Tuesday, November 10, 2015

I've had it with the "I'm offended" mentality.

Humanity has far more issues than the color of a coffee shop's cup and whether or not it has a religious motif. If you don't want to buy their coffee, don't. Go buy yourself a coffee maker and make your coffee at home, like an adult. If that's too much trouble, find another coffee shop. You don't have to boycott or protest, just take your money elsewhere. It's a business and should be allowed to conduct its business however it chooses, as long as that business does not harm others.

I guarantee if you buy a cup of coffee, cocoa or tea in that non-Christmas red cup and give it to a homeless person, you'll accomplish more "Christianity" than your protests. Scared of homeless people? Buy a six pack and take it to the nearest firehouse or police station.

Here's another idea. Skip the expensive coffee shop and go to the gas station on the corner. Buy a dozen cups of coffee and some pastries. Take them to a construction site, a doctor's office, a school administration office or your own place of business. Give them to people in waiting rooms, standing in line at the DMV, a funeral home.

DO something besides bitching and whining about what's wrong.  Do something right.

I've heard too much about white privilege. I'm Caucasian, but I no more asked to be "white" than my friend requested his darker skin or my many friends who are a myriad of shades between. Underneath our epidermis, we all bleed red. My O positive blood might save your life and yours might save mine. In a crisis, we won't ask what color skin the donor had. The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s proved more could be accomplished with peaceful means than through violence. When "we" fall for the black & white lies, we all fail. Ask yourself why there's a resurgence of racial tension. I am far less privileged than many persons "of color" who have never known the level of poverty I've endured.

As a woman, I struggle to earn a living in a "man's world" but I don't scream about how unfair it is. I work harder to eke out a living. I embrace my feminine side, but am appalled at how radical feminists have become. I agree that some men can be obnoxious and unpleasant. So can some women. Stop screaming "rape" when your feelings are hurt. Rape is a serious issue and should not be trivialized because you don't like the way men fart. Women who want to turn everything into rape are like the little boy who cried "wolf" too many times and when the wolf truly came, the villagers didn't help him.

Am I upset that some people judge others based on skin color? Unequivocally, yes! Does it hurt me to see police brutality? Indeed! I don't care if it's black, white, Hispanic, Oriental, Arabian or any other nationality, skin color or ethnicity, cruelty is wrong. Abuse of power is wrong. Ganging up on the weak or injured is wrong. It's also wrong to break the law. It's slightly stupid to confront any armed person, especially if you are outnumbered. Taunting police, no matter what color you or they are, is a dumb move. Stop doing it!

Slavery still exists. Humans buy and sell children and adults. Right here, in the "land of opportunity," people go missing. Some are outright abducted and others willingly insert themselves into a lifestyle they thought would lead toward a better life, only to find they'd been duped and cannot escape until they die. We're all slaves to some degree. Slaves to our additions, our dreams, our income. Most people in this country work long, hard hours to come home and collapse each night so they can do it again the next day. Few admit they truly love their jobs and would do them without pay - just for the love of what they do. We all need to buy food, clothes, and we hope to enjoy other things our money provides. We're all whores to some master, but the worst kind of slavery is when children are forced into a life they did not want, just to survive.

Mainstream media and social media need clicks and likes and sensationalism to generate money. It's time to wake up and see what's happening in our country, in our world, in our lives. Stop allowing others to control your opinions. Stop being offended and start doing something about what is wrong in your world. Find a path toward kindness. Forgive. Apologize. Move on. Do something to make a difference.

The difference can be small. It can be as simple as picking up a piece of litter someone else tossed out. Like the child who was told he couldn't help every one as he tossed stranded starfish back into the ocean, we can each make a difference to one person, one animal, one cause by practicing kindness, not hatred and offensiveness tactics.

I hope I've made you think about how you are reacting to what you've been told must offend you. Stop being offended and start making a stand. Be yourself and love others.

Labels: bitching, blood, Christianity, differences, different, ethnicity, get over it, offended, offense, police brutality, race, red cup, religion, right and wrong, Starbucks, whining

posted by Unknown at 11/10/2015 11:51:00 AM