I saw a headline that Tony Romo is “under fire” for comments about Aaron Rodgers.
I don’t know what he said and I don’t care. I despise this sorting and filtering and examination of everything everybody says. If he said something weird, … so what? There’s no reason to care. He provides good commentary on football games. If he happens to say goofy stuff, laugh and get over it.
Can’t we give people a little grace?
People take offense far too often and far too seriously.
First, I wholeheartedly agree that people are way too sensitive these days…on all sides. This is another symptom of the social sickness within our culture.
That said, in a culture that says it values free speech (with social media to enable it broadly), we have to expect that if someone comments on a “hot topic” it’s likely going to get some blowback. People are free to make whatever statements they desire but those hearing have just as much right to express their views too.
The solution to bringing the cultural temperature down might be two-fold. Before speaking, people may want to consider if something “really” needs to be said publicly and the potential consequences. As well, say in a way that’s as reasonable as possible. After all, you never have to “explain” nor “apologize” for things you don’t say. Also, people don’t always have to respond harshly. They can just chalk it up to someone’s opinion, even if they disagree. If they feel they must respond publicly, it should be done with as much grace as feasible. If each side “did unto others as they would have others do unto them”, we might see a bit less of these public squabbles.
I agree with you, but if you’re someone who has to talk a lot for a living, often off the cuff, and often in dialogue with others, it’s probably really easy to say something that is better left unsaid, even with the best of intentions to be careful. I don’t envy people who have to spend hours at a time on a regular basis, filling air time and talking to other people on the air and also think about the fact that anything they say that comes off the wrong way could turn into national news.
Agreed. Yet, I’d consider the situation you described as an occupational hazard. Just like a surgeon is human and prone to error, the role requires consistent precision. Having a bad day can lead to catastrophic consequences (despite not having malicious intentions).