In today’s society, political correctness and sensitivity to subjects have reached an all-time high. There are times when I wonder, “If I swat that fly, will I get sued?” I don’t know when it started to become so intense, but things that were on TV five years ago would be instantly cut from the script nowadays. Anyone who has a voice also has to have a filter – a very strong filter.

Just because you aren’t in the media’s eye doesn’t mean you are safe. Sure, Kayne West got a huge reaction when he acted like a tool…every time he acted like a tool. Sure, Tom Cruise got a huge reaction when he jumped up and down on Oprah’s couch, proclaiming love for Katie Holmes and Scientology. Sure, Bush got a huge reaction every time he…well, spoke. We aren’t famous (not yet), but the things we say or do could still get a huge reaction.

On any college campus, there is bound to be a moment when you walk past someone and hear them talking about something you disagree with or think is rude. Half of the time, you overhear someone saying something racist or sexist and the other half of the time you know that you walked in on the wrong part of the conversation. Do you brush off what you heard, chalk it up to friends joking around or something you don’t need to worry about? Or do you become offended and let it bother you the rest of the day? Maybe you sit there and wonder, “Don’t those kids know that what they are saying can be heard by other people?”

But when you are with your friends, are you measuring everything you say and do? Sure, if your grandma is sitting at the table, you refrain from shouting, “That’s what she said.” But do you look around before you blurt out any kind of joke, making sure that you are in the company of friends only? While I’m sure some kids do this, I refuse to – honestly, I don’t think I could if I tried.

I enjoy making fun of a celebrity who has committed the ultimate social faux pas as much as the next person. On top of this, I enjoy “That’s what she said” jokes and many other jokes that are completely inappropriate. I also have been known to occasionally jump on the bandwagon when I think someone has said something really offensive. But in the end, don’t we all just need to learn how to have thicker skin? I believe that no one out there truly wants to have everything they said analyzed and scrutinized. It leaves no room for error, and that’s what life is all about. No, that’s not deep, that’s pretty much a fact.

These days, words don’t mean what they used to. Actions don’t mean what they used to. When you make someone else’s joke or word choice personal, you are really just putting a lot of time and effort into being angry and offended, but you can’t make someone take back what they said and you can’t change how society accepts these jokes or word changes. When your roommate jokes, “I’m going to murder you tonight,” you don’t break down in tears because you know someone out there has been murdered. You know that that has really happened and it’s horrible, but you also know that society is saying that this phrase is acceptable. Everyone has had something bad or embarrassing happen to them and everyone has probably heard a joke or a word that offended them or made them take it personally because of a previous event.

But why let it affect you? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that 90 percent of the time, the person speaking didn’t mean to offend you and had no idea that you would take it so hard. The person may not even be speaking to you. So, why would you think the comment was directed toward you? Maybe you shouldn’t make it about you.

It’s a personal choice. Sometimes, maybe you have to stand up for something that you don’t think should be said. But in the end, there will always be something said that you don’t like. So I suggest growing thicker skin and laughing it off.