Cool It With the Crazy

A while back I read a NYT article (in one of the rare moments I deigned to divert my attention from Us Weekly) that was, without a doubt, the most spot-on editorial I have ever read.   His general gist was that we, as Americans, have reached a point where we are offended (feigned or not) at every little perceived slight, effectively diluting that beautiful American freedom - freedom of speech. 

Here at Oh Sugar, Please, we could not agree more.

This particular election season has provided a lifetime's worth of fodder for all these 'grievous offenses'. It seems every time you turn around, someone else is personally offended by what someone said, did, may have said, may have done or just by what the media has decided to say someone's done.

The latest scuffle between Ann Romney and Hilary Rosen provides a prime example of just that. Mrs. Romney was a stay at home mom.  She chose not to pursue a career  and instead opted to raise her  children - decision which is admirable and honorable and which I'm sure, is a choice many more American families would like to make. But when Ms. Rosen said that Mrs. Romney had never worked a day in her life, it sparked a firestorm.

Let's be honest.  Certainly raising children (and in particular, five boys) and running a household is hard work. Not one in their right mind would ever argue that it wasn't.  But in reality, Mrs. Romney hasn't "worked" in the sense of work as earning a livelihood - bringing home a paycheck. She's never experienced the pain of being denied a promotion she deserved or the simple wear and tear of the daily grind.  She never had to decide whether to go to the boys' soccer practice or stay at work because her dictatorial boss doesn't understand "work-life balance."

Does that make Mrs. Romney any less of a good example to her children, a good wife and a good citizen? Absolutely not.  Does that mean that Mrs. Romney is somehow, "out of touch"?  Not at all.  Many American families - regardless of family income - make the the choice to forgoe a second income so that a parent will be able to take care of their children. 

So why were we so offended at this slight?  Is it because we felt that Ms. Rosen was belitting the work of stay-at-home mothers?  Is it because we felt that Ms. Rosen was implying that this was a way in which the Romney family is out of touch with the average American?  Is it because we feel like we shouldn't have to hear things that we don't agree with? 

This isn't the first time that we've been offended by what someone has had to say.   Mitt Romney's comment that he "likes being able to fire people" (horrendously taken out of context by the way) and Ricky Gervais' comedy while hosting the Golden Globes are just a few notable examples. 

Next time we hear something we don't like, before we start crying foul, I plead with you to remember:

"I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Evelyn Beatrice Hall, writing as Stephen G. Tallentyre in Friends of Voltaire