Cigars, fags and calling a spade a spade

Read any blog that resides at the far reaches of either side of the political spectrum, after your daily reading of this blog of course, (you do have NoMatoMiPavo bookmarked right?) and you will see that the discourse has become more caustic than your average review of the conservative movie “An American Carol”.

Utter an opinion and you’ll likely be the recipient of an onslaught of expletives directed at you personally, the majority of your ancestors by relation and George W Bush because, well, he is Satin incarnate. It doesn’t bother me to be on the catching side of these tirades. I probably am a bit of a white trash, bigoted, homophobic, right-winged, Neanderthal but leave my parents out of it.

So why in this age of vitriol does it seem people’s skin is becoming thinner than Peter Orszag’s or Donald Trump’s real hair? Any criticism is immediately seen as a personal attack and the recipient begins a plea for justice and demands an apology at the least and usually monetary recompense as well. The utterance could be a legitimately stupid statement. If so, call the speaker an ass and move on. People say stupid things all the time. My personal filter more resembles a sieve and I start every conversation with a disclaimer that, indeed, I am an idiot so anything I say should not be held against me. But too often it seems people are looking to be offended. The leaps they will take to turn an innocent comment into an attempt to begin the next holocaust would make Superman feel he needs several bounds to clear the same distance.

In 1999, a staffer for Washington, DC mayor Anthony Williams was forced to resign after he used the word Niggardly to describe the size of a fund that he oversaw. Two staffers complained and amid a flurry more excited than a nest of angry Wasps (did I say Wasp? How dare I?), the mayor accepted David Howard’s resignation. A few days later someone decided to consult Merriam Webster and learned there is no connection between Niggardly and the prohibited, unless you are an African American rapper who won't listen to Russell Simmons or a Rainbow Warrior, N-word that so insulted the staffers. Of course to those looking to be insulted the idea of performing this exploration before Howard’s condemnation never occurred.

In July of this year, a commissioner in Dallas County, Texas made the mistake of comparing the county’s collection office to that oh so racist of phenomena; a black hole. Another official, John Wiley Price demanded an apology. To Mr. Price it seems any term that begins with the word black is racially charged. This guy’s views are so far out in space that even usually sensitive Liberals think he’s spaced out. On behalf of all unintentional racists in the world, I’d like to invite Mr. Price to coffee and I will apologize. Just so he is forewarned I take my coffee black.

In August of 2006 then Governor, and should have been GOP Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney referred to the Big Dig in Boston as a tar-baby. The waiting to be insulted, with brains about the size of a Br'er Rabbit, couldn’t wait to jump on Mitt and label him as a racist. Unfortunately, Romney hopped on up and apologized. If only the State and Federal governments had been a bit more niggardly in their expenditures, this Black Hole would never have been an issue. Oh, I’m sorry.

Apologies for misspeaking and injustice often aren’t good enough for most of the bereaved. Don Imus’ much overblown Nappy Haired Ho comment, justifiably as stupid as only Stupid White Men (no apology as obviously that isn't offensive) can be, cost him his job. When United States Senator Trent Lott wished one time racist Strom Thurmond a happy birthday the calls for his resignation from race baiters and riot inciters was immediate. Even the sons of politicians who voted against the Equal Rights Amendment got in to the act. Neither of these obvious racists could get away with anything as a straight forward, black and white (oh sorry) apology.

When Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized for a tragedy of political incompetence and enforcement that resulted in the death of 26 potential immigrants from India he was criticized because he went to the people to apologize and didn’t deliver it in the confined of Parliament. If he was as observant as Joe Biden, he would have rightly made the apology at a 7-11 or Dunkin Donuts. Ok, this time I will apologize on behalf of the missing Vice President since he never has.

The examples of personal offence and demands for retribution are many: like this, this, this or this. While many have racial or sexual overtones, people are taking offense at everything now. The days of being happy and gay (oh, sorry) are gone. Political Correctness abounds and the tentacles of this restrictive culture may soon reach further into our vocabulary.

Unfortunately, the retribution sought is not only financial. Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was killed after producing a movie critical of Islam and Dutch politician and refugee of an arranged marriage Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been under police protection since the film aired because of death threats to her from members of the “religion of peace”. If only they’d put cartoon images of Mohammed in their film, like those in Danish newspapers, their depravity would have been complete.

The sensitive nature of people today seems an unexpected phenomenon when compared to the amazingly narcissistic nature of today’s youth. Their self-esteem is extremely high. In other words they are completely full of themselves. I guess that is why any criticism, no matter how well intentioned or constructive put a chink (sorry) in their self-obsessed armor and is to them a personal affront.

To everyone today thinking they’ve been offended by someone else’s speech I say “grow a set”. If what they say is so bad, call them on it and make your position clear. We will forever have bigots, fools, racists, sexists and any other ‘ist you might imagine. Deal with it. It’s not like someone goes out of their way to make a voodoo doll of you?

Poor Nicola Sarkozy was so upset that such a doll was being sold, he sued. In their infinite wisdom, the French courts decided the sales could continue but a prominent warning had to be placed on the package that states that sticking pins in the toy is an affront to his dignity. Those French men, it seems they have no problems with their self-esteem.

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