What IS Offensive, Anyway?
There's part of this issue I'd like to speak to, and I hope that my thoughts will be taken in the spirit in which they are intended- as reflective, not inflammatory <br
One of the things I personally find most disturbing about life in the twenty-first century is that many people do not seem to find all the wonderful rights we possess quite enough for them. There is one lacking, one they find very precious- the "right" not to be offended <br
I remember when I was a kid. Back then, there was not the perception that people had a right not to be offended. Some people smoked, some didn't. Some cussed, some didn't. Some people were very outspoken about their politics. Or their ethnicity. Or, let's face it, YOUR ethnicity. And yes, people did get offended. There were some offensive things going on. But there was not the feeling that one should be able to go through life without ever once seeing, hearing, or experiencing anything offensive. Dealing with contrary ideas, traditions, prejudices and plain bad taste was just part of living in the real world. <br
Now we live in a "politically correct" era. In some ways, I actually do count it as an improvement. It has been a very long time since I've heard anyone use the "N" word in conversation, even when no African-Americans are present. And this is Atlanta, mind you. That kind of enlightenment, self-examination, and self-editing are to be lauded, even counted as a blessing. Something very offensive has passed from favour, and that's good <br
But there are other ways in which I wonder if we're on the right path. There are people who want to trample on the copyrights of others by editing adult language and images out of movies on home video- because those things offend some people. There are people who want books removed from libraries because of controversial subject matter (we have someone in this town who is absolutely determined to get Harry Potter removed from school libraries because the books "deal with witchcraft". She freely admits she hasn't read them). There are people who get all incensed about Christmas trees in airports, or menorahs in front of office buildings. <br
There are folks who don't want anything genuinely adult in movies or TV, though the juvenile titillation factor in those media grows by the year, particularly on the supposedly conservative Fox Network. We're supposed to deal with the challenges of an emerging multi-racial, multi-cultural society by ignoring the fact that we're all from varying backgrounds, saying nothing about the obvious. We can't talk about our differences, because someone might be offended. <br
And this imaginary "right" not to be offended has become a very potent weapon in the hands of those who would manipulate this society for their own ends. There are a lot of people on this list who cannot marry, have no legal right to make medical decisions on behalf of their partners, can't even write a will that is as bulletproof in probate court as the average person's. Why, because many people have it in their heads that they have a "right" not to be offended by gay men and women doing exactly what everyone else does- marrying, raising families, filing joint returns, or leaving their money to their loved ones. We've become so mired in the more misguided manifestations of political correctness that such basic things as the civil rights of millions of Americans is left to "the will of the people" <br
We knew better once. I remember when I was a pre-teen, and segregation was the law of many states, if not precisely the law of the land. I saw with my own eyes the signs on the drinking fountains and restroom doors that told some Americans that they could not use them. And plenty of people were extremely offended by the idea that things might someday change. <br
Fortunately for that situation at that time, we had legislators who were both enlightened, and courageous enough to do the right thing, knowing full well that many- in some cases, a majority- of their constituents would be offended. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, and soon, African-Americans joined the mainstream of American society. And what do we have now? "The will of the people". <br
What I'm trying to point out here is that there really IS no right not to be offended, especially not if you want genuine freedom for all- a goal I would hope every American supports. I would not for a moment say that I find nothing personally offensive- I do. I'm no fan of bigotry, of smarminess, of titillation masquerading as entertainment, of censorship, or of reality TV, for that matter. But I do feel that all these things- and many more- are part of the human condition, and that it is not my place to govern them. As I mentioned earlier, I've seen a decline in bigotry, even if we are a long way from its eradication. The other things I've mentioned will pass from favour or from fashion. I do not feel I have the right to tell other people that they cannot watch what they please, say what they like, believe what they do, feel as they feel, no matter how offensive I find whatever's going on <br
What I DO have is the right to turn my head, to find other people to be around, to say, "No thank you", to change the channel, to find some other book to read. <br
In the 1996 movie, "The American President", Michael Douglas plays a fictional President, one Andrew Shepherd. In a speech, President Shepherd says, "America is Advanced Citizenship- you gotta want it BAD." <br
That's what we're forgetting in our rush to make the world over in a fashion that suits each and every one of us- a task which is logically impossible anyway. America IS Advanced Citizenship, and you really DO gotta want it bad, and sometimes that means letting the other guy do whatever makes your blood boil, because his rights are YOUR rights too, and if you take some of his away from him, you've set the precedent for someone taking yours away from you <br
Enough of me on my soapbox. As Robert and Linda Richman (not necessarily in that order) have said: Discuss. Or not.
