On the Right Not to Be Offended

If you’re an American Christian, you’re probably very angry. You look around and see nothing but deviance, sin, and filth in your country. To make matters worse, the government tolerates it, and even calls you a bigot when you complain. Clearly, something radical needs to be done–fast!

You are effectively asserting a right not to be offended. It is a “right” that doesn’t exist in the Constitution. It has less historical validity than the “penumbral” right to privacy that pisses you off every day of your life. Logically, it should protect your opponents from your views, too, which is hardly what you have in mind. And yet, it drives you to support illiberal political movements, because you think your culture and even your very existence are at stake.

Don’t be surprised if you start seeing oblique references to this “right” in Supreme Court opinions, even from supposedly originalist justices who should know better. It is the ultimate culture war battleground.