Opinions Are Like...

And yet another blog on a subject I've written about before. 

I am sorry for all of you that have to listen/read these things over and over. Now at least you have some sort of insight into how difficult Brent's life is as I chew over the same lawn again and again and again...

Today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day. Two years ago Rush Limbaugh did what could be the only act of kindness he ever achieved and died. 

Harsh?

Eh, maybe. 

On the day he actually died I posted:

"All men have an emotion to kill; when they strongly dislike someone they involuntarily wish he was dead. I have never killed anyone, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction." - Clarence Darrow

(Often shortened and misattributed to Mark Twain as "I've never wished a man dead, but I've read some obituaries with great satisfaction.")

Also, my own version, I'm sure his family will miss him.

Which led to some pearl clutching from a few people on my list.

One did the arguing and one did the little likes to show support but never put themselves in the line of fire. 

Two things in the arguing stuck with me. The first was the insistence that I shouldn't have posted something so mean and petty about someone dying just because we only had a difference in opinion. No matter how many times I pointed out that it wasn't a difference in opinion that was the issue it was that I believed he had done evil during his life. True evil. He coarsened the discourse. He belittled people and ideas. He made racist and misogynistic comments about people. He damaged the very fabric of America. This wasn't a difference in opinions, this was a vile human being who I wasn't (and still am not) going to grieve. 

You see this over and over again. Where people say "it's just a difference of opinion" and think that shuts down a discussion. Or that it's okay somehow. The whole we are all allowed to have our own opinions. Well sure, you can have your own opinion but don't expect me to accept it quietly. Don't expect me to let you make laws based on your opinions. And for sure don't expect me to take your opinion as valid over provable facts. 

And when your opinion is in opposition to my morals? Well you can fuck right off. 

The other part that stuck with me was that I said just because my post offended them didn't mean I was wrong. They came back to assure me they weren't offended. Well, you felt the need to tell me how disappointed you were, how I was mean and petty, I'd say that was offended. But being offended is such a buzz word phrase to the conservosphere that they cannot ever admit to being offended. They trot it out to belittle and demean progressives, "Oh they are so easily offended!" "Oh we can't offend the snowflakes!" So they cannot ever admit to being offended, even if they are posting to tell you what you did was offensive to them. 

The conservosphere is constantly offended. That's pretty much their thing. But they cannot admit it. Because then they'd be snowflakes who are easily offended. So they have to find other words to describe being offended without ever admitting to being offended. It's so weird. 

While we were arguing they also let me know that they never posted anything offensive so they weren't worried about offending people. 

Yeah, it doesn't work that way. See, offense is in the eye of the offended. You can purposely try to give offense sure, but it only works if the person actually takes offense and is offended. But you can also give offense without meaning to. You can be super offensive without ever even realizing it. Because offense is decided by the offended. And you don't have to apologize, or be upset that you offended someone. You can argue that wasn't your intent. You can even try and say that there is no way that was offensive. But it was. To that person who is offended it was. It's just up to you to decide if you care.

I don't care if someone is offended that I speak ill of Limbaugh even though he is dead. If you don't want to be spoken ill of after you die don't do ill while you are alive. 

I have, will and do say a lot of offensive things. Things that I know are going to offend people. Sometimes that's the point. I want to offend you. I want to knock you out of your comfort zone and make you think. And sometimes it's just because what someone thinks is so fucking horrible they deserve to be offended. And spoken ill of. And made jokes about that will cause people to clutch their pearls.

Rush Limbaugh was a vile human being who made the world worse by his presence. I don't believe in hell but if I did I would imagine he was there with Roger Ailes comparing notes and warming up spots for a few others to join them. 

At times I wish I did believe in it. It would be nice to think he paid some sort of price for being as vile as he was.

Instead we all do.

And that's the part that is truly offensive.