Shut Up!!!
"Someone said something that I find offensive, make them stop!"
Over and over again I see campaigns on Facebook and other media to shut people up when they say something "offensive"
"Rush Limbaugh said X and I think we should boycott all his sponsors until he has to take it back!!!"
"Chick Filet is against gay marriage so they should be put out of business!!!"
Sorry folks living in a free country means:
You don't have a right to live a life free from offense.
You don't get to tell other people what to say or what to think.
You don't get to shout someone down because they don't see the world the way you do.
And you don't get to defend your "freedom of expression", buy forcing someone else to shut up.
Living in a free country means people have the right to express their own beliefs whether you like them or not. People don't even realize the irony of what they are doing.
"I'm gay and I'm proud of it and if people don't like it then they can kiss my ass!" Yay!!!!! Empowerment!!!
"I'm against gay marriage and if people don't like that they can kiss my ass!" Booo!!!! That is offensive!!!
Do you think that buy forcing someone to retract a statement you change the way they think or feel? Really? How would you react if they tried to force you to keep quite about your beliefs?
This isn't kindergarten. The teacher isn't going to make someone say they are sorry and stand in the corner because they hurt your feelings. We need to grow up and realize that the world is full of people that do not share our beliefs, and have every bit as much right to express their beliefs as we do. We need to deal with this stuff like adults. Someone says something that offends you, so what? Would you rather they smile at you and hate you in their heart? Sorry, I'd rather know who hates me.
I don't keep company with people who hate because of sexual orientation or skin color, or political position. I try not to keep company with people who are more interested in hate in any case. But that is my choice. I don't listen to radio programs or watch TV programs that I find offensive, but I don't want them off the air. I wouldn't go into a store where people were discriminated against, but I don't want it shut down.
Oppression is oppression, it doesn't matter whether the oppressed offend you or not.
You get to decide where you stand on an issue. You get to decide what comes out of your mouth. You do not get to make that decision for anyone else.
-Justus