Sensitivity is not one of my strengths. I’ve been known to put my foot in my mouth on occasion, usually to general hilarity, but sometimes anger. My entrance to the journalistic scene has been no different. Most notably, my welcome-to-newsprint moment came April 30, when my story “Watching words is a lost cause” (ODE April, 30) was published.
My intention was to write a spicy, sardonic piece that was both enjoyable to read and got my point across: my feelings that political correctness was missing its mark when it comes to banning certain terminology. Most people who I discussed the piece with agreed with my premise, leading to my conclusion that the article would be well-received. Boy, was I naive.
First chance I could the following Friday morning, I logged onto the Emerald’s Web site to check for readers’ feedback. I was completely blown away. I had 40-plus comments, with more coming in by the minute. However, no one was analyzing my work or even focusing on the main theme. Instead, mothers and fathers of children with learning disabilities were up in arms about two of what I considered to be the more innocent parts of the article; my encouragement of developing a “thick skin” and my ridiculing of the attempts to ban the word “retard.” Comments and e-mails ranged from suggesting that I volunteer at a Special Olympics event to shock over my insensitivity to queries regarding my sexual orientation to vague threats of violence. Several people even lobbied for the Emerald to release me as a columnist.
My first reaction was anger. Why didn’t these people see what I was trying to say? After posting a response that attempted to clear up what I considered to be an obvious misunderstanding was shouted down as an attempt to “defend myself,” I unburdened my feelings to several close friends. Why had this attempt at what I considered to be a very logical argument incurred such wrath? What was it about developing thick skin that people had a problem with? Their answers were all remarkably similar. My mistake wasn’t the topic or even the tone I took when writing the piece. My real error was trying to apply logic to an illogical situation.
We live in a society today where we’re encouraged to approach problems with far more emotion than we would otherwise; to combat fears and prejudices with our hearts rather than our minds. This societal hypersensitivity isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but at the same time cold realities become so heinous that they tend to fall to the wayside. Facts will remain facts, no matter how deeply our heads are buried in the sand. But at the same time, bluntly presenting those facts and expecting people to accept them without a murmur is completely unrealistic and often very hurtful.
By bringing a logical spin to a very personal issue, I misjudged the reaction from families who are actually living through the struggles I made light of. While it’s easy for me to believe that the efforts being made to banish certain hateful words from the mouths of the public is foolish, I’ve never had to live through hateful verbal and physical attacks from strangers set upon breaking me down. I’ve never seen a child of my own flesh and blood reduced to tears after such an attack. And I’ve never had to explain to that child why there are people out there who would enjoy bringing such pain to another human being. Does that mean my opinion is worthless? Of course not, but it does mean that my understanding of this particular issue will never be full or complete.
As an opinion writer, my job is to express my opinions. I pride myself on being an opinionated person who calls it like I see it, and I try to put as much of my personality into my column as possible. I make no excuses about my opinions; while they may not be particularly generic or politically correct, they are my own and I stand by them. That is, after all, the entire point of an opinion section — a glimpse into the mind of a writer. On the other hand, I’m not trying to upset people. I’m just expressing my point of view; if it does happen to upset someone, it is what it is.
I’m here to inform, entertain and push the envelope, not offend.
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