Imagine a world where everyone thought the same way and no one dared to say anything that might offend others. To some this might appear as a Utopia where everyone would work together in harmony. To others it would seem more like a herd of sheep mindlessly ambling along with no future. There are times when it is vitally necessary to offend others.

Over the years there have been individuals with some very offensive ideas that have led to violent wars, mass murders, or outright genocides, but not all of those that said offensive things did so for malicious intent:

Socrates

Socrates was a revolutionary thinker that dared to go against the popular mode of thought that was prevalent in his society. He would anger members of his government and eventually be sentenced to death. But, his legacy would live on for thousands of years. Even today, the “Socratic Method” is used in places of higher learning.

Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain

A rather cynical writer not only went against the narrow-minded views of his time, but also took on many preconceived notions of prejudice and racism. A few decades back there was an outcry to have many of his books banned from libraries and schools and in many cases, they were actually burned! But, to this day he’s considered one of the greatest American writers.

Martin Luther King Jr.

A true revolutionary, King decided to tell the world how all men are equal regardless of skin color, national origin, or even gender. He would offend many and this would lead to his eventual assassination, but even today his “dream” lives on.

Mohandas Gandhi

One many proved how easy it is to make a difference through very little action. Preaching a message of social disobedience through non-violent action, Gandhi made every effort to bring together the peoples of his home nation of India together. He would offend those that preferred violent action and this would lead to his assassination. But, his legacy lives on as all you have to do is say his name and everyone will remember his ideals and his methods.

George Carlin One would say that this great comedian has no business sharing a list with the above names, but when one considers that he took on every influential political, social, and religious groups with equal tenacity and not only made us laugh, but made us THINK about our own prejudices you can see how great he was. He would not be intimidated by critics or those that tried to keep him off of television.

Now, one could say that things might not have been hard on these people if they hadn’t always “rocked the boat” with everything they said and/or did, but they proved that sometimes you have to risk offending people if you’re going to see any relevant change. Everyone has to be ready to be offended at all times. Only then, can we see our opinions challenged and know whether what we believe is truly that, or just the mindless group think that everyone expects us to have.