Oops, I did it again …. I posted something on my personal FB page that happened to offend.
This time I’ve seemed to have upset another fragile soul who didn’t quite get the point nor understood the tongue and cheek humor that sometimes (OK, many times) is woven into my posts and articles.
And once again, I’m left banging my head against my very hard cherry wood desk wishing it had a built-in cushion and wishing I had purchased stock in Advil.
Apparently, the post I wrote was deemed offensive enough to have banished me to the netherworld of the unfriended by an individual whom my post wasn’t even referring to. Perhaps my post had accidentally uncovered a bit of truth that they weren’t comfortable with facing and instead of being honest with themselves, they decided to shoot the messenger. And, I just happened to be that messenger.
My personal FB post spoke about my inability to point out the lunacy of hypocrisy about an issue that was going on in my community and how frustrating it was for me as an HOA board member to deal with the contradictory statements from residents. I was careful not to call out any particular individual. As a rule, I know who my “friends” are and who can see my posts and wouldn’t post or say anything that would be deemed to personally target them. As a writer, I may on occasion draw inspiration from non-social media friends who drive me nuts and will weave their unique personalities into my characters, but still, will not personally “out” them.
It’s a mad, mad world and I’m just making my crazy way through it
It must have been a full moon when I made my post because it seemed to have spawned its own unique category of lunacy, causing this individual to misinterpret the message as a political post (which it wasn’t) and a personal attack (which it wasn’t).
Sometimes I feel as if I just can’t win with some people – and that’s OK. I’ll continue to buy Advil in bulk.
Sometimes I ask myself, “Seriously if this upsets you, I wonder what a real issue might do to your psyche?”.
And then sometimes, I just want to sing at the top of my lungs and channel Ms. Brittany:
Oops, I did It again.
I wrote a new post, that went over your head
Ooh Baby Baby
You took great offense, but that’s not what I said
This post isn’t political …….
As a writer, I often wrestle with issues relating to life and relationships. This requires me to be honest and to share what is happening in my world so that I can connect with others on a deeper emotional level. Sometimes, when I reveal the truth about my personal frustrations or write about the craziness of my life, I occasionally seem to strike the wrong chord with an acquaintance.
Usually, this acquaintance hasn’t had the time to get to know me, didn’t take the time to read my prior writing, or had the opportunity to borrow my humor-rimmed glasses and view the funny and sarcastic side of life — which leaves me here banging my head.
Miss Understood … Those will be the words scrawled across my satin sash as I adjust my rhinestone encrusted tiara and stumble down the runway of life.
The thing is, I’m not alone — especially those of us who write for a living — with being blamed for offending another person’s feelings. The world has turned itself upside down and inside out creating an overly sensitive society that needs to walk on egg shells around everyone. It’s gotten so bad that when the truth is pointed out in a non-biased way and the double standards are exposed, it sometimes causes a meltdown in relationships with one party taking their “ball” and storming off the playground leaving the rest of the team shaking their heads in confusion.
If the truth hurts, then grab a bedazzled designer suit of armor and carry on.
A local blogger, whom I enjoy reading her gutsy “in-your-face, witty no-holds-bar” articles, recently faced a similar offensive situation when she wrote an article poking fun at the modern-day, affluent, celebrity-worshiping, narcissistic 50-year-old women who serial post like 15-year-old girls. Needless to say, this brilliantly-written, slightly sarcastic article caused such an uproar that it offended not just one person but instead inflamed a slew of women who grabbed their gold designer pitchforks with their freshly manicured hands and proceeded to storm the castle. Each had actually believed the article was written about her.
What I found most amusing about the article was that it could have described any one of every fifth woman in my town. I suppose one must be truly narcissistic in order to think that an article written about narcissistic women could actually be written about them – irony at its finest.
Can we stop the madness and lighten up a little bit?
Getting back to my dilemma and back to belting it out with Ms. Brittany (just hit me) one more time,
Oops, I did It again.
I wrote a new post, that went over your head
Ooh Baby Baby
You took great offense, but that’s not what I said
I’m not that political …….
OK, so what was so offensive in the first place? Most likely it was the fact that I was explaining how hypocritical it is to publicly support a social issue, but harbor a completely different viewpoint when it comes to your personal life. The offense was stating the truth, “you can’t have it both ways”. It wasn’t a post supporting one political party’s view over another (although my example exaggerated a current political situation in a humorous light). It was a post pointing out the truth about hypocrisy and trying to make sense of it all.
The truth is, we will at some point in our lives inadvertently offend people and, at other times in our lives, have someone offend us. And, honestly, we need to learn to be a little less sensitive and learn to see another person’s point of view.
What goes around, comes around
So when a time comes that your post, share or comment happens to offend someone whom it was never about, remember to channel your inner Brittany and sing along with me:
Oops, I did It again.
I wrote a new post, that went over your head
Ooh Baby Baby
You took great offense, but that’s not what I said
I’m not that political …….
If you’re a member of the Offender’s Society like I now am, please feel free to leave a comment, like and share this article and follow me on social media by clicking on the links below.
