Let's face it, there is a lot of content that exists in this world that we don't agree with. We may disagree with it on an ideological, religious, and/or moral basis, sometimes making it sit with us as well as an extra-cheese Taco Bell burrito at three in the morning. And disagreements like this aren't just occasional occurrences, but are difficulties we're faced with every day. Many of us have pretty thick skin and can ignore it or, if savvy enough, debate it. Others, not so much. In fact, there are some people in this world who demand the right to not "be offended" and who think that restricting free speech is an answer to their calls to not have hurt feelings. With this, there is a different group of people emerging; these are people that are easily offended and to whom quite literally everything is problematic or indicative of a severe and systemic social ill. To them, humor is off limits, pushing the envelope is restricted, and edginess is prohibited. Why? Because it's offensive. Because it hurts someone's feelings.
Where does the buck stop? Why do media organizations pander to these crybabies? Well, the answer can be found in social media, which is both a blessing and a curse for us as humans. One example of the good in social media is when we are able to help someone out when there is a perceived situation of bullying occurring. This is great! I mean, we can help people who are legitimately in danger or who are being psychologically tormented online. On the other hand, the overtly sensitive people online tend to think that the smallest matters or comments are "harassment" or bullying, when the situations they run into are typically caused by trolls (not to be taken seriously) or by looking for problems in every little thing.
It is too often people get offended by the weirdest things. Jonathan McIntosh, for instance, (an internet laughingstock) was offended that Pokemon seemed to encourage dog fighting. Sure, you could make every good thing terrible if you use your imagination like Jonathan did. You also get people who post YouTube videos and disable all comments and likes/dislikes because they are deathly afraid of being "harassed." This happens even thought the reality of the situation is that these sensitive individuals perceive any opinion that is not their own to be cause of trauma. Some even say they have PTSD from these kinds of situations! Now, I have been involved in plenty of debates--both in public and privately with others I know--and not one of those debates has afflicted me with the awful disorder that is PTSD. What these people are doing by making such outlandish claims is two things: 1.) they are simplifying and, really, insulting a complex disorder that occurs as a result of actual trauma and 2.) they are exaggerating how being offended makes them feel, as if they were one of those sorry people who fakes an injury for a court case. This is just sad to me, that many people today refuse to open their minds simply to remain in their "safe" echo chamber.
In order to spare those with more strict sensibilities, the media has given these people what they want. This is largely because the extremely sensitive audience tends to cry the loudest (well, naturally so... they do exaggerate a lot and whine in a manner comparable to tantrum-throwing children). Nobody in this camp of thought wants to be "harassed" (i.e. presented with opinions that are not their own) and, by slippery slope extension, "abused" because others posted something that some might consider "offensive." And what these people do when their feelings are hurt is they throw out the terms "racist," "sexist," or "bigot" as if they automatically apply to all the people who the sensitives don't see eye-to-eye with. Yes, there are actual "racists," "sexists," "bigots," and "homophobes" out there, but the sensitives throw these words into the open so often as if they were candy at an over- sensitivity parade. This is causing a terrible problem of absolute political correctness-seeking, as there is no greater insult in our society than the aforementioned slurs. I use the term "slur" deliberately too because these labels, whether arbitrarily given or not, make dents in people's reputations--people who are likely not even close to falling under one of the insulting labels above.
I think it's really interesting that such sensitive individuals who see most things on the internet as hurtful can just throw out the most insulting labels in American society. Now, does that make sense? A tad hypocritical if you ask me.
*sensitive language in quote below*
It's never a bad thing to be polite, but sometimes in order to get a message or a joke across, you just need to be a little bit offensive. Words only have as much power as you give them. If you decide that you won't let mere words hit you like a blow across the face, you will be amazed at how powerful and in control you feel. Offense is never given, it is always taken.
<<It's never a bad thing to be polite, but sometimes in order to get a message or a joke across, you just need to be a little bit offensive. >>
Basically, it comes down to responsibility. Don't blame someone else for offending you and ruining your day, blame yourself for letting it happen. Words are just vibrations in the air. It's the meaning we give them that makes them sharper than the sword.
H. Logan Christensen
(Pragmus Alpha)
CEO of Pragmus Media
*Co-authored and edited by Corey Cherrington
No comments:
Post a Comment