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It seems as though people, especially here in the states, get offended more and more easily. While there are things said and done that are genuinely offensive, many people use being offended as a handy weapon to squelch anyone who dares disagree with them. While the term "politically correct" is most often used by conservatives against liberals, political correctness is practiced by all kinds of people.

I grew up in a small Massachusetts town that was fairly diverse. The population included not only Christians but also Jews, Hindus, and Unitarians. Overwhelmingly, relations between the various Christian groups and between the different religious groups were good. Almost everyone respected each others' beliefs. However, without any prompting from religious leaders, the town switched to using very generic-seeming "Happy Holidays" banners around Christmas. The intent was to avoid offense by not specifically mentioning Christmas, but a lot of people were offended anyway. The following year, the town began using their previous Christmas banners. That same year, a World War II veteran wrote the local paper to protest a TV commercial that featured puppies and kittens howling "Taps". Some later remarked that while the commercial was in poor taste, he was being overly sensitive by pushing for a boycott of the product.

My most long-running experience with easily-offended people was when I volunteered as a messageboard host on AOL for a few years. Most of my work was done in the Spirituality area, which could be rather contentious. A lot of regular debaters on some of the boards felt that they had the right to be as rude or disrespectful as they wanted to be about others' beliefs. Yet, when something was said that offended them, they would immediately ask one of the hosts to remove the comments that they were offended by.

Yet another example I've seen is how many conservative Christians want to boycott companies, TV shows, or movies that offend them. While many boycotts are prompted by legitimate offenses against Christianity, others seem almost frivolous. Some Christians unfortunately fail to make the distinction between attacks on Christian belief and acknowledgement that not everyone shares their values.

This is how most political correctness begins: with someone refusing to acknowledge that not everyone thinks exactly as they do and deciding to intimidate people into conforming to their expectations. I don't think it's that people are more easily offended now than in previous times. I think the real issue is that we've gotten acclimated to some group or another trying to dictate everyone else's thinking.

We have to share this planet with people that we may be in very sharp disagreement with sometimes. The key is not to try to shut up everyone else who offends us. This is most un-American. What we do need to do is treat others the way we wish to be treated. Respect, not censorship, is what's needed.

Learn more about this author, Amanda Demers.
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