People today are too easily offended

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Chelsea Burnett, Reporter

Some people involved in Twitter drama and online rampages take the phrase “don’t make a mountain out of a molehill” and ignore the vital “don’t.” Neutral statements are nitpicked until something offensive is unearthed. Things that occur naturally are considered a disgrace. No matter what is said, there is always a group of people that get offended.

In today’s world, it seems as if there is always a big controversy being discussed, because someone said something about a general idea or thought and someone else got personally offended by it. The commercial with Kevin Hart is an example of this increasingly common situation.

During the Super Bowl on February 7th, Kevin Hart, the comedian, was in a Hyundai commercial that depicted Hart’s daughter going on her first date. Like any dad, Hart is worried about his daughter. He offers his car to the boy who comes to get the girl. Hart then used his car tracker and followed them on the date. Anytime the boy would make a move on the girl, Hart would appear in the most unexpected places. The commercial was completely harmless and, naturally, Kevin Hart made it comical. However, some people found the fatherly concern offensive and said things similar to what @katie_barnes3 said on Twitter, “Because patriarchal control of a girl’s virginity is still cool in the 21st century.” or what the NARAL,  the National Abortion Rights Action League, retweeted from Megan Averell, “Wow, creepy #Hyundai is offering fathers a way to be paternalistic and overbearing to their daughters.” The NARAL is an extremely left-wing group of people. They are a great example of a large group of people who get offended by something easily.

This commercial was an innocent first date for this girl with an exaggeration of a father who wants to protect his daughter, as expected. It was meant to be funny and show the effectiveness of the GPS on the new Hyundais. Instead of being enjoyed for its comic nature, a select few dug a bit too deep, and made it a political statement about whether or not a father has rights to keep an eye on his daughter.

This commercial was not the only time this has happened recently. It has gone as far as having to create safe zones for students on college campuses. As an adult, one needs to have the ability to handle constructive criticism and the ability to get out of their comfort zone and think for various points of view. The topic will not always be something everyone is comfortable with. As Psychology teacher Daniel Jones says,

“If more people assumed positive intentions from others and tried to truly hear one another instead of demonizing people with a different opinion, dialogue would be much more productive.”

Before jumping to conclusions and instead of blowing things out of proportion and taking a magnifying glass to the molehill until it is the new Mount Everest,

“You will rarely get ahead in life by searching for opportunities to get your feelings hurt… that’s not a productive practice,” Jones said.

It is more productive to learn how they think and why and, even if one does not agree with that view, they should respect it without getting offended.