Political correctness: It’s a phrase we hear all the time. It’s becoming more and more of a suffocating problem as people’s butt cheeks continue to clench tighter and tighter on a daily basis when they hear something that, for some reason, offends them. I am here to say to all the wistful shrews out there that feel the need to bitch about everything: don’t.

Having been writing and dealing with journalism for many years, I feel that I have developed a thick enough skin, which I think you have to do. In my work at the Post, I receive criticism with increasing regularity. But I don’t care. If people want to feel important by voicing their opinions—however misguided they may be—then more power to them.

What grinds my gears is someone attempting to discredit an opinion simply because they do not agree with it. An opinion cannot be wrong people. If you disagree with it, fine. I know that most people’s opinions are stupid, but I hate when people label opinions as baseless simply to satiate their need for arguments. If you really need a productive way to indulge in your argumentative nature, add Jake Alsko on Facebook and repeatedly tell him to get a job.

The most recent incident with this I’ve encountered came just a few days ago when a young man came forward with a grievance he had with an anti-Valentine’s Day story I recently wrote, citing a passage as being inappropriate or sexually aggressive or whatever. It’s an anti-Valentine’s day story. Of course it’s going to be chock full of bitching, sexual innuendo and more bitching—the story of a hapless man lamenting the holiday that has screwed him over countless times.

Aren’t we college students? Is semi-adult material really too much for people in their 20s? Also, it’s in the satire section of this paper. Anyone who takes any of the garbage I write seriously is probably one of those people who reads Onion articles about dolphins overtaking Manhattan and killing for sport and share them all over social media branding them as the truth.

Free speech is a beautiful thing. So is the Internet. The fact that people can instantaneously post critiques or questions virtually anywhere on the web at any time has created a worldwide discussion that is necessary for the growth of communication. However, too much censorship and butt hurt will only hold us back. Unfortunately, the majority (or at least what seems like the majority) of online commenters, whether it is YouTube, CNN, etc., succumb to the temptation of spouting assumptions about people’s mothers or sexual orientations rather than actually contributing to the conversation.

The percentage of people who actually bring thought-provoking material to the conversation unfortunately is outweighed by insults and threats aimed at the writer’s opinion on something. As a society, we must learn to stop being babies and crying about what other people say. There is a fine line between constructive criticism and crying—unfortunately most keyboard warriors spend their time jerking off on the wrong side of that line.