The title of this article over at WJON, “Do You Find This Sweater Target Is Selling Offensive?” seemed interesting enough but I almost passed it up for one entitled “Female pilot reveals airport employee mistook her for flight attendant: ‘I’m offended for you’”.

Heck, I’m offended on her behalf, too!

Not really.

I’m glad I clicked over to read the first one though because Baxter summed up the state of offendedness in the world today brilliantly.

I don’t really remember a time when so many people were offended by something just about all the time. Jokes, memes or just about anything it seems is probably going to offend someone. The funny thing is that it’s usually someone being offended on behalf of someone else.

Honestly, I could have written this myself! I don’t recall a time when everyone was so easily offended, either, and while it’s easy to blame the internet and social media, we can’t discount that this was foretold to us in the bible.

Jesus warned us that “In the last days, MANY shall be offended…”. I’m paraphrasing here, but it’s what he said. So obviously we’re in the last days because I can’t imagine the masses becoming any more offended than they are now. He knew we’d devolve into these thin-skinned, easily provoked cry babies who can’t handle anything that might be perceived as an offense. And not just a personal one, many of us get offended on the behalf of others which is totally insane!

Wait, am I allowed to say “insane”? Oh, who cares, that’s what it is. He continues:

It’s gotten so bad that comedians lately have been refusing to perform on college campuses. It seems instead of enjoying a few laughs, the audiences are looking for something to offend them. It’s just humor and most jokes are at the expense of someone. I’m Norwegian and grew up hearing Norwegian jokes constantly and I never once felt offended by any of them.

Boy can I relate to this. Not the Norwegian thing but as a blonde, I grew up hearing one blonde joke after another. And I’m short, so I had to endure jokes about short people, too!

Did I get offended?

Actually, I did. Especially that stupid song by Randy Newman about how ‘short people got no reason to live’. What the hell? So I have no value just because I’m short? Seriously??!!

Still, I shouldn’t have been bothered by it because now I know it’s just a joke. Kind of like Randy Newman’s career, but I digress.

Baxter continues:

Anyway, Target stores started selling this sweater in 2015. It’s a sweater that has the letters OCD and underneath in says “Obsessive Christmas Disorder”.  Evidently a lot of people complained to Target Corporation about the sweater being offensive to people suffering from OCD and mental illness.

I understand that many people suffer from some degree of OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. In fact, I think many of us have a few obsessive compulsive tendencies. I realize that some cases can be pretty severe.

I guess my point is that if you are offended, that’s one thing but to complain thinking someone else might be is really none of your business.

Baxter totally nailed it. This is so much bigger than a stupid Christmas sweater. It’s just one example of how this whole being offended thing has gotten out of control. It’s like a virus or the plague. One that doesn’t just affect short, blonde people or even Norwegians, but everyone.

Maybe even you.

If so, knock it off. Unless of course you don’t want Jesus to hurry up and return to save us from our offended selves and to punish the offenders including Randy Newman for that stupid, stupid song! It wasn’t even good. Or funny. 😒

Now it’s stuck in my head though.

Ugh.