If saying “Merry Christmas,” a red Starbucks cup or Amy Schumer’s humor offends you, please grow up.

Political correctness has distracted the masses from the actual problem at hand.

While visiting Des Moines, President Obama said he disagreed with college students who “have to be coddled and protected from different points of view.”

It’s a disconcerting epidemic when college students are offended by utterly ridiculous and mindless jargon, yet the controversies still lack intellectual debate and substance.

This sensitivity limits creativity — one of the most important facets of an education.

University of Chicago President Hanna Holborn Gray puts it well: “Education should not be intended to make people comfortable; it is meant to make them think.”

The argument for unnecessary censorship is that one must differentiate between hate speech and protected speech considering the First Amendment.

But to the point where one is more worried about the syntax than possibly groundbreaking ideas, the result is rather counter-intuitive.

Democracy, in its most efficient form, allows for the right to speak even if it inflicts hurt feelings or offense.

What was not intended was a prompt of violence.

The writers of the Bill of Rights didn’t write the First Amendment because they care about your feelings; oddly enough, it was actually written with concerns to your life. So enjoy your life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Newsflash: People will offend you.

When it comes to embracing other people’s point of view, take into consideration this quote by Rick Warren: “The problem is that tolerant has changed its meaning. It used to mean ‘I may disagree with you completely, but I will treat you with respect.’ Today, tolerant means ‘You must approve of everything I do.’ There’s a difference between tolerance and approval… You can be accepting without being approving.”

Hypersensitivity has turned debates about profound issues into a war on words. Let’s stop focusing on political correctness. Let’s talk about things that matter.

Have a Merry Christmas.