Offended?

A couple of issues have popped up recently where members have stated that they were offended either by pictures or words on the site. It's really got me thinking. What offends me?

Truth be told, I'm not easily offended by general statements. The way I see it, there's lots of people who are going to do and say lots of things that I'm not going to like, some things I'll flat-out despise. When that happens, I generally avoid that person...or if what they said or did really irks me, I'll say something about it.

I think people completely overuse the word "offended". If someone sees a confederate flag they're "offended" If someone sees a naked woman with a crucifix they're "offended". If someone hears a song that features the lyrics "cop killah" they're "offended"

Why are so many of you so easily "offended" by stuff like that? I'm not trying to tell people that they shouldn't feel a certain way. Your natural reaction may be to strongly disagree, or get angry, but why can't you just say "Wow, that person's an asshole and I choose not to associate with them"?

To offend me, you'd have to say something derogatory about me or my family or my friends.

"Irish people are nothing but filthy drunks and they should be cleansed from the Earth" = Cash isn't offended. I might think you're an asshole, but I'm not offended.

For fuck's sake......EVERYthing will be offensive to SOMEbody.

I just wish that sometimes, people would toughen up a little and take a step back before chucking around the "O" word like it was going out of style. Unfortunately, that word is very en vogue these days.

Well said, Cash.

Cash is my new unwilling best friend
comedy, by nature, is potentially offensive to someone or thing (and the people that made said thing.) Take any joke, and you can whittle it down to the offensive part. go ahead try it.

This was one of the best posts I've read in a long time. Well said Cash.

i tried to make light of this whole trend earlier, but i am not as articulate as Cash is about it. offense
truth is all of our limits are our own limits, and what's offensive to us, is a line in our own world, and we should remember it as such. We all have our subjects that we have lower limits on, but that is our issue, not the site's.

I have to completely agree with you on both of these points. Free will is something that I cannot fuck with, people are given free will to say whatever they like. I have the free will to not pay any attention to people who are 'offensive'. I chalk it up to a different set of ethics and that's okay by me.

I don't believe in religion, but I do believe in tolerance.

[Edited on Apr 09, 2004 by shnanna]

i'm seriously offended by nothing. it is pretty bizarre

If you are easily offended might as well lock yourself in your house and never go out. There are assholes in the world deal with it you pussies oh sorry might offend someone.

I recently enjoyed an article in the school paper where one of the student reps emphatically apologized for calling someone a bitch. I could understand him issuing an apology for, say, I dunno, mass murder, setting the kindergarden on fire, or defenestrating the entire volunteer service club, but saying that he felt 'Deeply apologetic' for reffering to someone as a bitch struck me as rather... silly.

Maybe it was satire.

I agree people should put the brakes on a little before decrying ideas or statements as offensive. One shouldn't be willy-nilly about dissin' on things.
But having said that, I'm all for people being held accountable for what they write. You've got a keyboard, and its up to you to construct your ideas through it. And if someone chooses to waste that potential on what I think are racist, sexist, homophobic, whatever, ideas, then I'll call them up on it.
And I think that's a sign of a healthy forum for discussion; when people feel comfortable calling people up on their bullshit. I appreciate people calling me up on my bullshit, and I learn things from it. In my job as a writer, I've written a few things which people found genuinely incredibly offensive. And whilst I thought 'eh, it's just words kids,' the truth is words can hurt like an absolute muthafucka. And I've apologised and learned a little something from it.
And then, usually, said similarly offensive things again next week.

I for one am personally offended by your disregard of my ability to determine my sensitivity toward being offended.

great post cash....I have nothing to add...and I like adding things

As the starter of the thread that this thread is referring to I'd like to say a few words. You may find this hard to believe but I agree with you.

I didn't like the set, that hasn't changed. I saw this set as an opportunity to start an interesting conversation. Personally, I think it has been an intelligent dialog.

It has more than a few people pissed off at me and that's fine.

As I said in my comment on page 5, Art at it's best should provoke thought and discussion.

Yeah, Fuck Bitches!

Yes a la Dave Chappelle. They guy is sooo damn funny to me and my friends but I know a lot of people that are offended by him. Oh well....if you can't take a joke then thats your own damn fault.

Not much offends me...I'm pretty much desensatized.

I'm offended by people who act offended about stupid worthless shit.

cash, you offend me!!!





just kidding.

I think people overuse offensive as an easy way of making out they exist on a higher moral plain. It seems to happen quite a bit on these boards were someone will crack a joke about a serious subject (often to lighten the mood it seems) and then get torn to pieces in a witch-hunt. Im pretty laidback as a person and tend to put in silly joky comments sometimes but Ive held myself back from saying things because Ive been worried that I'll offend someone.

eh, I don't get offended by much. people should be more open to everything, I'll readily agree.

Absolutely!

Thanks Cash!

On this note.. not many people offend me, but I'm aware of mulitudes of assholes.