Constant advocating is desensitized society
Those who feel passionately about a conviction certainly have a right to do so.
And those same people even have a right to go after the truth and, when needed, seek the change.
But how far is too far?
The harsh reality is, in our current quest to stand up and push for what we believe is right regarding just about everything and anything in this country and all over the world, are we really creating an atmosphere where the constant advocating is ultimately going to result in a desensitized society?
Take for instance the recent news reports that big box chain retailer Kmart decided to pull a child’s bride Halloween costume from its Australian store shelves. The claim? That the costume was inappropriate because young girls, the age that would fit into that particular costume, according to the claim, are being sold and married off. The move from Kmart came after someone started an online petition that garnered only 124 signatures before the retailer took action.
While we understand that to someone, the costume was offensive or inappropriate, we find this claim a little far-fetched and fail to see how pulling a $6 costume from stores shelves can stop human trafficking. Quite bluntly, it won’t. We fear that Kmart’s quick response to such a claim is a sign of how even the multibillion-dollar companies and the like are going to respond to these types of things going forward. What should be next? One could walk into any retailer and make a similar comment about any item on the shelf.
Finding fault and taking a stand has almost become a trend in this day and age. It’s the thing to do these days. At times, if feels like a game to prove poet John Lydgate wrong that you “can’t please all the people all of the time.” We are losing sight that change isn’t about winning or being right, it’s about making a new reality that makes life better.
We are not suggesting that people stop pushing for equality and unification or not continue to call for change when something truly warrants it.
We understand that companies might want to make changes in an attempt to be more inclusive of all people. We support legislation that would make it illegal to fire someone based on his or her sexual orientation. We encourage a world where there is equal pay among men and women.
But we do feel that it would be advantageous to be a bit more selective in what constitutes offense and what changes would positively affect the masses. In order to win the war, sometimes you just have to pick your battles.
Because if the practice of pushback on absolutely everything, including a costume meant to allow children to pretend to be a princess for one night, becomes that commonplace, people will undoubtedly just stop listening.