My daughter calls me a “compassionate conservative,” and I’m on board with that definition. I want everyone to be treated fairly and to have equal opportunities under the law. I tend to accept all people for just who they are without moral or ethical judgement. Now, however, I’m conflicted by all of the actions and reactions surrounding the monumental events of the recent past. Whether they were joyous or tragic, the events seem to have brought out the best in some and the very worst in others. Why is there always an “agenda?” Where do we draw the line on “being offended?”
A few examples:
• The tragic killings in an AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina were met with great sadness by the victims’ friends, families and the 
population in general. In all of their pain the families even offered love and forgiveness to the shooter. Then the agenda of others took over. Banning flying the Confederate flag and gun control rushed to the forefront. This has escalated into talk of tearing down monuments of Confederate Generals and removing their names from streets and thoroughfares throughout the South. Some “offended” citizens have taken it upon themselves to deface and destroy some of these relics of the past. There have been issues with the Confederate Flag for years, but when did that evolve into statues and streets? In the past most people, black, brown or white paid little or no attention to these things. Now they are causes célèbre.
• The Supreme Court imposed the “law of the land” to make marriage between persons of the same sex legal in all 50 states. For the next 72
hours the news was saturated with gay weddings and celebrations throughout the country. Interviews and editorials almost glorified the LGBTI community. In his final comment on the majority of the Court’s Opinion, Justice Kennedy stated that “they ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law.” It almost seems like being a member of the LDBTI community is the new norm, and everyone should join. I wonder what effect this might be having on impressionable young children.
• In Ferguson, Missouri, a young, unarmed black man was shot and killed by a white police officer – another tragedy. One person’s life was taken; another’s possibly irreparably tarnished. In this case there were no prayers of forgiveness; no love for one another; only anger and hatred. Rioting and looting occurred; buildings were burned; and the livelihoods of former friends and neighbors were destroyed. The hatred against white police officers spread throughout the country. No justice, no peace!!! Where was the justice in any of these demonstrations?
Now, here is where I am conflicted. I am a white, Christian, heterosexual, somewhat conservative, definitely compassionate, individual. I have a value system and a belief in right and wrong. I also believe that the Constitution gives me certain “rights in the eyes of the law.” For example, I believe I have the right to be offended if property is destroyed because certain people are angry. I believe I have the right to be offended if people take it upon themselves to deface and destroy relics of a past which have been a part of the history of my country. I believe I have the right to be offended if I am walking down a street in my private town-home community, and hear loud, blaring music wafting out through an open door under three gay pride banners floating in the breeze.
I also believe that most of the people that fit into my demographic, and we are many, have a very similar compassionate “live and let live” attitude. We also willingly ask, “How can I help?” We do not flaunt our Christianity, our sexual preferences, and our race or color. We understand that people of other races, color and sexual preferences have had many obstacles in their paths to equality. What turns our compassion to disgust is the way the media, certain politicians, many university professors, entertainers, and often entire communities force their beliefs on us, and expect us to continue to be supportive. We want to scream, “ENOUGH ALREADY.” Our sensibilities are trod upon, yet we are to remain quiet. If we speak up we are labeled homophobic, racist, or fascist, or who knows what else? Over time we may come to personify those labels, and that would be very sad. As the very people who had been, and would continue to be, supportive, we can easily become so over-saturated with the imposition of others’ beliefs that we either turn a deaf or take an active role in opposition.
Surely there is an answer. I’d love to hear what you have to say.