For fear of offending someone

I am so sick of hearing people [let's call them peopleA] say they can't do or say this or that for fear of offending someone. I get these emails and see this on Facebook a lot. They say things like "We can't make all the schoolchildren attend a mandatory Billy Graham Crusade for fear of offending someone. Well, this loyal American has had enough. Who has the guts to join me in demanding that all schoolchildren are required to attend this crusade?" Okay, I'm exaggerating. Slightly. Very slightly. These people--you know who you are and if you're not then I don't mean you--go all psycho because they're not allowed to force others to do things their way and claim it's because people are "afraid of offending someone." It's not really even offending people. What they're doing is more rightly called "violating someone's rights" or, at least, "hurting someone's feelings."

Then someone [let's call them peopleB] does something peopleA don't like--not trying to make others do it, mind you--but just saying what they think or wanting to live their own way; expecting the same freedom to which we are all entitled, and then peopleA get all worked up and... dare I say it... OFFENDED. No one has tried to force them to do anything and the only thing they've been prevented from doing is violating someone else's rights. 


Now let's try to make this clear: 

If you want to force people to do or not do something, you are not offending them. You are violating their rights. They may also feel offended but it is their right to feel that way but the main thing is that you have violated them.


If you live your own life and use your free speech to say what you believe and you allow everyone else these same rights, then you are not violating anyone's rights. They may feel offended because you won't live their way or they don't like your opinion but that is their problem to get over.


Each of us has the same and equal right to live as we choose, say what we choose, believe, eat, drink, smoke, dress and whatever else AS WE CHOOSE and we do not have the right to decide these things for anyone else no matter how strongly we feel for or against. 


I understand that it makes you feel better to convince yourself that these other people are in the wrong because they're just being oversensitive and offended but you should try to be honest with yourself. If you are trying to force your beliefs on others including on the children of others, YOU are the one in the wrong. You do not have the right to do this. YOU do not have the only say in what our country represents. So grow up and learn the lessons you should have learned in kindergarten: Mind your own business. Keep your hands to yourself. Live and let live. Be kind to each other.


Earthchild has spoken. Thanks for listening. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.