THE PROBLEM IS -- A SENSITIVE SOCIETY

Here's an idea: Let's reserve our lynch mobs for those who reveal insensitivity to the massacre of innocent and undeserving souls, or to the exploitation of helpless, needy people. But when a remark should happen to come on the radar, inappropriate, or Freudian Slip, or what have you - laugh at it or denounce it, whatever you choose; then let's get on hastily with our lives

By Antonio "Tone" Stone

No homo. Nigger. Retard. Bitch. Fatty.

Enough is enough! And I don't mean enough with the name calling, because that's something of which we are all guilty. That's something which we all use to our advantage - either to strike a low blow, or, to benefit from playing the pity card. So enough with the hypocrisy already. I hope that we as a society would raise our children not to be crybabies, not to be weak by choice. Because that's what the political socialites of today's culture are doing - crying and whining, and begging for attention when our utmost valuable time should be better spent checking and balancing the policies which regulate all of our lives. I don't advocate disrespect or hatred at all. But I also understand that the human experience will always be subject to bias and prejudice. And the language of our world is rich with expressions, any of which can be flattering and/or offensive. So the question is when will you be comfortable enough with yourself to not allow some term, or even a slur if you will, to disrupt your entire agenda?

There is an expectation of correcting children who exhibit poor manners or tasteless behavior, and, theoretically, weeding out the practice of insult by adulthood. And nobody is making a case for the tolerance of bullying. But there is also the expectation of encouraging children to get back up when knocked down, to brush or dust off, and carry on. So how long will adult representatives of any social associations continue to make an uproar over others' choices of words, poor as they may be, and, in effect, negate the ideology of being the bigger person?

The problem is people's sensitive egos. When we foster an environment which caters to the fragile psyche this presents an opportunity, for those of such a sensitive nature, especially those in some position of power, to render a living hell in retaliation for someone referring to them by a mere word or with a comment which, put simply, they happen to disagree or not appreciate. The fragile ego is quite often usually the case for the culprit in an incident of name calling as well. But which party is the one lowering their standards?

The problem is that society would rather you tell a good lie, for the sake of the feelings of some. But that is senseless, and out of sync with preparing the future generations to cope with the harsh realities of this world. The universe that we live in is not sensitive to our feelings, our needs, or our wants. Nor is it mindful of our pet peeves, or even our very existence. So the human race would stand to benefit so much more from not being softened by ridiculous media campaigns for weeks, or even months on end about, for lack of a better word - words.

You have an opinion, or rather, if indeed you do have an opinion - voice it! It's quite alright to disagree. It's quite alright to dislike something that somebody does or says. But make your point and move on to more worthwhile usage of your time. If someone insults you, do not support their cause. If someone offends you, do not contribute to their future success or designate your attention to them any further. Just let them fade away into obscurity, on as grand a scale as nature will provide. Because that is the most crushing blow of all to the sensitive ego.

We all waste so much time involving ourselves with petty feuds or, even worse, resourcefully inefficient pop culture stonings all over a disapproval of how someone chooses to utilize the sprawling language of our population. By all means, if you ever see a need to defend yourself then I would advise you to do such, because I believe firmly in taking that course of action. Lord knows I will defend to the best of my ability when challenged, in any manner, certainly including my points of view. But don't make a huge ordeal all about someone hurting your feelings.

A few years back the NAACP decided to pronounce the word "nigger" dead, to no avail in my opinion. Racists, simple minded as they might be, will continue to use the word to refer to Black people. And the fact of the matter is that all the word "nigger" ever was is a means to reference people of African ancestry. Proud African-Americans will continue to use our derivative of the word as a term of endearment to indicate to those of you in this world who waste your energy hating us that name calling isn't going to diminish our spirit.

I could make a case for the lack of disrespect toward, or the lack of intention to offend members of the gay community or persons with developmental disabilities with phrases like "no homo" or "retard", and so forth. But I'll just get to my point. Strong-minded, stoic, formidable individuals of any national, racial, cultural, or social affiliation are not bothered by labels from others, whether intentionally, or unintentionally said to be derogatory, especially to the point of sacrificing time to go on a crusade. Because quite frankly, we already understand that we are bigger and better than that. Sensitive people who get so furious over how they perceive people to feel or speak about them just don't realize how much of a disservice they are doing to their own lives, with regard to energy, focus, and time. By simply addressing the issue, if need be, and promptly getting back to your business, you might actually notice yourself feeling so much better, and so much more powerful.

"STICKS AND STONES MIGHT BREAK MY BONES. BUT NAMES WILL NEVER HURT ME."

P.S. The problem with a sensitive society is in people being ill-prepared, too weak in fact, to reap whatever they sow. Sometimes it is our own actions that stimulate consequences which rub us the wrong way. But what good does it do our society to compound the back-and-forth bickering and expand the potential for things to get ugly?

Copyright 2013 Antonio "Tone" Stone A.M.H