a penny for your thoughts
This post can go lots of different directions. I feel that to be politically correct, I need to acknowledge all of the directions.
First, I could talk about the economic efficiency of dropping the penny from our currency. I, however, don't really want that to happen, since I once bought a pair of jeans at Nordstrom Rack for a penny (yes, totally not kidding. I saved the receipt) and a pair of dog boots for a penny at PetSmart. I think we should just make the penny with something that costs less (beats me what. trash?) Or continue to allow 1 cent increments in this electronic-money world.
Then I could bring in the "Take a penny, Leave a penny" philosophy that lots of stores have. It's a great little encouragement for human kindness. Once, a guy at an airport gave me a penny and I wasn't even purchasing anything. I think it works because (as mentioned above), a penny is pretty
much useless, but the gesture of giving money voluntarily is still nice [with the caveat that you should not be stingy to the Salvation Army guys].
But really, I wanted to talk about voicing thoughts while still giving others room to have the floor [in case you didn't catch it, that's a pun. you're welcome]. It seems that a lot of offense comes from miscommunication, which stems from incomplete or inadequate expression of thoughts. If anyone cares to have my two cents, here it is: maybe we should start offering people an infinitesimal bribe to get their thoughts and feelings. Since one side asked, theoretically that side should not take offense for the feedback; and since the other side gets monetary compensation (but insignificant enough to almost make it value-less) and input, they should be happy too.
Whether this actually works, I don't know, and I don't actually care if people do it or not, but something needs to happen to acknowledge that situations can have many different perspectives, and that some (if not all) of them can be correct. In efforts to be politically correct, it seems that individuals AND organizations ignore opposing views. Haley Sweetland Edwards discussed this sticky 'free speech' issue in the latest TIME magazine, noting that everyone should have the "sometimes crushing but always formative experience of discovering that you disagree, deeply and fundamentally, with a friend, and then deciding to stay friends anyway. It is a crucial lesson for anyone living in a pluralistic democracy."
Of course there are absolute truths. The Declaration of Independence that started this nation referred to God-given rights as self-evident truths. But if we find that people aren't buying the self-evident (to us, anyway) truths, that is not the time to, as Edwards remarks, "jettison intellectual engagement in favor of an emotional response, to prize feelings over reason, to intimidate, rather than engage with, those who would disagree."
It's near impossible not to give offense to someone out there, so let's just aim for reasonably non-offensive and be open for discussion.
Let's put those pennies to good use.
First, I could talk about the economic efficiency of dropping the penny from our currency. I, however, don't really want that to happen, since I once bought a pair of jeans at Nordstrom Rack for a penny (yes, totally not kidding. I saved the receipt) and a pair of dog boots for a penny at PetSmart. I think we should just make the penny with something that costs less (beats me what. trash?) Or continue to allow 1 cent increments in this electronic-money world.
much useless, but the gesture of giving money voluntarily is still nice [with the caveat that you should not be stingy to the Salvation Army guys].
But really, I wanted to talk about voicing thoughts while still giving others room to have the floor [in case you didn't catch it, that's a pun. you're welcome]. It seems that a lot of offense comes from miscommunication, which stems from incomplete or inadequate expression of thoughts. If anyone cares to have my two cents, here it is: maybe we should start offering people an infinitesimal bribe to get their thoughts and feelings. Since one side asked, theoretically that side should not take offense for the feedback; and since the other side gets monetary compensation (but insignificant enough to almost make it value-less) and input, they should be happy too.
Whether this actually works, I don't know, and I don't actually care if people do it or not, but something needs to happen to acknowledge that situations can have many different perspectives, and that some (if not all) of them can be correct. In efforts to be politically correct, it seems that individuals AND organizations ignore opposing views. Haley Sweetland Edwards discussed this sticky 'free speech' issue in the latest TIME magazine, noting that everyone should have the "sometimes crushing but always formative experience of discovering that you disagree, deeply and fundamentally, with a friend, and then deciding to stay friends anyway. It is a crucial lesson for anyone living in a pluralistic democracy."
Of course there are absolute truths. The Declaration of Independence that started this nation referred to God-given rights as self-evident truths. But if we find that people aren't buying the self-evident (to us, anyway) truths, that is not the time to, as Edwards remarks, "jettison intellectual engagement in favor of an emotional response, to prize feelings over reason, to intimidate, rather than engage with, those who would disagree."
It's near impossible not to give offense to someone out there, so let's just aim for reasonably non-offensive and be open for discussion.
Let's put those pennies to good use.
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