We are entirely too obsessed with being offended. Week after week it seems there is always another round of news that people are outraged over.
I find it comical at this point watching even conservatives being outraged about the smallest things, and I’m convinced some people just wait around for the next thing to make them outraged.
Cancel culture is awful, not only because the majority of those canceled are conservative, but because canceling shuts down any and all productive conversation. How can we convince anyone that our views are better or come to terms with one another without even talking about the issues at hand?
Instead, we simply shut up the other side by cheering for their cancellation. This is not culturally sustainable. It’s not healthy. It’s not productive. We just have two sides of the aisle screaming down the other.
“Just because you're offended doesn't mean you're right,” comedian Ricky Gervais once said.
He’s right. Being offended is not a virtue. But when society makes it a virtue, being offended becomes our goal. We go out of our way to be offended because it proves that there is some sort of “good” in us or that we have some moral compass.
And let’s not just point our fingers at celebrities and elites. Many average people have also been canceled by their own friends and family over issues these past three years.
We are better than this. We must be better than this for our children and for the future of our nation. We need to stop being offended and outraged for one second and think about where we go from here.
When did our differences become completely irreconcilable, dividing us from one another? What are some ways we can connect with our neighbors again despite party lines? How do we survive this?
I am not saying we should not speak the truth or combat lies at all. We must come to a place where we can defend our views through debate because the truth speaks for itself. It does not need to be threatened by lies. We need strong men and women who will stand up and unwaveringly speak the truth because it matters more than anything right now!
Instead of thinking of ourselves as morally superior because we are offended, maybe we should humble ourselves a tiny little bit and ask not who is right but what is right. Instead of canceling and boycotting, we educate. We talk. We point out errors. We look to history. We teach our children. We stop the games and the tit-for-tat outrage about every little thing, and we love our neighbors by speaking the truth and living it out.
Author Oliver Markus Malloy put it this way: “Some people looove to feel offended because it makes them feel important. When your only tool is a hammer, suddenly every problem starts to look like a nail. And when the only time you feel relevant is when you claim to be offended, suddenly everything looks offensive.”
You can get loud about your beliefs without being outraged and calling for a wholesale boycott. We can speak the truth without finding offense in everything that confronts it because love and truth are not offended easily. We can have differences of opinion without canceling one another.
These things are a distraction from the issues, and they only bring about more offense, stubbornness, division, and ignorance. Love and truth are the only way forward. Let us be an example of these truths.
Lauren is a wife, mother, and writer with a passion for boldly speaking truth. Writing and speaking for over a decade, Lauren has reached millions worldwide. She is known for her Biblical approach to controversial topics and humorous approach to counteracting the lies of the world. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @laurendemoss.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819news.com.
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