There’s a difference between societal rules and actual rules. Calling someone a slut is breaking a societal rule; you shouldn’t slut shame. Peeing in public is breaking an actual rule; you don’t do it because it’s illegal – and for other obvious reasons, but you know what I mean.

Within the past year, it has come to my attention that people are trying to turn societal rules into actual rules.

Political correctness used to be, for example, when someone used an offensive word and you don’t agree with the way in which they used it, you could say, “Hey, this offends me so I would appreciate it if you stop using it around me.” But now it’s “Hey, this offends me, now let’s ban the word entirely.”

If political correctness keeps on tainting free speech at this speed, we can all say adios to our First Amendment rights. Whatever happened to “You can’t please everyone?” It’s true, you can’t. So why is everyone trying?

Who is to say what is right or what is wrong? We all come from different moral backgrounds and upbringings, and different cultures in which certain things are appropriate.

Let’s say for instance, you don’t like to drink. You probably aren’t going to hang around people who heavily drink. No one is forcing you to hang out with them. And you can’t force your lifestyle on them and they can’t force their lifestyle on you. It’s the same thing with language. You can’t force someone to speak and act the way you do. If you want to live your life tiptoeing around sensitive people then fine, but you can’t force others to do the same.

College campuses are supposed to be places where your opinions and beliefs are challenged. And it’s true, there are so many different people from different cultures and backgrounds, so different ideas and thoughts are brought to the table. But if those expressions are shot down in the name of political correctness or because someone got offended, the atmosphere of freedom of thought will be taken away.

Eventually, generations like ours will be so scared to speak up for the fear of being criticized for just voicing their opinion. There’s a difference between criticizing opposing opinions and criticizing the ability to voice that opinion.

Quinnipiac is constantly shoving the idea of being inclusive in our faces while simultaneously excluding people who don’t follow the politically correct agenda. Hate speech and expressing opinions are two different things and if you don’t understand that than you should probably stop reading. One who controls the way one speaks also controls the way one thinks.

University of Washington put out a 6-minute video informing students about making sure your halloween costumes doesn’t offend a culture. The video has over 9,000 views with 68 upvotes and 193 down votes. Even though the school tried to aware students, the overall reaction seemed to be negative.

It’s one thing to defend political correctness when people are malicious, but do you honestly think that someone, especially a young child, who dresses up in an American Indian costume has the intent of being malicious? Little kids don’t dress up thinking, this is a funny costume because it makes fun of the American Indian genocide. That isn’t what people are thinking. Rarely do people dress up to offend another culture or gender.

That right there is the problem, everything can probably be considered offensive by at least one person, does that mean we get rid of the costume or the word or the opinion?

It’s no surprise that the story of our neighboring town Milford trying to cancel Halloween activities in school because of political correctness went viral.

People freaked out and rightfully so. How is it that throughout my entire 21 years of life I was able to dress up as whatever I wanted and now in college I am being put under a magnifying glass, as we all are?

If this isn’t hypersensitivity, then I don’t know what is.