Who complains the most, among all your friends? Who posts the most angry rants to Facebook, gets offended by the most things, and is always shaking their head at work or Thanksgiving dinner about ‘these people, I can’t believe it!’

So who is it? Those with mental health problems? People who are just generally downers, negative about everything? Or maybe it’s those dreaded entitled millennials?

I suspect that, should you pay close attention, it is not one of those people. I suspect that, in fact, it’s the person complaining about ‘entitled millennials’. The one who can’t get through a day without at least twice bemoaning the adverse effect ‘political correctness’ is having on the world. It’s making us all losers and whiners and everyone is offended by everything, you see.

No one complains more about being offended than the guy who is constantly taking shots at those who take offense. This is about to become something you see on your Facebook feed, a lot, thanks to Cleveland beating my beloved Red Sox and getting set to take on Toronto in the ALCS. It has already begun to germinate online, and at the work water cooler, and in the back of your cantankerous uncle’s mind.

We found out, as soon as the Blue Jays knew who their opponent was going to be, that Jerry Howarth, longtime radio broadcaster of the Blue Jays, doesn’t say Cleveland’s nickname on the air. In fact, he hasn’t said ‘Indians’ for twenty years! Some people knew this already. Most of us just never noticed. This flew pretty much under the radar for the better part of two full decades. (Not only does Howarth not say ‘Indians’, he also doesn’t say ‘Braves’, or refer to a meeting on the mound as a ‘pow-wow’.)

The reason for this is that Howarth, during the 1992 World Series, received a letter from an aboriginal fan that pointed out that the Blue Jays’ opponent in that series, Atlanta, had a nickname that made him uncomfortable. And here’s what Howarth did: He considered that person’s opinion. He thought about what they had to say. And after careful consideration he decided he agreed.

Now, the Ontario Human Rights Commissioner has weighed in on the subject, and has urged news outlets not to use the Cleveland team name in their broadcasts. And the backlash has, of course, started – as it always does. People are just looking for a reason to be offended! I know several First Nations people who aren’t offended at all! These politically correct social justice warriors won’t be happy until the whole world is nothing but kittens and lollipops! KALE lollipops because they hate sugar and life itself!

My advice to those people is this: Shut up. Stop talking. Take a breath. And then think about this. Think about what the Human Rights Commissioner is saying, and what Howarth is doing. This is a controversy for a reason. Most things that offend people offend them for a reason. There is an NFL team called the REDSKINS, for crying out loud. The Cleveland INDIANS have a mascot that is maybe the most offensive in pro sports. This isn’t about cultural appropriation (a charge that could be levied at the Braves, Chiefs, Seminoles, etc). It’s about using a term that is considered racist, then mocking that very culture. There is a reason we refer to ‘native’, ‘First Nations’ and ‘aboriginal’ culture, and have dropped the ‘Indian’ moniker. It is because we have progressed as a people.

Here on our radio show, we know that there is one thing we can do that will fill up an entire show – talk about Ottawa drivers. Have you seen someone doing something really stupid on the road? How much do you hate tailgaters? What about those maniac cyclists? People will always pile on and fill the phone lines all morning. But we don’t do that. Because it’s too EASY. It requires no thought, no perspective, and is often not very interesting or informative. The same goes for the knee-jerk ‘stop being offended you wusses’ reaction – it happens a lot because it’s EASY. It requires no thought. And it encounters little resistance because so many like to pile on.

But urge you to give it a little thought before you add your voice to the anti-PC cacophony. And if, after careful and reasoned consideration, you still consider this issue to be nonsense, and those who are offended by this team name and mascot to have no case, I once again give you this piece of advice: Shut up. Because this doesn’t affect you. Should Washington change the name of their football team to appease those who find it reprehensible, it will change nothing in your world. Except, if you’re a fan, you might have to buy yet another new jersey. Should Cleveland do away with their name and mascot, this once again doesn’t affect you in any way. So shut up.

The real subtext of the anti-PC complainers is this: I’ve always used that word, and now you tell me I can’t use it!? Screw you, I’m hanging on to MY word at ALL costs! This is what was said of the n-word for many years. And the f-word for many years. And many other words we no longer use, for good reason. But we have progressed. And will continue to do so. And many years from now we will look back on these teams who chose to name themselves offensive terms, and wonder how anyone could have ever accepted it.

But I do understand the don’t-tell-me-what-to-do knee-jerk reaction. So I won’t. You want to continue using the names, go for it. All I hope is that you think about it. And perhaps, you will come to the conclusion on your own that these names shouldn’t be used. Should you not come to that conclusion, I am at the very least certain that having taken some time to genuinely reflect on the subject, you will at least shut up about the opposition to it.

Go Blue Jays!