embarrassing. Especially considering the issue in which the cover appears is kicking off, according to Esquire editor-in-chief Jay Fielden, a “series on growing up now — white, black, LGBTQ, female — that will continue to appear in coming issues.”

To any sane progressive mind, such a series is to be applauded – not torn apart for being inclusive.

One doesn’t have to lean to the right of the political spectrum to see what the United States has become. Just a glance outside its borders reveals many around the world find America’s political and social climate simply baffling.

Somewhere at a café in Tel Aviv, an Israeli woman is overhearing a group of American expats debating about whether it’s appropriate for a white American Jew to take part in activities at a Moroccan-themed bar, which involves wearing a traditional Moroccan cap, or tarboosh, for fear of cultural appropriation. That woman could be forgiven for wondering whether life is really so great in America – whether so few real problems exist in the country that Americans make up their own.

Of course, the United States does have problems, just like every other country – racism and sexism, and all the other isms, included. If it can cure itself from the absurdities of Political Correctness Disorder, maybe it can address those problems in a serious fashion.