some advice i really need to listen to myself.

Seems like you can't check Facebook or read a paper these days without hearing about the latest 'outraged offense' or insipid apology for some offense someone may have caused.

You know what? Bullshit.

Most of the time, offense is TAKEN, not forced on us.

Seriously. I'm guilty of this. It may not be a conscious or deliberate choice to feel offended, but I do make a choice to allow it to affect me, I do make a choice to respond, I do make a choice every time I play that remark or image over in my head.

The Outraged Offense Game is being played everywhere -- by politicians, by the media, by social media -- and we're buying into it, by being offended and then demanding the object of our disgust or anger should apologise. Then we feed each other on our outrage, and the next thing you know, there's a full-scale brawl and people are getting more and more offended, and feeling hurt, and attacking one another, and most of the time it's ABOUT CRAP.

Let's just STOP.

If you feel offended, OWN IT. Say, I TAKE OFFENCE -- not YOU HAVE OFFENDED ME. Stop being a victim. Take back some power over your own emotions.

And let it go, unless it's truly worth fighting over.