“A couple of weeks ago I chronicled my boredom with media, with our talking-head culture, and most particularly with the predictability of what passes for punditry, these days. Most of the people to whom we give willing (or unwilling) access to our ears and our time have become so incapable of thinking beyond their programming or of moving away from their preferred scripts, that there often seems little reason to turn on the news, pick up a paper or even check a combox. We all know what everyone is going to say, all the time.
“ . . . Amid all the predictability, though, nothing bores me more than the phrase ‘that offends me,’ uttered by a person who decides to define himself (or herself) according to some aspect of that self — as a fat person, a thin person, a vegetarian person, a meat-loving person, a Christian person, an atheist — and then presumes to ‘take offense’ at things, on behalf of all the people in the world who share some form of that defining characteristic.”
In a recent commentary, writer Elizabeth Scalia reflected on being comfortable with one’s self and on the little mortifications we consent to that help us learn who we are and remind us who we serve.
To access Ms. Scalia's complete post, please visit:
The Anchoress: “As THIS sort of person, THAT offends me…” (2 JUL 12)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment