Sarah Palin: An Example of What's Wrong with America

Sarah Palin is relatively new to the spotlight, so maybe I should cut her some slack when she can't handle being picked on by the late night crowd. But then, she's the latest fussbucket in a long succession of politicos who are always offended.

And that's a problem.

See, people have the freedom to speak their minds in America (so long as such speech does not constitute a "clear and present danger"). You think Obama smells like cheese and oughta go soak his head? Go right ahead and say it. You think the Queen of England is an alien, and you'd like to see her sent back to Mars? You're certainly free to say as much. Go America, right?

But for, oh, the past 30 or 40 years, that right to say whatever you want, no matter how weird, stupid, wrongheaded, or just plain insane (so long as it doesn't constitute a threat on the lives of others) has been under attack. It used to be the "Liberals," with their insistance on politically correct speech. But more and more, speech has been limited by both sides of the aisle. And the criterion determining what is acceptable speech? "Feelings." How will what you have to say make people "feel?" Will you hurt someone's "feelings" by speaking your mind? Because if so, then you'd better keep your darn trap shut!

The real problem is this: I cannot hurt your feelings, and you cannot hurt my feelings. Our feelings are based on our own thoughts. So when Sarah Palin cried foul because she insisted Letterman's joke targetted her 14 year old daughter (even though the joke doesn't even make sense if understood that way), the fault wasn't Letterman's joke, it was Palin's mindset. Or, in the words of the old proverb, "people who are looking for a fight usually find one."

Now I'm not saying Letterman was completely innocent. He took a cheap shot at an easy target. And really, it isn't Sarah Palin's fault her 18 year old daughter went and got pregnant out of wedlock. Sarah Palin didn't make that decision, her daughter did. It's a low blow and pretty tasteless, and he was right to apologize.

But Sarah Palin needs to come to terms with the fact that this kinda crap is gonna happen to her from now on. She chose to go into national politics. She chose for her name to become a household word. That means being picked on by Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O'Brian, and the rest of the late night crowd. It happened to Bush (both of them), it happened to Clinton, and it'll happen to Obama--just give him time to make a few good goof ups.

Anyhow, to come back to the topic, if I could tell everyone one thing, it would be this: chill out! If someone says something that offends you, just shrug it off. Does it really matter what others say or think about you? Let's get back to being a nation where people are able to say whatever stupid thing is on their minds without fear of being lynched. After all, they're only feelings-there are more important things to worry about, right?