A Rare Rant and Maybe Some Wise Words
It's not often that I will sit down and rant, I'm one of those people that usually suffers in silence and tends to just keep things to myself but seeing as how @penderis has a contest for a hefty share of SBI that requires you to write a Ulog Mystery or Rant ... here we are.
The world is changing and I really have a lot that I would like to rant about and maybe we will squeeze it all into one post, especially since I don't do this often. I kinda feel sorry for those of you who choose to read this in its entirety. Well, alrighty then, let's get started.
Censorship and Safe Spaces
Being an American, I value my Constitutional right to Freedom of Speech. I've seen a lot of censorship taking place on certain platforms. It doesn't matter who you voted for. It doesn't matter the color of your skin. It doesn't matter who you decide to love. You as an individual have the right to express yourself freely without fear of persecution from those who get butt-hurt by the words you speak.
We've become a society of finger pointing, whining babies that just can't handle our shit and get offended at every little thing. What happened to teaching critical thinking and trying to understand viewpoints of those that are different from our own? That seems to be a thing of the past.
I used to love to go to the Saints games when they played at home. People pay an awful lot of money between tickets, parking and food to escape from their daily lives and have a day of fun supporting the local football team. Last season, I didn't even watch the games because of the protesting taking place during the National Anthem but I don't ask for censorship, I simply don't watch it.
I have family, friends and acquaintances that have risked and sacrificed their lives fighting for our freedom. The flag and the National Anthem are symbols of that and I feel that the protests are disrespectful but those who have fought and died for our freedom, also fought and died for their right to protest during the National Anthem and they also fought for my right to not have to watch that shit.
No matter what you've been told, the world is not full of rainbow farting unicorns and someday you will have to face someone that may say something to you that you will deem offensive. In the real world, there are no safe spaces ... well, maybe except for your house but if you plan on staying in your house for the rest of your life then make sure you turn the television and radio off so as to not hear anything that may offend your sensitive little ears.
According to Merriam Webster
Definition of safe space
: a place (as on a college campus) intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations
A safe space is designed to include calming activities to aid adults who either have been or wish to not be subjected to anything that could be upsetting or hurtful. They are offered pillows and blankets, coloring books and many other things to help them reach the level of zen they need to function properly.
I believe that learning to deal with adversity at a young age prepares you to deal with the adversity you are sure to face when you are an adult and out of college and have to face the world before you which is almost always a difficult thing. The world will eat you alive if you are not prepared to deal with it and I am not sure how a safe space helps you to prepare for the difficult things we all face.
Live and Let Live
It's a simple concept really. I don't understand why people find it so hard to just let people be who they are. If someone's way of living isn't harming you or putting you in danger then why should you care how someone else decides to live their life. You don't have to understand it, you don't have to agree with it, and you certainly don't have to be a part of it but you can accept that it is their choice to live however they choose. I don't really care who you decide to worship, I don't care who you decide to marry, I don't care what you do for a living. You do you. I'll do me. We can all live in harmony.
On the flip side of that, I think we need to be honest and agree that the world today can be a very confusing place. Things are changing in the brains of humans and we are living in a time where if you want to identify as a Godzilla, that's totally acceptable and I'm not arguing that. More power to you. But I also think that you need to be a little more understanding that identifying as Godzilla can be confusing to some and instead of flying off the handle because someone says the wrong pronoun maybe just let that shit go and accept that not everyone will understand and as long as they are not harassing you, then it's okay that they don't understand.
Final Thoughts
I know not everyone will agree and I am fine with that. I am totally willing to have a civil discussion on why you may feel differently than I do and if you can't change my mind or I can't change yours then we will agree to disagree and move on. Just know that I accept you for who you are and it doesn't matter to me how you live as long as you are true to yourself. If you are going to judge someone, make sure you judge them on the content of their character ... not because of their political or religious beliefs, not because of the color of their skin, and not because of who they decide to love.
Diversity is beautiful and we should all be willing to accept our differences for without it the world would be a boring place.
Many valid points, many that will get plenty of people up in arms also, I do agree that people do too much finger painting... I mean finger pointing, and do not seem to think things through before reacting to whatever it is they are reacting. I don't have an issue with bitching and whining I do it myself, I just don't see the point of turning it into propaganda without rules of engagement.
As for what you and @profanereviews are talking about, it does seem to fall into the category of who gives a ... but that is just me.
The main takeaway has to be, do no harm and people seem to forget that harm is not only physical but comes in many forms.
Finger pointing indeed. I don't think people know how to take responsibility for their own actions these days. It's a sign of the times to just blame everyone else. I am like you with most things and just don't give a .... but some things aren't as easy to just ignore especially when certain things have been drilled into your head from a young age.
Why do you think it's disrespectful for kneeling during the anthem? What makes standing respectful and kneeling disrespectful? In many cultures kneeling is a sign of respect and worship, is it not? Do players not "take a knee" before games anymore? When I played hockey, that was the pep talk thing.
I just wonder who said that positioning your body one way or the other could alter the amount of respect someone has.
Any time we say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the National Anthem, we stand and place our right hands over our hearts as a sign of respect. Men and women who serve in the military stand and salute as a sign of respect. Now, if it is your intention to kneel in respect or to pray during the anthem then I really don't have a problem with that. Respect comes from within and I am fine with however you want to express that.
But...It has been made extremely clear why these players kneel, they have not been shy in letting us know that they are kneeling in protest. The American Flag and the National Anthem are symbols of the sacrifices made by the men and women who fought to make sure they have that right to protest and in that sense it is my opinion that it is disrespectful to protest during the Anthem.
The players were still kneeling for preseason. Thursday night was the first regular season game and all the players stood for the National Anthem. We will see if the streak continues.
So the players have said that they are protesting the flag and the national anthem, or are they protesting the country itself? I don't follow football, but I have seen snippets of Trump getting angry about these protests. I was under the impression that they were protesting the treatment of minorities by the police, and they were just using kneeling during the anthem to make people notice.
Looks like it worked.
You are correct they are protesting systematic racism... which it's 2018 and while I wish this wasn't an issue it still is and does need to be addressed.
And people did notice. Merchandise sales have gone down, televised games have seen their ratings lower tremendously and game attendance has been at all time lows.
If you want people to sympathize with your plight and join in your fight then why do it in such a divisive way that millions of Americans deem disrespectful? It almost seems counterproductive.
I guess everyone looks at it differently. I think that too much money goes into professional sports already, so that part doesn't bother me at all.
I also think that if it has sparked this much of a fire, then it is obviously working. It got you and I talking about it. I don't think that anything else people have tried has garnered this much attention, and it also has not been violent. This impresses me.
Where I live, there is a lot of racism but it never really goes further than an ignorant cowboy using a few slurs or jokes. The RCMP in our area don't seem to have any bias towards anyone, but I could just be blind to it.
I agree with you about the money in professional sports. It has definitely got a ton of attention... and I can understand the points that you made. I was raised in a family and also married into a family that has fought and lost their lives fighting for this country and the amount of respect that I was taught steers the way I feel.
Thank you @profanereviews for having this discussion with me. I appreciate you commenting.
Anytime. I do like seeing other sides to topics. It helps me gain perspective. It also helps when people can discuss things without getting into a rage.
Thanks for the chat.