It’s fairly sad that I have enough examples to write this, but nonetheless, it needs to be voiced. In 2015, we have become so offended by so many ridiculous things. I first want to point out that I am all for freedom of speech and equality, and also the idea that people should have the choice to do and live as they wish (within reason). If you don’t like guns, don’t buy one. Problem solved. Don’t appreciate a Confederate flag? Paint your barn red, white and blue instead. What will be next? Will the American flag offend someone? How about the color purple? It sounds ridiculous but no less ridiculous than several of the other things that caused us to freak out. With that in mind, here are 10 things that have offended us in the past year (and we still have over three months to go).
1. Legalizing gay marriage.
If you remember, good ole’ Indiana legalized it the first time for a whole…day? Then they made it illegal again, and now once again it’s legal. There was also the whole issue about businesses having the right to refuse homosexuals for a while. Still, even now, there are people griping about how homosexuality “offends them.” My two cents on this is that it’s not that big of a deal. How has your life personally changed since gay marriage was legalized? Other than photos of weddings on my Facebook and a couple of parades, I can’t think of any. The freedom to marry is a right they now have, so if it really offends you that much, then block the posts on Facebook and just change the channel on TV. You still have the right to disagree with it and not participate in it just like anything else. Your rights are in no way being compromised. I am a firm believer that the United States would be in a far better state than it is now if we would just keep to our own affairs.
2. Any Mention of Gun Regulations
This is pretty much divided equally between those who think even BB guns should be outlawed, and those who say “how am I supposed to kill a deer for dinner with no gun?” In my opinion, no one except military personnel needs a machine gun. If it’s difficult to lift or looks scary, you (as an average citizen) don’t need it. Now, a pistol or something along that lines is perfectly fine (and handy if someone tries to break in your house). On the other hand, guns don’t shoot themselves. If we outlaw all guns, what will be next? Knives? Pepper spray? Sporks? Hunters are going hunt, and people are going to get a gun if they really want one, legal or not. Banning guns solves nothing.
3. The “War on Christianity”
After the Charleston shooting, FOX News was quick to pin the incident as a “war on Christianity.” Additionally, with the legalization of same-sex marriage, there has been more pressure for a “New Age Christian” to emerge. According to Mike Huckabee, we’re “criminalizing Christianity in this country by telling people who hold to an orthodox worldview of biblical marriage that if you still believe that…you will be guilty of discrimination, which could result in some kind of civil or criminal action against you.” I look at it this way: If you are a Christian (which I am), it is against the Bible’s teaching to say or do anything malicious to anyone regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. Even if someone’s way of life goes against your beliefs, you are still entitled to your opinion and your way of life. There is a difference between not supporting homosexuality and intentionally hurting someone. This applies to other things besides homosexuality too. Your religion and what you can and can’t do is in no way being compromised. You still have the same rights as you always did. The only difference is that now the other side does, too.
4. Racism (Yes, still.)
There have been many examples of this one in the past year. One of the most remembered is a white cop being labeled as racist for shooting an African-American boy. The fact is, racism still exists, unfortunately. This doesn’t mean that everyone is racist. The majority of people today are completely accepting of other races. The incident was tragic, whether race was a factor or not. The “Black Lives Matter” thing needs to stop. All lives matter.
5. Donald Trump Running for President
He’s got experience. He’s well-liked by enough people. He meets all the requirements. Vote for him if you want, vote for someone else if you don’t. ‘Nuff said.
6. Fat-Shaming
This one has hit social media particularly hard. Stop with the “fat-shaming” and call it body shaming instead. Everyone has faced judgment and discrimination about their body in one way or another. Skinny girls are definitely body shamed, too.
7. Marijuana
So, it’s not a drug, but medicine? It helps with depression and cancer? It’s safer than alcohol? Research has wavered back and forth, finding pros and cons to legalizing pot. For the most part, the only people who are smoking it now in the legalized states were smoking it before. Thus, legalizing pot did not encourage many nonsmokers to try it. There is also an issue of “driving while drugged” and the guidelines. Some states have called for a zero tolerance policy—meaning that if you are driving with any trace of pot in your system, you’re guilty of a DWI. This would ban anyone who smokes pot from driving for up to a couple weeks after their last joint, including those who use the drug for medical reasons.
8. Minimum Wage Going Up
Minimum wage going up a few cents or even a dollar, I don’t have a problem with. But up to $15 an hour worries me. This kind of jump breaches into uncharted area. The extra money has to come from somewhere. This will eventually lead to higher taxes, higher unemployment, or higher prices for everyday goods. the median hourly wage for the US is $16.71. The proposal for a $15 an hour minimum wage will make the minimum wage 9 percent of the median hourly wage. At this point, we will be harming low-income workers, not aiding them.
9. Bruce Jenner and the Whole Transgender Thing
Why is this such a big deal? It makes me wonder what the government is distracting us from. It’s your body, you can do whatever you want. Once again, you have the freedom to do whatever the hell you want. But I don’t need all these celebrity shows glamorizing it. How about saving the money for the new season of "Pretty Little Liars" or "Walking Dead?"
10. Smoking Laws
Thankfully, Indiana has been pushing (slowly, but surely) to pressure people to stop smoking. No smoking inside buildings. No smoking right outside of a building, no smoking on campuses. Now, the latest starting at the beginning of October: no smoking in your car with a minor. I’m still questioning how the police force is going to keep this enforced, but I totally agree with it. I really don’t think you should need a law to make you do this. If you are a parent and you feed your kid, give him or her shots when needed, and take him or her to the doctor, why are you slowly destroying his or her lungs with your addiction? You can wait to smoke until your child is out of the car. Honestly, this should have been enforced way before now. No one wants to breathe your cancer stick all the way to wherever you are going.
