"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
People seem to think that means that if someone says something that I disagree with, I can sue them, or force everyone else to see it my way. The Pledge of Allegiance issue going on currently because of the "One nation under God" phrase comes to mind. There are going to be some things out there in society that we may not neccessarily want to see or hear....but we should. As a nation we cant bury our heads in the sand and ignore those things that we may not agree with. That wont make them go away. The only way to deal with thoughts and ideas that might initially frighten us is to really look at them and try to understand them. We may not agree with the concept behind it, but its not as mysterious or dangerous is you can see things from the other person's point of view. The US is not as being a melting pot of cultures and peoples from all over the world. We are all Americans first, and then whatever nationality our ancestors may have been. I am a third generation American, but my roots are in Ireland and Germany. I celebrate my heritage, but not at the extent of my nationality. We take as much pride in what sets us apart from each other as much as what we have in common. The problem comes when everyone is intent on promoting their diversity we forget the things that originally bound us together as a society. Previous generations had no problems with the ten commandments being displayed on a courthouse. It was a societal tradtition to believe that as a country we were looked after by "God". Now, so many people are threatened at that three letter word that you cant pray in gatherings outside of church, temple or mosque. Its suddenly trendy to complain about how your rights are violated by having to listen to someone else ask their God for guidance, blessings or strength. Even though those are the principals that this nation was built on. In our drive to embrace our individual diversity we have indeed set ourselves apart from our neighbors and friends. So much so that we seem to feel easily threatened or persecuted if things are said that we disagree with.
It just seems like America has gotten away from those principals that first made us so remarkable in the world. The ideas of family, freedom and opportunity seem to be lost on so many of the people that have been here for several generations. People have lost the ability to laugh at themselves and at situations in life that need laughter. Society has become so thin skinned that people search for malice in things said with no harm intended. This is where things have gotten ridiculous.
Growing up, I was teased about my weight because I was never really slim when I was young. I didnt get mad and complain about it to everyone that would listen, because basically it was the truth. Same thing with athletics, my friends were more agile then me. Again not a shock to me if I was teased about my lack of athleticism either. I was teased mercilessly at times for being in the band. I didnt care, it was something that I enjoyed and got to be rather good at. I know that there are people out there that dont like me personally and no matter what I do, that opinion of me wont change. Thats life, I've learned to accept that fact and prefer to dwell on those people that I do get along with and whose company I enjoy. Those opinions that people have of me are all subjective and vary from individual to individual. You cant regulate how people think, feel or what they believe no matter how much you try. Those times I was teased based on me physically I didnt get overlly upset about, because they were true, whether I liked it or not. Those people that would tease me because of the type of person that I am or what I believe in, those are harder to ignore because its more personal.
We seem to be worried about offending anyone out there, so we stop being who we are. Slowy we become less then what we were. People should be aware of what they say and how they say it. Its a simple case of having courtesy for your fellow man. People in general have to grow up and mature as well. Not everything that is said or established is done in an attempt to make you feel uncomfortable. Yes we are all different, but no one gets everything in life that they want. Which is more important to you, being a well balanced, well liked member of society, or complaining about how something said innocently by others has caused you incredible duress??
Who do you think is more admired right now, the gentlemen who filed the lawsuit over the "One nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance out in California, or you at this moment?