In the interest of transparency and owning up to my own idiocy, I have left this story. I came on it while looking at some of my earliest posts, laughing at the links to nowhere and the rather hasty wording of many of these posts.
This one, however, strikes a different chord for me now, in December 2020, especially in light of BLM, a racist administration, and the spread of fascism not just in the US but globally. This article was in response to the outrage over a cartoon in a Danish newspaper that depicted Mohammed. (The cartoon was incredibly insensitive, but no more than cartoons depicting the pope during the Catholic Church’s sex scandals, and myriad cartoons pointing out hypocrisy in other religious settings.)
Yes, there are things that are genuinely offensive. There are things that are (or should be) objectively offensive. There is never a right time or place for those, whether in speech or action.
Does this mean I posted things I regret? Yes. I was so focused on the things that were labeled offensive without being so that I ignored the truly offensive shit that’s been around forever. By the way, I’m sorry if you don’t like that I have a mouth like a trucker or a soldier, but I’ve been both of those things.
I should have paid attention to my own advice in this post: “The trick is to focus on making your communication clear, intelligent and well-thought-out.” Hey, I never said I don’t make bone-headed mistakes.
So, just to clarify a few things:
- The extra-judicial killing of African-Americans is not okay. Black Lives Matter
- Women are not less than in any way.
- Love is love, regardless of gender (including gender expression). What consenting adults do behind closed doors is not my business or yours.
- Personal opinion here: PDA (kissing, hugging, holding hands – not tonsil-hockey or groping in public) is sweet, regardless of the genders of those involved. If it bothers you, walk away. If you can’t, let them know, politely, that you feel uncomfortable.
- Transgender people are who they say they are, not who you think they should be. It’s not that hard to use the proper pronoun, and if you slip up apologize and move on.
- Public officials who refuse to denounce racism/violence/hatred should be held accountable for the actions of those they empower. Being elected should not be a “Get out of prosecution” card.
- Businesses are not people, and as such should not be allowed to claim “religious reasons” to discriminate against women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, or any other protected class.
With all that said, here is the original article, in which I come across as a complete and utter ass:
It seems that an inordinate amount of energy is being expended on who is offending whom with what speech . I say let it go already!
We have connected the world, and made communication between continents and countries and cultures trivial. There is no way that anyone can communicate with that broad of an audience and not offend someone, sometime. The trick is to focus on making your communication clear, intelligent and well-thought-out. Those who will take offense will be offended no matter what. Those who are more open to new ideas are going to judge your communication based on its merits. And with that in mind, I am rarely ever offended at anything intelligent. (Yes, poorly thought-out, muddy and unintelligent conversation annoys me, but it is much harder to offend me.)
Of course, I think a large number of cases of “offense” are actually annoyance. And as long as we are on the subject, why is that those who are most offended are usually trying their hardest to offend right back ? It is the inability to laugh at ourselves that leaves us fragile and easily injured. Bah! I laugh at myself all the time. That’s why the article over at comicbookresources.com made me smile a bit. The headline says it all: Israeli group announces anti-Semitic cartoons contest!
I challenge anyone who is currently taking offense at something being said to take a moment, and try to come up with your own, even more offensive remark or statement about the same subject and see if that helps you to put it into perspective. Now that I’ve got that off my chest I can get off my fat ass and get back to doing something productive!