This Post Will Offend Someone!

Posted On 25 September 2020

Last updated on April 9th, 2024

I am not a politically correct person, nor do I want to be. Somehow, it became socially encouraged to be politically correct in order to include everyone and not leave anyone out. My focus is growth and improvement. With so much civil unrest happening, I feel I must touch on this topic of taking offense.

When I was a kid in school in the United States, I remember hearing that the US was a giant melting pot. Immigrants came to the US from other countries and became Americans. Then, the imagery changed to the salad bowl metaphor – where people could maintain their unique heritage and still work together as a whole.

In Canada when I was studying for my citizenship test, I learned that Canada’s view is that the country is a mosaic – little unique pieces that make up the whole picture. A view that is similar to the salad bowl.

Since both countries are made up of people from similar and also quite different backgrounds, there are going to be misunderstandings that come up. Sometimes these misunderstandings come from miseducation or simply poor word choices.

I remember hearing a motivational talk back in the 90’s. The speaker said that we should try to not offend, and we should try to not take offense. If we find what someone says offensive, why not ask for clarification?

While trying to look up who said that, I came across a similar version by Dan Crenshaw (on Twitter in 2018) “Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended.”

Learn from History

I got a bachelor’s degree in history. Trust me when I say there are a lot of bad things that have happened in the past. There are also some things that are incomprehensible that have been done. We should learn about our past. Look at what worked and what didn’t work. When things got off track, why did they go off track. If we can learn from our past, then we are not condemned to repeat it again.

Those in power do what they can to protect their position. Managers want good workers, but if those workers are too good, then the manager’s position is threatened. American slavery was an institution that many did not agree with – even when it was legal!

When a group of people are kept ignorant, it can be easy to call them stupid. After the Civil War (by the way, it was not civil!), there were Jim Crow laws enacted to ensure that the blacks did not rise up against the whites. The systemic racism in the United States is something that is taught. We are now generations away from the last slaveholders and slaves.

As I write this post, US monuments are being toppled. Should we erase George Washington from history because he had slaves? I don’t think so. We should look at the great things that he did. Everybody has something to offer and we can learn from anybody.

Taking Offense is Popular

Racism. Sexism. No matter what, someone will be offended or not feel included! These emotional topics make great headlines for the news. They give politicians something to be busy with fighting.

Berkeley, California got rid of manholes. Ok, they didn’t get rid of the service access points, just the name of them. They voted to purge gender from the city code. I wonder if bathrooms are still separate for men and women. Don’t get me wrong, we need to be inclusive. I just don’t understand all the politically correct movement.

Taking Offense is a Choice

I grew up in southwestern New Hampshire. New Englanders call themselves Yankees with a sense of pride. Here in western Canada, the term Yankee is more derogatory. People can call me a Yankee – I don’t care!

A nickname is just a word. If that word is something you don’t like, let the person who said it know that it bothers you. Was something said that sounds bad or insulting? Ask for clarification. What if they did not mean for what they said to offend? When we seek to understand and to be understood, we pave the way for better relations.

We Are all Similar & Different

I attended the last two years of high school on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. The private school I attended had a good mix of kids from different ethnicities. We all got along! Did we like everyone in the school? Of course not! Skin color made as big of a difference as hair color – a way to describe someone, not stigmatize them or see them as inferior or superior.

Everyone is so different that we are all the same! We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Differences are something we should celebrate and enjoy. I would love to see a world where people are not discriminated against because of their skin color, religion, tattoos, or piercings.

Lend a Hand & Work Together

When asked what we should do about the problem with racism, Morgan Freeman said, “If we want to get rid of racism, we need to stop talking about it.” I agree! The media has done a great job of getting the word out that there is a problem with racism. Now, let’s work together. Let’s extend a hand to our neighbor who could use some help. Let’s encourage someone to succeed!

By helping another person climb higher, we end up climbing higher ourselves. We should focus on what we have in common. Let us learn from each other and become better as a whole society. Canoosa Finance is about helping people improve their finances no matter what their background. We are all part of the human family. It is my hope that I can help others improve their finances while I continue to improve mine. To get to my other posts, click here.