Is Being Offended REALLY Bullshit?!?!

One of the more popular phrases touted by host of Adam Vs. The Man, Adam Kokesh, is “Being Offended is Fucking Bullshit!”. Adam has this phrase on shirts, bright pink with a middle finger firmly planted in your face for good measure. After spending some time interning with the AVTM crew I found myself contemplating whether or not I believed this idea, or perhaps maybe there are certain actions which warrant an individual being offended.

We have to ask ourselves if there is anything sacred in this world. Sacred is defined as “considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspiring awe or reverence among believers in a given set of spiritual ideas”. For the context of this piece I am referring to an object as sacred if considered worthy of respect or devotion, whether spiritual or not.

I personally consider Buddhist teachings and Shamanic practices to be sacred, important, valuable, and worth not forgetting. This, of course, is my own subjective conscious experience. Another individual may very much enjoy blaspheming my beliefs while holding their own on a pedestal. One person’s sacred is another persons dinner joke.

So then, is it wrong for me to feel offended when someone says “Shamans are crazy savages who lack any real insight”? No. We can not, and should not seek to suppress or control our emotions. My being offended has to do with attachments I have place on certain ideas (more on that in another post), and the person professing such beliefs owes me nothing, save for some common decency and respect.

Be offended all you want. However, do not ask for or support self-censorship. That is bullshit. We are not doing each other any favors by being polite and politically correct. If we are not free to speak our mind without fear of reprisal are we free?

I bring this issue up related to a recent Facebook post I made on my personal page. I witnessed a dear friend smoking cigarettes after trying to quit several times. I vented my frustration on FB, and I’ll admit it was not the most respectful statement I have ever made. Within hours my post was stormed with disgruntled smokers, and non-smokers who thought I had crossed some line by airing my concerns.

Honestly, I think smoking cigarettes (especially the quality most American’s consume) is horrible. I would not want to date someone who does, but I am not calling for government regulation of cigarettes just because I have an opinion. Tobacco in it’s pure form is a tool of Shaman’s and has displayed some hallucinogenic properties (READ: The Cosmic Serpent). The tobacco most people smoke however is not pure.

So in expressing my opinion on that subject many people who usually support me seemed to be questioning whether they should move on and abandon their support of my activism. Should I censor myself and limit my rantings to subject matter that won’t offend anyone? Should I only stick to the topics that I know are going to advance the cause of Freedom? Definitely not.

I apologize if I have not always expressed myself respectfully, but remember my opinions and beliefs are mine. If you feel offended by someone else expressing themselves you are allowing their beliefs and possibly your attachment to them to have control over you. We have to continue to build each other up and work to move past our insecurities and fears so we can start to be honest with each other without taking offense.

I did not become an activist to be popular. I did not start taking action because I thought it would get me online friends. I am not going to restrict myself because of a fear of a loss of subscribers or Facebook friends. If we want to evolve the human race it has to start on the individual level. That means each of us being honest, and respectful, first to ourselves and then those around us.

I am not in this for the friends, I am in this to change the world. I am not a Celibertarian, I am here to overthrow the government and then make the very idea of it irrelevant. Let’s work together or at the very least show respect for each others ideas and actions.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

IF YOU CAN SEE THIS YOU ARE THE RESISTANCE.

– DB

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Catch Derrick Broze on air 2 times a week. Tuesday’s from 6-8 pm on Local Live Houston, and Sundays from 2-4 pm on Orion Talk Radio.

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