A big theme in the political correctness era is, "Intent doesn't matter; all that matters is how an action is received." While this movement is thankfully calling out some extremely critical oversights in our society, I don't fully agree with this conclusion.
How something is intended is objective. How something is received is subjective. I definitely don't believe it is fair to hold someone accountable purely based on a subjective interpretation of an objective action. Obviously, if something was received poorly, that should be called out appropriately, and this by no means applies to situations where the action is so clearly wrong that no one could reasonably believe the intent was good. But I think giving someone's subjective reaction the sole power to dictate the story of another's actions can create as many injustices as it solves. These two halves of the story — intent and reception — should be considered in tandem.
I think the real seed of the issue here is a dwindling appetite to assume positive intent whenever something rubs us the wrong way. There are very few things I know with more certainty than this: assuming positive intent and giving people the benefit of the doubt is the best steroid you can give your mood. Assuming positive intent doesn't give anyone free passes. It just underscores the fact that most individuals are good, sensible people that have much better things to do than go out of their way to ruin your day.
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