Offended? So what....

[ACG]

What do I hate? I’m getting damn tired of the often-used word ‘offensive’. Not the old fashioned type, where your words or behavior was shocking to all members of the reasonably minded public. By traditional standards, when a man was doing something ‘offensive’, police would typically arrive to take him into custody just in time to be saved from the crowd (who was preparing to tar and feather him).

No, this new kind involves the subjective opinion of only one other individual. Simply put, if somebody doesn’t like what you’re doing they can lay claim to having your words, deeds or beliefs labeled ‘offensive’. The problem is, in our rush to prove our complete tolerance of one another, we haven’t been given a score sheet to rate the different levels of ‘offensiveness’.

Henceforth, whether it be at work, in social settings or other formal gatherings, if someone has observed something about you that is ‘offensive’, you are under the proverbial gun to explain yourself from a ridiculous stigma. You literally feel compelled in our modern day society to defend your legally acceptable words, beliefs or actions from a claim where the findings may result in your loss of reputable status in the court of public opinion.

I’m not talking about someone who has a chronic problem with stupid comments or unacceptable behavior. Those types are noticeable anywhere and usually meet their match somewhere along the lines! I’m talking about the regular, average, mind-your-own-business and pay-your-taxes types, like most people reading this. When WE are merely offended, don’t we have the right to ignore or choose our own passive response to the stimuli? Where did this right to ‘whine’ about it come from anyway? Or for that matter, how come so many feel obligated to listen to such a complaint?

While I’m on the topic of being offended, whatever happened to the phrase “Get over it”? It wasn’t too long ago, especially on the East Coast, when two people would get into an argument and immediately bring up some negative connotation about the other’s race, religion, upbringing or ethnic origin. Ultimately, both would walk away and never see the other again. It also wasn’t that long ago when a female would get sexually harassed in the workplace by a male co-worker, only to have her boyfriend or brother show up and punch the male offender in the nose. Things just seemed to get settled a little faster and clearer back then.

You might think by this rant that I have recently come under suspicion of having committed the crime of ‘offense’. I probably have, although it hasn’t been brought to my attention yet. I just hope that there is some good catalyst that comes along soon to usher in the death of the age of ‘offensiveness’. Rant over!

[Ron Ankeny]

I find your post offensive. For that matter you are creating a hostile envionment.

Seriously, at work one of my fellow teachers was accused of creating a hostile enviornment because of the way he looked at a student. What the hell is the world coming to?

[benos]

"I find your post offensive. For that matter you are creating a hostile envionment."

Lol!

be

[Bigbadaboom]

 I am offended by people who get offended.

    That goes right along with people that find everything "UNFAIR".

[bountyhunter]

Out here in san Francisco where we have a very large Asian population, the lead story on the news one night was about the "offensive" T-shirt being sold by some store, I think it was Abercrombie and Fitch.  One T-shirt had a picture of two Asians and the caption:  "It takes two "Wongs" to make it white".  Of course, the joke traded on the old stereotype that many laundries were run by Asians.  Anyway, they took the T-shirts and went out on the street to get reactions from Asians.  Starngely enough, it was the young people who were most offended and some older people just laughed.  And A+B laughed all the way to the bank getting all the free publicity.  They interviewed the store owner and she said the shirts had sold out in the first hour (apparrently, they're collector's items).

[TDean]

Ya, well get over it!

[Hardball]

Maybe we should all be "tactically offensive" in order to desensitise the weak minded and put them into a lull. Might this help with the United States of the Offended? I am game, let's try it. Bite me....lol

[BrianH]

I'm so offended I think I'm going to call the ACLU!!!!