Voicing opinions should be grounds for discussion not dismissal

Stan Smith
Staff reporter

I am afraid to live in America, where my goal is to eventually be a professional journalist. The reason? Jeremy Lin, Ozzie Guillen, Kate Upton, and Rush Limbaugh.
It seems that in today’s world, everything is offensive. America was shocked and appalled when a former ESPN correspondent called Lin’s defense on the basketball court a “chink in the armor.”
Ozzie Guillen, the skipper for the Miami Marlins who is notoriously outspoken and controversial, showed Miami just that when he said he declared his admiration for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
Even actress Kate Upton is catching grief for a “nunkini” she wore in a scene from The Three Stooges. Rush Limbaugh is Rush Limbaugh. Do I need to explain?
Conflict surrounds us. What should be simple discussions often end in heated fights and I can not figure out why. We have all got an opinion, and we all have a right to stand up for our beliefs. That is respectable, but there is a time and place to take action.
In a recent example, a woman was offended by a hoodie I own. While I’m grateful she didn’t go all George Zimmerman on me, I wish she would have just kept to herself. I was not bothering her, as I was simply pumping some gasoline. She had to cross three parking stalls to get in my face and tell me that my hoodie was offensive to her and her religious beliefs. She felt that I needed to take it off immediately.
I am not a religious person. I do not believe in a god. I do not believe in a devil. I do not care for atheism or anything regarding the matter. I simply had a special, limited edition hoodie from my favorite band. It just so happens that the graphic on the front of it contained a large pentagram.
It was a chilly night, and I needed the warmth it provided. How is that offensive?
I smiled, told the lady to have a good night, hopped in my truck, and drove away.
I don’t know what has been slipped into our water supply, but America has become a nation of cry babies that forgot exactly how blessed we really are.
We have the freedom to express ourselves. We have the freedom to believe what we want. We have the freedom to attain happiness, as long as we fall within the lay lines of the law.
America has forgotten what our ancestors fought and died for.
My father, a conservative American soldier from Louisiana, son of a Baptist deacon, and husband to a Catholic woman is okay with how I dress.
He was also caught off guard by the gas station woman’s actions.
It is not like I was at the lady’s church painting pentagrams on the walls. I am just a fan of death metal bands, and Satanic imagery has surrounded rock music since its inception.
My father knows that he raised me to be a good man, and to turn the other cheek. He understands that we are all different. He loves individualism so much that he willingly decided to defend our country’s way of life in battle so that I could wear a stupid hoodie. He was proud of the way I handled the situation. My dad is currently stationed near Miami, where the local Cuban American community is calling for Ozzie Guillen’s head after he made his remarks regarding Castro.
I hope that every one of you stops for a second when you find yourself offended by what someone is doing.  I want you to remember our veterans, and then I want you to get over your differences with that person without saying a word. You live in America. Celebrate your differences and act like an American.