LinkExchange Member

Sensitivity (in) training America, as a nation, needs to lighten up. Over the last few years, we have seen the onslaught of people who declared themselves "offended," because something in larger society made them uncomfortable. Examples abound, from Native Americans, after more than a half century of silence, who are now suddenly concerned that American sports teams bear such names as "Indians," "Braves" and "Redskins," to the Society for the Blind protesting the remaking of Mr. Magoo. Our ancestors slaughtered the natives, with disease and arms, and those that survived were driven from their land. To make it up to them, we have allowed tribes to establish casinos. But now we worry that we might offend them? Those, however, are old examples. A recent protest drew yet another tainted picture of oversensitivity and silly indignation. A Hispanic civil rights group is protesting the fact that a chihuahua speaks Spanish while asking for Taco Bell. C'mon! I would be willing to put money on the fact that the very same group has pushed for Spanish language road signs and classes in school, in areas where the Latin population is large. But a dog speaking Spanish on TV, eyeing a tostada, is offensive. Give me a break. Is it me, or have we simply taken this sensitivity thing way overboard? And, worse, we have to ask; what's next? Is the Used Car Salesman's Union going to get bent out of shape every time a bright-polyester clad agent takes to the TV screen to sell us something other than cars? You can almost hear the arguments in court now... "Your honor, it is my client's contention that the Good Lord put polyester suits on this planet for the purpose of selling cars...not color televisions. And my client would like to request a restraining order against Big Al's TVs, to refrain from advertisements featuring Big Al in a polyester suit." Yeah, case dismissed. Big time. Unfortunately, it wouldn't stop there. No more black people would be allowed in Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials, or in car ads featuring picnics that might include a watermelon - that would be an act of continuing offensive stereotypes. Redheads. Redheads would no longer be allowed to appear in beer commercials, as the Irish-American contingent will find that an offensive stereotyping of their people. I suppose that would extend to potato advertisements, as well. Speaking of red...Rednecks. No rednecks in pick-em-up truck commercials. Again, that would be an unfair portrayal. Especially if they had a beer in one hand and were firing a shotgun at road signs as they drove. That would simply not be acceptable. And beer and car commercials exploit also exploit another group - sexy young women. Yup, from the Swedish Bikini Team to the girl in the fiery red convertible, they are offensive because they portray all women as sexy and free-spirited. We may become so sensitive, in fact, that we no longer allow attorneys to advertise on television. I mean, it would remind someone who was injured of their recent tragedy...and that would be insensitive. Furthermore, the insurance agent that covered the individuals in a given accident, and paid out money, would be reminded of his recent loss. That, too, would be insensitive. And how about local news stations? They have taken to producing spots advertising their nightly show, geared toward frightening people into watching their program. That would no longer be permitted. Perhaps we could take ti a bit further, and ban car commercials altogether, because they appeal to people who can afford to buy new vehicles. In the process, they might offend those that can't afford to buy a car, by making them feel inadequate - or not a part of the game. And how far would we take that? We would have to get rid of food commercials, because they would surely offend those who couldn't afford to eat well. Besides, all those foods on the screen have the potential to offend other groups as well. Beef and "The Other White Meat" commercials would offend those against eating meat. American Dairy commercials would offend vegans. And health food commercials would offend those who eat beef and pork. All of this would seriously limit the number of commercials that could be aired, because of the constant threat of offending some group... Hey! Wait a minute. Less commercial time? Fewer products on television? This might not be such a bad trend, after all. Me? I'm offended by feminine hygiene products, because I feel like we, as men, are being left out of a whole market. There are entire grocery store aisles dedicated to women's products. And men? We've got a 2'x5' display in the soap aisle, featuring nothing but deodorant and shaving cream. So, let's get all those offensive ads off the television. I would say that we could work on stupid people next, but that would eliminate 95% of what's on television between the commercials. Either we could deal with all of these issues...or, we could just develop a sense of humor, learn to laugh at ourselves, and try to enjoy life a little bit. Unless, of course, that offends somebody...