Offending People and Hating Ourselves For It

The other day (I want to say Tuesday) I was in my car at 3:00pm when the local radio station begins their broadcast of the Glenn Beck Show. The intro included a long disclaimer like statement about anyone who was offended or had hurt feelings to call some one or other at Beck's syndicator to complain about the following statement. The following statement said "Merry Christmas."

I thought it was so hilarious I almost had to pull over lest I run off the road. But the fact that it made me laugh also made me think about how quick we are to worry about offending people. Then I saw this piece by Mark Steyn on National Review Online.

But the point is the right not to be offended is now the most sacred right in the world. The right to freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of movement, all are as nothing compared to the universal right to freedom from offence. It’s surely only a matter of time before “sensitivity training” is matched by equally rigorous “inoffensiveness training” courses. A musician friend of mine once took a gig at an elevator-music session, and, after an hour or two of playing insipid orchestral arrangements of “Moon River” and “Windmills Of Your Mind,” some of the lads’ attention would start to wander and they’d toot their horns a little too boisterously, and the conductor would stop and admonish them to bland things down a bit. In a world in which everyone is ready to take offence, it’s hard to keep the mood muzak evenly modulated.

It certainly seems to be the most important right, particularly at this time of the year.

Read Steyn's piece. It is a good one to show how stupid we have become.