I saw that little line in a blog earlier, and it bothered me, because i grew up being taught that disagreeing with someone, or having a different opinion, did't make you a hateful person. This little phrase makes one look childish, petty. "You don't agree with me, so you must be a hateful person! Angry and insecure waaah!" How can I hate you? I barely know you enough to want to listen to your opinion. If I don't agree with it, are your feelings that vulnerable that a simple "Sorry, but I think.." can send you into a crazy emotional downward spiral to call complete strangers hateful people?
Maybe you're the one with the issues.
I know this little phrase is also a political buzzword that gets used to scare people into apologizing for what they believe, because if they don't they get labled as racists, homophobes or <insert Democrat-invented slur here>. You don't have to be afraid of words. Believe as you like, and speak as you like. Don't let people who use childish and petty buzzwords scare you into feeling ashamed of your beliefs. You are an individual with rights that cannot be taken away (yet) by such petty people, and they know this, and since they can't take it by force, they'll try to make you ashamed of and then abandon them yourself by embarassing you for your beliefs, your thinking, and your faith, and how you generally act in life day to day.
Either you agree with whoever uses that phrase, or you're an awful person. Sounds to me like someone wasn't told "No" often enough as a child. If they keep hearing "Yes" from parents they'll believe that everyone else will say it too, and when it's time to join society and be productive, "Oh no! Someone said "No"! They're being mean to me, they must hate me, because mommy and daddy always said "Yes"! And if all the other real world people tell me "No" then they must be hateful people too!"
Then there's the kind of person who feels empathy for other people who aren't offended, but that one feels they should be, because that one person gets offended, and if that one gets offended, then every other person of that color, race, nationality is automatically offended, regardless of not hearing what was said or saw what was done., and then tries to shame their victim. "I'm <insert color/natiionality here> and i'm offended by your comment, and because i'm offended, it's offensive to all the other <color/nationality> people too, nevermind that they might just thinnk it's funny, or nod their heads at a correct stereotype, you evil and hateful little person you!"
Who are they to speak for a group of inviduals? Are they some sort of national spokesperson for <color/nationality>? Or are they just some easily offended snowflake that wants attention? We all see examples of this, in the news, on the street, in our neighborhoods and sometimes our own family members.
There isn't really a solution other than to maintain your own boldness in dealing with life, and to not allow other people to dictate how you live it, and perhaps show others that they too can be free of such emotional manipulatons also, if they want to be. But it's pretty scary sometimes to think for yourself, because if you do, you also have to accept responsibility for your own thoughts and eventual actions; it's easier to just let other people to run you for you...but if you go that route, you have no say in what happens, because your life isn't yours.
Who owns you? Do you own you? Or do outside puppetteers own you, making you parrot their words, speak their phrases, and run away screaming when things they don't like get spoken or done, "Help, help, I'm being oppressed by individualistic thinking, help me overlords, i might have an original thought!" You might want to check. You can't go through life without *someone* trying to change you, but you *can* make sure that the changer has values you agree with or not, and if not, you *can* and *should* tell that person to take a hike. Preferably in bear country wearing a steak necklace.
Anyway, that's my take on that hideous little phrase I see every so often. I left some bits out, because people tend to get bored if blogs go on too long. I hope you learned something gentle reader or were at least entertained. If by some weird chance you think I picked on you...maybe I did. If the accoutability shoe fits, do the tango in it.
Bite that rose extra hard, now.
