Hotheads

I sometimes think that the politically correct movement is meant simply to give people reasons to get upset about something.

I understand that sometimes people say things that are offensive, but I think sometimes that there are people who are looking to be offended.

Am I saying we shouldn’t be sensitive to others’ feelings?  Of course we should.  And if someone is offended by the things we say or do, we should do our best to avoid it.

However, on the flip side, I think we’d be better off giving people the benefit of the doubt that they’re not trying to offend, more times than not.  Because generally speaking, they’re not.

If we absolutely feel that we can’t let it go, we should confront them with a gentle spirit.

I read a story of an American football player named Terry Bradshaw who came up to the pro ranks at a time when racial tensions were pretty high.

Bradshaw grew up in the south, and had never really been around African-Americans (here’s my politically correct speech) until he turned pro.  And so he used to call them “coloreds.”

One player took him aside, and said, “What do you mean when you call me colored?  Am I green?  Purple?  Red?”

The key thing here was not what this player said, but rather how he said it.  He didn’t come with the attitude of,  “You lousy bigoted #$%^#.”

Rather, he understood that Bradshaw really had no idea that what he was saying was offensive to him.

He wasn’t happy about being called colored, and he confronted Bradshaw about it, but he also gave Bradshaw the benefit of the doubt that he wasn’t trying to be mean or cruel.

On the other hand, you see people like the Ephraimites in the book of Judges who seemed to look for any reason to get offended.

You see this first in chapter 8 when they criticized Gideon for not calling them in the battle against the Midianites.

Now in chapter 12, you see them criticizing Jephthah for not calling them in the battle against the Ammonites and threatening to kill him because of that.

But while Gideon placated their anger, Jephthah didn’t, and ended up battling them, leaving 42,000 of them dead.

What really happened here?  Jephthah claimed that he did ask for their help and didn’t get it.

I’m guessing that the call for help that Jephthah gave was a general one to all of Israel.  And perhaps for whatever reason, Ephraim never got the call.

Now I’m not going to justify what Jephthah did.  He could’ve been more diplomatic as Gideon was.  But it seems to me that the Ephraimites were looking to be offended.

This was the second time that the very same thing happened to them.  They could’ve given Gideon and Jephthah the benefit of the doubt that they weren’t trying to offend them.  But rather, the Ephraimites chose to take offense.

And in the case of Jephthah, it cost them.

How about you?  Are you quick to take offense at what people do or say?

Remember what the apostle James said,

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  (James 1:19-20)

In other words, be quick to listen to the other person’s side, be slow to accuse them, and be slow to anger.  Don’t assume the worst of people, assume the best.

And if you must confront them, then do it, “speaking the truth in love.”  (Ephesians 4:15)

Being quick to anger will only lead to trouble as the Ephraimites learned to their own sorrow.