It is Better To Be Offended


I spent part of Father’s Day at the movie theater with my son where I was reminded again about how intolerant people have become of things they don’t want to hear/see/smell/experience.

While waiting for the guy behind the counter to bring over our ridiculously overpriced popcorn I got to listen to the guy next to me complain about reality television and rail on about how many bad episodes he had been forced to watch.

I was very curious to find out who forced him to watch these bad episodes because everyone knows that being forewarned is forearmed.

But since I wasn’t certain he was being honest I didn’t ask him for details so I suppose I ought to apologize to my family and friends in advance.

If the bad people come and force you to watch Duck Dynasty, The Kardashians or any other bad reality television I am sorry. I should have asked this guy to tell me about it so that I could have done a better job of protecting you.

The Second Incident

While we were were waiting for the trailers to begin some people in the row behind us started to talk about Game of Thrones.

They were interrupted by the guy sitting next to my son who told them they couldn’t talk about it because he was three episodes behind.

It never would occur to me to go out in public and ask, let alone tell people they couldn’t talk about a particular topic because it would wreck the show for them.

When I heard his request I couldn’t help myself, I told him everyone dies.

It is Better To Be Offended

What these moments made me think of is how we seem to have reached a point in time where people think they they are entitled to never be upset or offended by anything.

Let’s ignore how shallow and sad that is for a moment and move over to this, it is better to be offended.

Why?

I like asking hard questions and thinking about why we do what we do and how we do it.

I like challenging beliefs because it is how we grow as people. That doesn’t mean we have to offend people to do so because that is not true, but there is something to be said about growth coming through discomfort too.

Progress comes because people see opportunity to improve a situation/circumstances or because it is too uncomfortable or painful to continue doing things a certain way.

If you want to fight inertia it is better to be offended than to live in a world that is sterile and sanitized.

What do you think?

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By Joshua Wilner

Hi, I am Josh Wilner and I am happy that you have decided to visit my corner of cyberspace. I am a writer/marketer/friend and family man. My professional background includes more than twenty years in working with businesses to help them do a better job of connecting with their existing and prospective customers. More specifically I have worked with companies of all sizes from the Fortune 500 to the new start up to help them build, develop and grow their social media and marketing plans. I love spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy music, reading, writing, playing sports and laughing.

4 comments

  1. Great line here, inspiring even: Progress comes because people see opportunity to improve a situation/circumstances or because it is too uncomfortable or painful to continue doing things a certain way.
    Love it!
    We have to see and take those opportunities.

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Joshua says:

      Sometimes it is scary to reach for the brass ring and take that chance, but to me it is scarier to let fear of failure win. That is where I see real regret having an impact.

      Reply

  2. I agree, but at the same time I’m thinking of the last time I was at the movie theatre and it was hard to keep watching the movie while listening to the people next to me talking and eating. When this happens, I do get annoyed for a few minutes first, then I start thinking about how different people are and how different experiences we enjoy. I like to sit quiet and watch movies without any sounds other than from the movie, while others like to talk during the movie and doesn’t care much what happens around them.

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Joshua says:

      It makes me a little crazy when people can’t still or be quiet during a movie. There is a balance between doing things to make yourself comfortable and recognizing there are limits to that while in public.

      Reply

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