I am HIGHLY OFFENDED...

...that no one has offended me.

Lately I’ve been thinking of the song Get Over It by the Eagles (a group that shamelessly named themselves after my Winthrop Eagles... I mean, why else would they use that name?). Why have I been thinking about this song? Because it seems everyday I look at the paper or turn on the TV to watch the news (WCBD – Count on 2... the ONLY place I go on TV to get my news... well, there and ESPN... and the History Channel, but they’re a little behind... anyway) I see that someone else has been offended by what another person has said (Thank God I haven’t seen I’m just sayin... on the news yet, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time). At first, I figured this was because nobody has really said anything to me or about me that was offensive. Or maybe it’s because when someone says something to me or about me that’s offensive, I just assume they are kidding (and they probably are... but even if they aren’t, if it’s funny it’s funny... all I can do is laugh). But the more I think about it... I don’t think that should keep me from being offended. I mean, I have a bicycle (I even rode it one time) so when Tony Kornheiser went on a rant about bicycle riders I guess I could have been offended and over-react like Jeremy’s boy Lance Armstrong, but I wasn’t (and didn’t).... probably because I was too busy laughing (I mean, laughing so hard tears were pouring out of my eyes).

Of course, I hear at least once a year that people are offended at the names of sports teams (Redskins being a favorite target). “But Greg” people will say (and actually have said), “What if they had a team named the Crackers or the Rednecks? You would be offended”. In all honesty, the only thing I would be is excited to buy at least one shirt (and probably one hat) of the team. I think it would be GREAT! The only thing that would be better is if they played in PBR Stadium. I’m laughing just thinking about this. My goodness, the Charleston Riverdogs have Yankees stuff all around them... if that doesn’t offend me I don’t think anything can. :)

There are other examples of people saying things that offend other people. Usually, we find out later that what was reported as being said and what really was said are two different things. But people are in such a rush to be offended that they don’t take the time to find out what the person actually said. My boy D-Wade pointed out that if my Heat lose 2 or 3 games in a row, there are going to be people acting like the World Trade Center just came down. I’m paraphrasing here, but the point of what he was saying is that there are some people who will overreact to a few losses.

Then there is this whole thing with the lady from Georgia telling a story at NAACP meeting and being misquoted and thrown under the PC bus only to have it come out later that she was misquoted and a bunch of people now look stupid. For what it’s worth, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened (though it might be the first time it has happened to a black lady... but I’m not even sure that is the case). Now so many people are offended that I’m having trouble keeping it all straight. The lady is mad (and her, I don’t blame)... but so are a bunch of other people (and I’m not real sure why). I was listening to the Today Show this morning (because it comes on after the only morning news show I care about) while feeding Susie and they had some lady on (I didn’t hear her name). Matt was interviewing her and some guy. She starts blaming the evil right-wing media for creating this story and a bunch of other evil stuff. Matt (who I couldn’t see, but it sounded like he might have had a smirk on his face) calmly pointed out that this isn’t just a right-wing thing... it’s gone both ways over time. The woman then goes on and on about this wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the right-wing media and how Fox News is to blame and they haven’t even issued an apology. Matt then said that Fox didn’t report on this until after the lady in Georgia had been fired... so they didn’t do anything to get her fired. I couldn’t hear what the lady had to say to that... I was too busy laughing.

I’m sure there are times when someone really says something offensive, but having all these people who are looking to be offended just cheapens the whole thing. Just because someone says something stupid doesn’t mean you should be offended. And most of the time, it really shouldn’t matter what the person said. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard so-and-so said something that was SO OFFENSIVE and my first thought was “Who the hell is so-and-so? And why should I care what they think/say?” I assume this is the same thing people would think if I were to say something offensive.

Sonny and I were talking about this last night. We think it’s just a matter of time before someone is offended by my new favorite commercial.

People need to just get over it...

The I’m just sayin... Public Service Announcement of the Week:

Friends, I don't care if you have been drinking all night or are completely sober, it is NEVER a good idea to play “Slap the Train”. You can’t win in a game like that. Either something goes wrong and you end up dead... or everything goes right and you end up SLAPPING A MOVING TRAIN (fyi, that ain’t like slapping a pillow).

I’m just sayin... would like to thank two alert readers (Jeremy and KC) for bringing this subject to our attention.





If I have said anything in this post to offend you, I'd love to hear about it. Just send me an email to: idontreallycare@mambypambyland.com