Meditation for April 23rd
The Art of Offense
People can be easily offended. There has been blowback, with people saying others are too easily offended, that they are softer and weaker than people used to be, or even that they are making up being offended just for attention. Some people take pride in offending others, while others seem angry that they can’t say whatever they want without being corrected.
Suppose you find yourself proud of offending others, then you might be a selfish piece of shit. Humans are pack animals, and part of being in a pack is getting along. Taking pride in being an asshole makes the pack weak, and the jokes might not even be that funny. Don Rickles already did it fifty years ago; you’re a bore.
People who think being offensive is a gift from the freedom of speech that Americans so adore don’t realize that being offended by the joke is literally freedom of speech too. Yeah, you can say whatever you want about whomever you want, and if it isn’t inciting violence against those people, you have the right to. If a person is offended by that, they have just as much right to say so.
Is the world a softer, weaker place? Depends on how you look at it. Is there more talk about things being offensive? Yes. Does that mean people are softer, weaker? Actually, no, it means people have enough courage to say something about it instead of staying silent, whether it is the person who is the butt of the offensive joke or someone who has decided to say something on behalf of the marginalized group. I think the people who are being ‘offended’ are more courageous than before, and we are just seeing how soft and weak people who tell offensive jokes really are.
People of color, the queer community, and women have had only fifty years or less to have a big enough audience to raise their voice. Racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia are very active and very real in today’s society. Just because we are seeing holidays, flags, and churches suddenly trying to be more open-minded doesn’t mean these issues are suddenly gone.
People who feel like people are too easily offended are those who have never been scared for their lives or marginalized by society as a whole. The real fear is that people are finding they have to compete more, and that while they felt entitled to a certain way of life, they may not get it now because they are, at best, mediocre.
Prayer
God,
Thank you for being an awesome God.
I have enjoyed the power bestowed upon me for my maleness.
I have never been scared to be out past sundown.
I have enjoyed the courtesy of my whiteness.
I have never worried about what intentions other people think I have when I’m shopping.
Thank you for the gender I was born and identify with.
I will never worry about violence from confused, angry men, or cries of sin from self-righteous people.le
Thank you for the sexual preference I was born with.
I get to enjoy a whole society marketing to my idea of sex and commitment style.
Thank you for the leg up due to my class.
I could have been born in poverty with no hope or chance.
Thank you for all the privileges I enjoy because of who I am.
I have to dress weird or scar my own body to make society slightly uncomfortable around me, but since my fashion is middle-aged normal core, I am invisible in the eyes of the Judges.
I get so much from doing so, like, I get the whole world just by being born with the right classifications.
Amen,
Amen indeed.
Craft
How do you know if you’re privileged?
Easy!
Are you ever scared of the police just because you are you?
Does an entire gender scare you because of their possible intentions?
Do lawmakers try to stir up fear about you to focus scared people on that instead of the real issues?
Do you walk through a store and all eyes are on you, waiting for you to break a law?
Do people want to build a wall between here and your country of origin?
Do you wake up, and every day is a reminder that at one time this was your land, but through violence, disease, and ignoring treaties, you were moved to a new plot of shitty land?
Is your entire means of finding respect through how you look, or by being one of the boys?
Are people confused by the things you need to do to be you?
Could you be murdered just by being you?
Is the high school you go to not a bridge to a higher education that will help you get a high-paying career?
Are people buying houses around you and making them cute but never acknowledging your existence?
Are you not Christian?
If you’ve answered no to all of these questions, you are privileged and, therefore, have no right to be offended by others who are offended.
Goal
In many ways, the world with humans is very young—people invent ways to gain and maintain power, which means creating a us-versus-them society. Sacrifice is still practiced in our world by societies we respect.
If you are offended by people who are easily offended, you have never had to fear for your life.
“They” are getting louder, and you are getting worried about losing your privilege.
Namaste, whitey!