I'm offended by....

I see articles and stories about people who are offended by innocuous occurrences every day. Here are a few examples:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/world/asia/chinese-prom-dress.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/06/california-students-sent-home-wearing-flags-cinco-mayo.html

in an effort to get into the correct frame of mind, I looked up the definition of a few words:

offended (adjective, past tense) resentful or annoyed, typically as a result of a perceived insult.

insulted (verb) past tense; speak to or treat with disrespect or scornful abuse.

The key word here is PERCEIVED. Those who perceive something as insulting are using social and traditional media platforms to bring attention to their causes. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, network TV and radio and also print media outlets are using these "causes" to bring viewership and acceptance into the fabric of the mainstream. The consumers of this separatist content relish in the dissemination of the adopted cause.

The social and traditional media outlets love this because it puts their platform in front of more consumers. They get paid when the number of views increases.

The hard reality is this: these causes announced over social and traditional media outlets are not pertinent to the social discourse; they serve only to create further separation and infighting. They highlight the increasing level of ignorance and lack of accountability among the very people who show up at rallies and shout the slogans.

If you really want to change something for the better, stop blaming others for the situation and look inside yourself to create, present and work toward a positive solution. Do something outside your comfort zone and make your positive action the example for others to follow. This is how leadership works... anything else is just a mob mentality and leads to bickering.

Stop encouraging the negative behavior by social media-ing about your cause because this only further defines and expands our differences. Get out, meet some people, do something other than Insta-Twit-Face-Tubing your opinion. Get your whole brain and body into the cause... not just your thumbs. If you are only willing to share your thoughts and be a member of the mob but not willing to take control and lead by example, then please don't bother sharing... it is clogging up my inbox.