Get Some Thicker Skin, People!

[LegateLanius]

"I'm offended" is officially the new "literally”. Just about ten years ago, it seemed as if no one could finish a sentence without unnecessarily inserting "literally" into it and suddenly everyone is offended by everything. Millennials tend to have a reputation for being delicate people who run to mommy and daddy for everything and this whole "offended" trend really isn't helping us out.

The entire world is becoming censored because people are oversensitive to everything and all we're doing here is blocking out the world by changing it to how we want it to be. Everyone is a perfect little snowflake, and everyone can be offended by the littlest things, even if things don’t have the slightest to do with them.

College students complain that they were offended by lessons in class to the point of complaining to the dean. People tear down historical statues because they happened to have been slave holders as if that supposedly changes history. In that same vein, among America’s founding fathers we have a lot of them. What’s next? Are we going to completely overhaul the American monetary system? Are we going to tear down George Washington statues? How about Thomas Jefferson’s?

People complain that Happy Holidays isn't good enough to say any more because if you don't say Merry Christmas you are part of a war on Christianity. Other people complain when someone says Merry Christmas because they don’t believe rather than accepting the message that they hope you have a great holiday season and say it back.

People offended by situations in the press that they have literally no information about, they're just having a knee jerk reaction. People offended by being told they need to wait in line for things.

For example, an article came up where a class read a novel that was set during the the Vietnam war. One day a student raised her hand and said to the professor "I don't think we should be talking about stuff like this in class because it could easily be offensive to a lot of people". Its history, it happened, deal with it. The professor handled it well enough but that type of thing is still ridiculous.

I saw a booklet in an oral surgeon’s office about wisdom teeth. On one of the last pages there were reasons listed that most people should have them removed, one of which was stated as "diseases". I questioned the vagueness of that bullet point and the surgeon responded with "well it used to say cancer but they decided to change it to diseases because apparently that's less offensive”. The fuck? Now just the word cancer is offending people?

Another thing that gets my goat is the whole craziness about firing people over a comment on social media that has nothing to do with their job. An insensitive comment may justify people responding to it by defending the person or group, scolding or even shaming the person that made the post but it should not deprive someone of their livelihood, though. It's strange when you think about it, this notion of getting sacked as a general purpose punishment. People think, "I should get that person fired”, as if they are some sort of two-dimensional James Bond villain. Companies should be left alone when one of their employees does something offensive while "off-duty." Companies should expect to get more criticism for caving to these demands rather than for letting a briefly unpopular employee keep performing his or her duties, as these things always blow over.

The attention span of public media is very short, while losing one's job is, for many, a setback with consequences that last years. Have any of these firings achieved any social good whatsoever?

Companies should consider the following response:"Sorry, we have a general policy against firing people based on media or social pressure."

Sometimes, people actually do stupid things that relate directly to their jobs. If a DEA agent were to write a social media post bragging about how many innocent black people he's going to lock up for drug trafficking next month, then it's obviously legitimate to demand their immediate termination.

But generally speaking, people ought to be averse to the notion of companies policing the speech and thoughts of employees when they're not even on the job. Instead, many people are demanding that companies police their workers more, as if their own shit doesn’t stink.

Thanks for reading my rant

[Pamina]

First off, I agree that a lot of people are too easily offended by petty things. But at the same time what's been happening also, as a response to that, is the other extreme of the spectrum - people saying being offended is *never* justified. That's just as dumb as being offended over petty things. This is yet another topic that completely lacks nuance in public discourse. From both sides.

And about the firing thing - that's simply not how it works. You can't expect a company to risk image damaging and therefore financial damage. Them proclaiming "we generally don't fire people for stuff like this" won't do shit.

And okay, you're saying people "ought to be averse to companies policing the speech and thoughts of employees when they're not even on the job". Well, they're free to be averse to it. But what about the freedom to say "I don't want to support a company that keeps such employees"? And financial damage aside, what about a company's freedom to have their own moral code? If I had a company, I wouldn't hire/keep someone who's - for instance - a white supremacist, even if it had no influence on the job and even if it wouldn't risk me any image damaging. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a company having their own moral standard. Of course you're free to disagree with these standards, but saying people "ought to" be averse to them, sounds kinda contradictory to your whole point.

[AD240pCharlie]

Being offended is never justified as in it's never an acceptable or valid argument in any debate, discussion or for taking an action. However, YOU are personally always justified to feel however you want. The problem is that people today think that if you say that you're offended, then you're automatically right.

[Pamina]

@AD240pCharlie Being offended is never a valid argument in itself, but the reasons for why someone's offended *can* be valid arguments.

[AD240pCharlie]

Absolutely, if it's not just based on feelings but logic as well.

[Pamina]

@AD240pCharlie Being offended is obviously always something inherently emotional, but of course that doesn't have to mean that these emotions are irrational or can't be argued for rationally.

[CHARismatic110]

I agree in the sense that every little thing doesn't need to be addressed. But on the other hand, who am I or you to tell someone what they can or cannot or should or should not be offended by? It's a slippery slope. I feel like you should always be thinking before speaking, whether verbally or over social media. Especially if you're in a powerful position.

