To Whomever, I Hereby Apologize...

In our highly-partisan, highly-charged society, it seems that no matter what anyone says or does these days, somebody, somewhere will be offended.

It matters not whether the offender intended to offend.  It appears that now the offendee is the one who calls the shots as to whether an offense in all actuality took place.  And often the offender doesn't even know that he offended, or that an offense took place.  And the words or deeds that offend today, will be superseded by new and different offenses that will be unfurled tomorrow.  And you won't know what they are until you use one, and then it will be too late.  And just as often, he/she/it will have to read about the offense they committed on social media.  And then apologize profusely for an extended period until the offendee accepts it.  If he/she/it ever does...

Just think:  You tell an off-color joke around the water cooler to the horror of a passing snowflake.  Or you open the door for a woman and are scathingly rebuked for your transgression.  Or you refer to someone by their gender and they get the vapors, having decided that they are devoid of gender.  (That last one is especially common here in California, where folks are increasing unaware of exactly which gender they are). Or you're just a political enemy and no matter what you do, it will result in somebody taking offense.  

Example?  Sure.  So Trump calls North Korea's dictator Kimmie Jung the Un "Little Rocket Man" in response to its provocations.  The Leftoids among us, from members of Congress to Hollyweird celebritards, to the blow-dried talking heads on CNN/MSPMS/NPR/Alphabets, were horrified!  They thought that The Trumpster would get us into a nuclear war, like right now!  

But the tough talk turns into warm words and high-level meetings and a planned summit in June (see "Art of the Deal.").  The Leftoids said, "No, you're moving too fast!"  Or, "No, you can't trust them!"  Or, "You're just a businessman, what do you know about diplomacy?"  But then the Chinese got involved and NoKo started talking tough again and Trump called off the summit.  And the Lefties were horrified!  "You blew it, Trump," they said.  "It's your fault the summit was called off," they say.  Or, "You had a chance to end the Korean War and you were outfoxed!"  Or, "You said all the wrong things," or "You didn't say any of the right things."  Yada, yada, yada...

But then The Un-Man feels the heat of an impending nuclear war under his collar and wants to restart the summit.  And the commies, predictably, wail in shock and anger because they had their talking points all worked out and Trump ruined them by wanting to end the Korean War!   

It's said you can't make all the people happy all the time.  But anymore, it seems you can't make anybody happy any of the time, especially if you're on polar opposite political extremes.  

And the eternal understanding between the sexes that has always held that guys hit upon babes, and that babes are damned happy to be hit upon, recognizing that weddings and babies and family units tend to spring forth from such "co-mingling of assets," has come to a screeching halt!  Now, if you compliment a hot babe for being hot, you'll likely be slapped, then arrested for harassment, tried, convicted, lose your job, go to the Gray Bar Hotel for a nice, long reeducation period, and then be puked forth back into society a much chagrined and forever chastened, mere shadow of your former self.  

But maybe you'll be able to share a cell with Harvey Weinstein...

So the net result is that guys, who never understood women in the first place, are even more terrified of them now.  They never knew what to say.  And now they don't know what not to say!  And thus, the chasm between the sexes, all 27 of them, has grown inordinately wide.

Now one answer to this perplexing problem is to be old.  I'm fond of telling anyone who will listen that when you reach my exalted age, you can say anything to anyone at anytime for any reason, and nobody gives a s**t.  But a few years shy of my particular circumstance and you'd best tread on eggshells or you'll offend some snowflake somewhere.  And I find it extremely entertaining.

Soooooo, in this day and age where people identify as someone or something else, and people don't know which bathroom to use, and folks are punished for what they say, or didn't say, by those to whom they said it, or didn't say it, if you're not confused, you're just not paying attention...