Dermatologists will tell you that sensitive skin can occur from overly dry or injured skin that can no longer protect the nerve endings.  In today’s world, there are so many overly sensitive, thin-skinned people offended by anything and everything. Let’s look at a few recent skin irritations that have hit a nerve:

1-A North Carolina gun store purchased a billboard with pictures of the four Democratic congresswomen that comprise the “squad” with the slogan, “The 4 Horsemen are idiots”, a parody of the horsemen of the apocalypse.  Of course, cries of racisms and criticism from the “Coalition to Stop Gun Violence” saying that the ad was “dangerous”. But these days, any criticism of someone who isn’t a white man is considered racist. To accurately consider the billboard as racist, you would have to assume that the store owner’s criticism was rooted in a belief that all members of a particular race are intellectually inferior.  As opposed to just these four specific members of congress being intellectually inferior. Progressives tend to make the assumption that Trump’s deplorables are motivated by racism. But since we don’t know the background reasoning, it isn’t fair or accurate to call it racist. I think it is fair to say the billboard was specifically criticizing the four members of congress. Only with the assumption, does the racist argument work.  And you know what happens when you assume? Just ask Felix Unger. (Search You Tube if you are too young to catch the reference). And how did the store’s owner respond to being called a racist? He created a bumper sticker version of the billboard to sell in his store. You gotta love American small business ingenuity. 

2-Anytime Fitness (not locally) had a sign in front of their gym which read, “Are you fat and ugly?  Just be ugly.” I am not sure whether it recruited a lot of new members or not, but of course social media exploded with lectures that there is nothing funny about being fat.  Body shaming is a capital crime these days with people claiming the sign was “savage, and horrible beyond explanation”. I thought it was funny; gone are the days when we can laugh at ourselves.  I thought fat people were supposed to be jolly? The gym profusely apologized and cited its policy of being “inclusive”. It was a little mean, but it wasn’t horrible beyond explanation. Of course, if you are fat (I mean curvy) and ugly, I think you’d want a gym that could help solve one of your problems.  Most people, like myself, join a gym to lose weight, so I am sure it seemed like a good idea at the time. But we live in a society where being outraged is normal, so the reaction should be expected.

3-Twitter was enraged again because a pink greeting card with the words “You’re the kind of girl I’d buy flowers for” was being sold next to a blue card with “You’re the kind of boy I’d make a sandwich for”.  Hand wringing quickly followed over “gender stereotypes “and only presenting “two sides of heterosexuality”. I think people on Twitter constantly look for something to be upset about and then are affirmed when millions of strangers also become outraged.  Breaking news: most girls like the color pink and most guys like a nice roast beef sandwich. If you don’t like the card, don’t buy it. The sensitive crowd needs to get over themselves.

4-The fashion gurus over at Forever 21 thought selling shorts with the phrase “Fake News” would be a big hit.  Someone on Twitter complained that it was offensive because it promoted “hatred for journalists”. Of course, people had to comment back on whether it was a right wing conspiracy to get people to support Donald Trump.  I’d bet money that Forever 21 isn’t a supporter of the president. Maybe the problem isn’t the product, but rather the people who use Twitter. Life was simpler before social media, and I kind of miss those days.

5-And finally, the hyper sensitive lawmakers of California have been busy solving the most critical problems in the state.  That’s right, you guessed it, they have recently passed a law creating a new protected class: people with natural hair styles.  I can’t make this stuff up. In order to combat racism, the CROWN act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) adds hairstyles to the list of workplace discrimination protections.  I’m sure this was at the top of everyone’s worries and the geniuses in Sacramento have now addressed it. Time to enjoy their summer break. Maybe someday they’ll deal with the homeless problem in their state.  Nah…that’s too hairy of a problem.