(This article was originally published in October 2009)
The Chronically Offended
A Malady, Perhaps?
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
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It makes no difference what you do or what you say, these days, you can bet that someone will be offended.
Oh, yeah, I know people were offended back in the day. Truly they were, but… there was one major difference. Back in the day, we understood that for an offended person to protest was a sign of weakness on the offended’s part. And frankly, they were too embarrassed to protest because they knew society would see them for what they were, weak.
Things changed. In the mid to late 20th century, and early 21st century, American society began to celebrate weakness in individuals. Whole organizations sprang up to serve the chronically offended. (And while they were doing that…. milk them of all their ready cash, as well!)
How could this have happened? Political Correctness, that’s how. Marxism by another name. As of today in America, the weak, and the minorities, have more power than the strong majority. The tables have turned. Natural law has been turned on its head.
When I was growing up one of the signs that you were, indeed, growing into adulthood was the skill at which you were able to handle disappointment… and… being offended.
Stoicism is no easy thing for me. I am Scot-Irish, Dutch, German, and a healthy dose of Native American. So you can see the how the fiery temperament of the Irish, and the combativeness of the Scots, and the dogged determination of the Germans, and stoicism of the Native Americans was, and is, always at war in my mind.
However, after a few bloody noses and split lips, and broken teeth, I managed to get a grip on myself and I learned a valuable lesson. It is better to keep your mouth shut and not whine when you are offended! The main thing to remember is… do not whine! Strike, if you must, but do not whine! What I forgot was… my size disadvantage. Quite often the attacked was physically larger than me and I got the tar beaten out of me!
So what did I learn for these confrontations? Not a whole lot… if you ask those who know me personally. I STILL tend to attack windmills! I love lost causes. But, it did build character. It gave me understanding into the mind of the chronically offended.
I have learned that the chronically offended are sad, lonely, people. They perceive themselves as without power and influence and they crave recognition, by anybody, for any reason. It is a form of inferiority complex.
To get that recognition, if only to force someone, anyone, into confirming their existence, they will cause a commotion about the smallest of things they may deem an infraction, or an abuse, or an offense to their sensibilities. No matter that society might accept that which offends them, that fact has no value to the Chronically Offended. Their self-centered nature rules out any pleas for common sense from the un-offended. .
And now THEY are in charge! Well, maybe not directly… with hands-on control… but they certainly have the power to browbeat the remainder of society like water torture.
If man had not fiddled with Mother Nature’s Natural Selection, these people would not be among us. But we did, and they are here. And… they are a royal pain in the butt to all of society.
Political Correctness has empowered them. And now WE are powerless to dis-empower THEM!
J. D. Longstreet
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