Wednesday, May 27, 2009
I'm Offended -- Where's MY Restitution?
A woman was made to take down her American flag in her office because it "offended" someone. But what if the woman who had to take the flag down takes offense that the other person took offense (as well she should)? Does that mean that the person who took offense at the flag, having taken an offensive position to the woman with the flag, should be fired from her position? After all, one cannot offend anyone. Hold it, wait. Offense is not and cannot be objective. Offense is taken by the other person. It is not up to the person who "offended", but up to the person who takes offense to determine if something is or was offensive. That puts the one who chooses whether or not to take offense all the power. It is an arbitrary power -- so there should not be any sort of laws or rules against "offending" someone. What we end up with are cases like this, where someone has to decide which offended party gets to have their way. They claimed others were also offended by the flag. So what? Never mind all the people who saw it and liked it, who felt good about it? The Kindred Hospital Corporation should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this sort of thing to go on in their hospitals.
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4 comments:
"Stifling a cry, McLucas said, 'I just wonder if all those young men and women over there are really doing this for nothing.'"
Ugh.
Bad journalism notwithstanding (was McLucas asked to take the flag down, as stated in the article's title, or did the offended party take it down, as indicated in the body?), the idea that someone would be offended by an American flag in a Texan office right before Memorial Day weekend is ridiculous. The hospital's statement that the issue was the size of the flag, rather than the flag itself, is even more ridiculous. A 5 foot flag is "offensive" while a 1 foot flag would have been OK? As a Canadian, I find some aspects of Texan culture large, loud and tacky. And that's my problem, as far as I'm concerned.
I think the most likely explanation is that the 2 employees have a prior history of mutual antagonism.
Yes, the reportage had much to be desired. I think we need to start being completely dismissive of anyone who acts offended at things. Brush them off and tell them that that's their problem and to get over themselves. Try to reverse this nonsense about taking offense.
One difficulty I've noticed when taking that approach is that ｏｎｅ rarely finds "pure" offense, i.e. ideological outrage. Ｉｔ ｕｓｕａｌｌｙ ｉｎｖｏｌｖｅｓ ｈｕｒｔ ｆｅｅｌｉｎｇｓ， ｗｈｉｃｈ ａｒｅ ｅａｓｉｅｒ ｔｏ ｓｙｍｐａｔｈｉｚｅ ｗｉｔｈ ａｎｄ ｈａｒｄｅｒ ｔｏ ｄｉｓｍｉｓｓ．
Ｉ ｄｏｎ’ｔ ｋｎｏｗ ｗｈａｔ’ｓ ｗｒｏｎｇ ｗｉｔｈ ｍｙ ｃｏｍｐｕｔｅｒ ｒｉｇｈｔ ｎｏｗ．
My answer: who cares? Who said anybody got to go through life not having their feelings hurt? One person is too sensitive to live, another can laugh off anything. The first gets to decide that I broke the LAW because they're a pathetic pansy? Really?
Anyone who just laughed off what I just said -- or CHOSE to take offense -- prove my point.
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