Express Yourself

Adults can have an argument without seeming passionate, or having a punch-up. Does that mean we should all become unresponsive? Is that maturity? Mankind's uncaring nature has led to global warming, overcrowded prisons, more accessible illegal drugs .... So why should we "laugh off" the important concept of communication. It's what puts us above monkeys. If we can solve the problems with communication, anything's possible.

The world would be a better place if people told each other when they'd been offended, because then at mink lashes least people have the chance to learn what's appropriate. Often it would only take a facial expression to show the comment wasn't appropriate, but that doesn't usually happen, because people's insecurities lead them to suppress a feeling of discomfort. That's a problem. A teenager being forced into appearing unsusceptible to pain is inevitably going to add to their hostility and aggression. Just "laughing it off" isn't resolving anything. These troubles build up until released in a nervous breakdown, or backlash at somebody else - therefore fuelling a vicious circle of undying cruelty, and mental illness. Some poor sod halfway through the day will get in your way in the common room and be shoved into their coffee, who will then argue with his girlfriend in a mood, who will then scream at her dad, who'll then get depressed and drain the wife's empathetic energy, who'll lash out at work when tired...... and get fired.

Ideally, no-one would ever say anything offensive. But this idea creates more problems. In places where there isn't freedom of speech, in Zimbabwe, in Saddam's Iraq, persecution and oppression is rife. Britain is a more diverse and democratic society because of an open-mindedness, moulded by a multitude of opinions.

So if we have to listen, we must be critical of what we hear. We have to stop suppressing our feelings. Today, it's become trendy to be carefree, laid back, cool. Tomorrow, people must speak out if they notice somebody's being offensive, because the victim might be unable to. But make sure the receiver is genuinely upset before making allegations, because false accusation is a forthright and unrectifiable insult. If the insulter is arrogantly defensive over their statement, we've taken a step in the right direction, because at least they're not suppressing that annoyance. They might even learn from it.