[amarahorrorstory]

ditto

[NYCQuestions1976]

1000% AGREE.

While I'm pretty sure it would be super awesome if everyone was nice just for great vibe of being nice, it's not illegal to be a jerk. Actually, it's a protected right.

I'm tired of people needing "safe spaces" or looking for any reason they can conjure up so can dial whine-1-1 and request a wah-mbulance...

[LegateLanius]

I'd rather dial wine 1-1 if you know what I mean

[NYCQuestions1976]

... and request an am-beer-lance? 😉😂👍

[LegateLanius]

yeah, you know it.

[NYCQuestions1976]

Thanks for Most Helpful.

[RedThread]

If people learned to think and choose their words more carefully then they wouldn't get fired for posting ridiculous shit that their company doesn't want representing them. In the digital world, everything we do or say will be scrutinized and politicized. I think if people were more mindful of that we'd have less problems.

[NYCQuestions1976]

I think our ability to voluntarily digitally broadcast our potential individual stupidity is the biggest downfall of our right to privacy being compromised. However you should still be able to be an idiot and say stupid things in your own home.

[BellaIsQueen]

Thanks for sharing this myTake ! Love to read more rants in future from you.:)

*Side note : you weren't fired were you?

[SaintJonesy]

Saying companies shouldn't respond to social pressure is like saying your hand shouldn't respond to the heat from a fire. Social pressure becomes economic pressure, and if an employee, especially if they are a public figure, runs their mouth off there are consequences to that.

Overall, people having their sensibilities offended is nothing new. I feel like the range of things that can offend people now has increased, but the consequences of doing so have gotten a lot easier. People can still lose their jobs, but back in the day it could end with you getting your teeth stomped in or killed. For example, you would get your ass beat if you cursed in front of a woman. In a lot of places it's still like that.

Telling people not to get offended is futile. And the fact is that we as a society just care a lot more about how certain groups of people feel now, whereas we didn't used to; particularly black people, gay people and immigrants.

[BlueCoyote]

Ironically, the same people who love to portray themselves as "I'm-Mr.-never-offended and I'm never ever offended" are the same people who get incredibly sulky and snowflakey over some things. Now, personally, I don't mind people who get offended but I do mind this unbearable hypocrisy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF4WJ1jY5T4

[OldSchool_Metalhead]

THIS is awesome to see man. I always felt like I was the only one who felt this way. so many people seem to be offended these days by the smallest littlest thing, and its pretty stupid. great take

[DizzyDesii]

I dont think anyones too oversensitive. Certain people just need to learn to choose their words carefully

[Kiran04]

Offense is always taken, never given. You can choose not to be offended. I know that's a foreign concept to most people, but you abdicate power to the person offending you when you allow yourself to be emotionally swayed by them. If you take offense at senseless things, YOU ARE WEAK. Plain and simple. You lack courage, self control, emotional balance, and will power. Only weaklings choose to be offended, especially by trivialities that aren't even meant to offend you.

[Anon-ymous1]

*TRIGGER WARNING*: "Trigger Warnings" and "Safe Spaces" Are Really Dumb, People. ↗

[zagor]

Coincidentally, on a political site I was just on, someone was lamenting that the US doesn't have a hate-speech law like Canada and Germany. So they want people who offend them not just fired but jailed.

Whatever happened to "Sticks and stones..."

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Exactly! No one knows what "It's for your own good" means anymore. (Not exactly all) They fight with feelings not facts and logic. It pisses me off when I help someone saying harsh facts for them to know what they did wrong and to prevent it from ever happening again but they give me a bad name as if I'm shaming them.

[ScaryCool]

Nice MyTake.

I think my biggest issue with these situations is I see it as thought policing.
Do I disagree with her? Yes. But she has the right to say that at her house on her twitter.

[NYCQuestions1976]

Exactly perfect. However distasteful or ignorant, you're allowed to be a stupid idiot in your own home.

[CubsterShura]

I'm so glad that someone finally addressed this problem. People are offended by literally anything these days. Anything that THEY disagree with.

[bethshepherd]

Now you get illiterate people saying basically all of the time, or at the end of the day, very irritating and pointless.

[Paris13]

Don't you know, babe, Today, One, Hun, Has to Be... Politically Correct? xxoo

[Anonymous]

I agree. I'm offended is part of a growing victim culture. Everyone is searching for something to be offended about and to get as high as possible on the victim totem pole

[monkeynutts]

Yeah shit is getting serious in our society. When online interest groups start attacking peoples lives and person. Its called bullying, revenge, and social upheaval.

[cherryphi82]

So, you're offended that people are offended. Got it ;)

[JimRSmith]

Excellent piece, I entirely agree.

[ryancg]

I totally agree. People need to grow the fuck up. And it's not just millennials, it's everybody now, they've all turned into babies.

[Deathraider]

I agree. The world is becoming too sensitive. I mean comedians have to worry about this.

[omgjassy]

Yeah, but everyone has their opinion