According to the Pew Research Center, 59 percent of Americans believe that people are too easily offended about what others say.

As a result, perhaps one of the most divisive terms in society right now is “political correctness.”

The same study by Pew broke down some of the statistics even further. Sixty-seven percent of black people who were interviewed said that they believe people should be more careful with the language they use, while 30 percent said that people get offended too easily. Interestingly enough, the statistics were completely reversed for white people, as 32 percent said that people need to be more careful and 67 percent said people are offended too easily.

The gender breakdown was intriguing as well. Sixty-seven percent of men believe that people get offended too easily, but women seem to be more sympathetic, as 46 percent of believe people should be more cognizant of their language.

Does anybody else find it odd that the least marginalized demographic in the United States-white males-are the least sympathetic when it comes to the harshness of language that is used?

This is a debate that has always baffled me. To me, it seems simple. You should show respect to people by using language that isn’t offensive to them. I guess that I’m not quite sure why people find that to be such a chore.

Yes, that may require learning. Sorry. Yes, that means you may have to expand your horizons to learn about other cultures. Sorry. Yes, that means you may have to swallow your pride and learn to not be so defensive about the way you speak. Sorry.

I have yet to hear a particularly good reason as to why political correctness is “ruining our country.” In what way?

To me, the argument against PC talk is for people who want to voice their bigoted or offensive opinions, but also don’t want to be called a bigot.

Ironic, no?

Of course, I’m open to debate. I reached out to a couple of my friends and family members who are on the anti-PC side of the spectrum, and I heard a valid point: Conversation has become too surface level.

Take for instance the whole “happy holidays” vs. “merry Christmas” debate. This person doesn’t like when people say “happy holidays” as to not offend anyone because she wants that interaction of cultures to be shared, which is an interesting take. She would prefer someone to say “happy Hanukkah” to her than “happy holidays.”

However, when I asked if anyone had ever responded negatively to a “Merry Christmas” greeting, she said that nobody ever had. Furthermore, in my experience and understanding with this debate has more to deal with companies endorsing specific religions over others, which, unless the company blatantly possesses a specific religious affiliation, shouldn’t really offend anyone.

That brings up the next point: This whole “people are too sensitive” thing may be overblown. Sure, there are probably people who complain just to complain, but on the other side, there are people who are abrasive just to be abrasive.

A majority of the country likely finds themselves in-between these two extremes. Most of the people I spoke to were clearly not racists or anti-LGBT, but they expressed the desire for freedom with their words, and they wanted to be able to say things without offending people.

Of course, non-PC talk shouldn’t be outlawed or banned, as I’m a huge proponent of free speech. However, just because you can say something doesn’t mean that you should.

Essentially, this argument simply boils down to respect.

If a woman identifies more as a man than a woman, and they’ve asked you to change how you identify them, I don’t see why that’s such a hassle.

If people are upset that teachers aren’t allowed to say “boys and girls” anymore, and they now have to use the term “friends,” why is that such a big deal? Is it really life-altering?

I have a hard time believing that political correctness is so terrible. Rather, I see more people too stubborn or arrogant to think their opinions are misguided.