No matter the differences, treat others with respect

editorialThe other day, I was talking to my friend about a band he liked, called Whirr. My friend told me he no longer supported them because of some Twitter comments they had made.

With how easily offended people seem to be these days, especially on social media, I didn’t expect the comments he was referring to to be that offensive.

Clayton Mitchell
Clayton Mitchell

They were.

The comments were made about an exploding punk band from Washington called G.L.O.S.S., (Girls Living Outside Society’s Shit) whose members are all transgender.

G.L.O.S.S. takes a big stand in the trans movement.

So Whirr (or according to them, one of their friends) said G.L.O.S.S. was just “a bunch of boys running around in panties making shitty music.” Whirr also responded to statistics of transgender suicide attempts by posting, “My mom committed suicide. Why can’t all these trans kids get it right?” Twitter response was generally not positive.

Two responses come to my mind when I read these postings.

First, the comments this band made are offensive and inappropriate. Yes, having a personal opinion and talking about that opinion is a freedom we have in America.

However, it’s up to the rest of us to not buy into that type of hateful speech.

Saying that transgender people are “boys running around in panties” is no different than saying that all religious people are ignorant of science, or that a woman’s place is only in the kitchen.

People should not be attacked for who they are or what they believe.

Secondly, people have become too hypersensitive about social issues.

One tweet exchange between Whirr and a follower was peculiar to me. Whirr tweeted, “There is literally nothing not hilarious about that ‘band’.”

That tweet was followed by a response from a follower that basically said the tweet reeked of misogyny.

Based strictly on what they had tweeted so far, it’s a generalization to assume Whirr members are misogynistic.

People who rally for social justice are not all that different that those who make offensive, prejudiced comments.

Even if they don’t like to admit it, people generally are close-minded —one way or the other.

If one person says he or she doesn’t like gay people based on the Bible, and another person says they don’t like Christians based on the Bible, are those people really that different?

They are both making generalizations about people without looking at the bigger picture: that people in every general category can be good or bad.

Calling out prejudice doesn’t make you a good person, just as going to church doesn’t make you a good person.

You are a good person because you treat others with love and respect — no matter who they are or what they believe.

In short, as I know I’ve said before, hate people on a person-to-person basis.

Group hug anyone?

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