Robin SmithWindows down, sunglasses on, the Eagles blaring, and Don Henley singing:
“I turn on the tube and what do I see
A whole lotta people cryin’ ‘Don’t blame me’
They point their crooked little fingers at everybody else
Spend all their time feelin’ sorry for themselves
Victim of this, victim of that
Your momma’s too thin; your daddy’s too fat
Get over it
Get over it
All this whinin’ and cryin’ and pitchin’ a fit
Get over it, get over it”
When the Eagles reunited in the early 1990s, members Glenn Frey and Don Henley wrote the hard-driving anthem “Get Over It!” to bemoan the constant parade of “whinin'” victims on the TV talk shows that dominated daytime broadcasting. With a slight rewrite, this ’90’s hit could be the theme song of the United States today, characterizing the pathetic frailty of a culture where generations of individuals have constantly been told of their tremendous value, yet weren’t reminded that with this sense of worth comes expectations that they should seek accomplishment and meaning with their lives.
In recent days, fabricated reasons for being offended have run rampant, from being asked to use a gender-specific toilet, to others displaying a rectangle of cloth called a flag, to being told to “grow up and get a job,” to encountering anyone who follows Judeo-Christian beliefs.
So, now that everyone’s demanding their rights, I believe it’s my turn: I want the right not to be offended as a Christian American Southern female.
I’m offended that about a third of my family’s income goes to government-sanctioned causes that I may or may not support, and most often do not in any way benefit my family.
I’m offended by young millennials seeking employment who view punctuality as a suggestion rather than a prerequisite and whose vocabularies don’t include “ma’am” or “sir” or any other terms of respect.
I’m offended our family can give time, talent and treasure to our local church to assist hundreds – if not thousands – of needy people with material charity (food, clothing, literacy, etc.) only to be lectured and hectored by the faceless court of public opinion that we’re bigoted, mean-spirited and selfish.
I’m offended I can articulate a principled, reasoned stance on issues ranging from life in the womb to the value of work, yet, even within my own political party, I am cautioned not to appear “extremist.”
I’m offended, in the words of Don Henley, by the countless disciples of this age of outrage, those who carry their self-righteous suffering “like a ball and chain; you wallow in the guilt, you wallow in the pain, you wave it like a flag, you wear it like a crown “
In a culture with a glut of self-loathing victims and a shortage of citizens who dare to boldly live an independent life in pursuit of excellence, the right to not be offended seems to yield the worst result of all: any authentic offenses are diluted and diminished.
The solution offered in the Eagles lyrics? “B– about the present and blame it on the past,
I’d like to find your inner child and kick its little a-!”
Okay, so the Eagles’ solution won’t quite work. Nevertheless, it is indeed time for us to get over ourselves and reject the folly that honors the loudest protester, the deviant and the not so innocent victim.
Victim and victor are both options. Which will you be?
Robin Smith, a former chairwoman of the Tennessee Republican Party, is owner of RiversEdge Alliance.