Okay, I know what you are thinking but before you stop reading hear me out. I'm not hear to bash your views or argue with anyone about mine. Is anybody else worried about what's been going on lately? I understand we have a freedom of speech, but why waste your energy ARGUING when you could be EDUCATING? We should stop worrying about offending others and start worrying about why people are getting offended in the first place.

I was watching my favorite t.v show Switched at Birth and in the most recent episode there was a scene where their was a costume party in the college that a few of the main characters go to. At this party the R.A, Mingo, dressed up at Lil Wayne. This costume consisted of a grill, saggy pants, dreads, chains, and a baseball cap. When he was showing off his costume to another character, Daphne, when Daphne's best friend (who happens to be black) got very upset and offended at the costume. After the party the whole school started talking very negatively about Mingo on a social media site calling him ignorant and racist. In Daphne's attempt to defend Mingo she goes on to write a journal entry for the school newspaper talking about freedom of expression and freedom of speech. This is what got me thinking.

Even though I believe the situation was dramatized to get the point across I think it opened the opportunity to talk about this issue of where the line is drawn when it comes to something being racist. Daphne, at one point in the show, said something along the lines of as Americans we have the right to offend people. I think that is an interesting way to put it. In essence I interpreted that into, as Americans we have the right to voice our opinions and our views even though they may not match the opinions and views of the people around us. With that we have a right (and arguably a responsibility) to be educated on what we stand for. Now someone can argue and say that we don't have the right to make someone uncomfortable, but I disagree. I don't believe we have a right to make someone feel unsafe/threatened but we do have a right to challenge the views of others. We need to talk about things that are uncomfortable because that's how change happens. That is how problems are resolved/worked on.

So go out there and educate yourself on what is going on in this world. Talk about things that are uncomfortable, and let yourself be heard. Stand up for what you believe in and try to educate yourself on the other side of the problem. Be the change. Start educating people instead of calling them names and fighting with them on the internet.