"I am so offended."

[Hog]

I am tired of people saying, "I am so offended."

Saying "I am offended" is likes saying "You hurt my feelings."

But, the victim only needs to state that he or she is offended because we are supposed to figure out why they were offended. To have them explain would only degrade them further in their weakened state of victimhood. It is sort of like a small child crying because someone said something hurtful.

Thus, we now live in a world of political correctness where we protect feelings and not individual freedoms.

The individual freedom of an animal ends where the feelings of homo sapiens (wise men) begin.

 

[anarchist100]

I am tired of people saying, "I am so offended."

Saying "I am offended" is likes saying "You hurt my feelings."

But, the victim only needs to state that he or she is offended because we are supposed to figure out why they were offended. To have them explain would only degrade them further in their weakened state of victimhood. It is sort of like a small child crying because someone said something hurtful.

Thus, we now live in a world of political correctness where we protect feelings and not individual freedoms.

The individual freedom of an animal ends where the feelings of homo sapiens (wise men) begin.

The art of the debate ends when other people cry when hearing opposing opinions.

 

[Second Summer]

I think for me the key is to get the right balance between "free speech" and not "offending". I don't want to participate in debate with people who deliberately use racist or otherwise insulting language, but I also don't want to debate with people who put my every word under a microscope to identify potentially offensive or "problematic" language and accuse me of terrible things of which I'm really not guilty. Above all I want intelligent debate.

 

[Urban Gardener]

I think for me the key is to get the right balance between "free speech" and not "offending". I don't want to participate in debate with people who deliberately use racist or otherwise insulting language, but I also don't want to debate with people who put my every word under a microscope to identify potentially offensive or "problematic" language and accuse me of terrible things of which I'm really not guilty. Above all I want intelligent debate.

Exactly. For me, the question is why the person is offended, and whether their concern seems genuine or not. Whether I really did something wrong or they’re making a false accusation.

I’m a creature of nuance. I tend to say things like, “Well, by strict definition, veganism is not the most natural diet for humans, but it has clear advantages over the alternatives, given the state of the world today.”

Some people only hear the first part and immediately start yelling at me. “YOU SAID VEGANISM ISN’T NATURAL! YOU’RE A TRAITOR TO US AND TO ALL ANIMALS!!!”

And, usually, they don’t even let me explain myself. They just keep yelling and get angrier if I try to speak.

On the other hand, sometimes I do, accidentally, say something that’s wrong and hurtful. And I actually appreciate it when people point that out directly instead of just silently judging me. Then it becomes a learning experience.

Then there are people who get offended when I’m offended by something. It tends to be a knee-jerk reaction. “Oh no! Another person jumping on the offendedness bandwagon! I’m offended!” And then the actual issue is obscured.

Maybe the phrase, “I’m offended,” should be retired, and people should just say what the specific issue is.

 

[Ahimsa]

Exactly. For me, the question is why the person is offended, and whether their concern seems genuine or not. Whether I really did something wrong or they’re making a false accusation.

I’m a creature of nuance. I tend to say things like, “Well, by strict definition, veganism is not the most natural diet for humans, but it has clear advantages over the alternatives, given the state of the world today.”

Some people only hear the first part and immediately start yelling at me. “YOU SAID VEGANISM ISN’T NATURAL! YOU’RE A TRAITOR TO US AND TO ALL ANIMALS!!!”

And, usually, they don’t even let me explain myself. They just keep yelling and get angrier if I try to speak.

On the other hand, sometimes I do, accidentally, say something that’s wrong and hurtful. And I actually appreciate it when people point that out directly instead of just silently judging me. Then it becomes a learning experience.

Then there are people who get offended when I’m offended by something. It tends to be a knee-jerk reaction. “Oh no! Another person jumping on the offendedness bandwagon! I’m offended!” And then the actual issue is obscured.

Maybe the phrase, “I’m offended,” should be retired, and people should just say what the specific issue is.

Seems to me that too many people are offended these days by trivial things and hardly bat an eye to things that they should truly be offended by.

 

[Urban Gardener]

Seems to me that too many people are offended these days by trivial things and hardly bat an eye to things that they should truly be offended by.

There is that. But some of the trivial things come up because they’re part of a bigger issue. Small expressions of prejudice, for example.

But I think we’ve gone too far with the idea that judging the person, not saying anything, and then avoiding them from that moment on is the best solution. That leaves no room for misunderstandings to be sorted out. Sometimes, it really is just a misunderstanding.

 

[Urban Gardener]

Also! We’re policing the arts too much. Nothing new there, but it’s still worth saying. Creative expression is open to interpretation.

 

[Ahimsa]

Also! We’re policing the arts too much. Nothing new there, but it’s still worth saying. Creative expression is open to interpretation.

The PC culture having gone too far in my opinion.

 

[Urban Gardener]

The PC culture having gone too far in my opinion.

It’s a distortion of that culture. They’ve twisted the fight for equality into a fight for censorship and suppression.

 

[beancounter]

It’s a distortion of that culture. They’ve twisted the fight for equality into a fight for censorship and suppression.

I completely agree. It's nice to hear people acknowledge this issue. We had a number of those twisted PCers on VV, which was a constant headache.

 

[Ahimsa]

I completely agree. It's nice to here people acknowledge this issue. We had a number of those twisted PCers on VV, which was a constant headache.

Well, in all confidence, I can assure you that I'm not one of them. However, I do believe in showing others respect, especially if they're of a different culture, but short of that I'm pretty tolerant ... I think! Lol.

 

[Urban Gardener]

“You can only write fiction based on your own experiences. Otherwise, you’re appropriating a narrative.”

“Good art is self-exploration. Every good artist paints what s/he is.”

From conversations I’ve had. It’s gotten too narrow. From that vantage point, we’re discarding creativity and replacing it with journalism.

 

[Ahimsa]

“You can only write fiction based on your own experiences. Otherwise, you’re appropriating a narrative.”

“Good art is self-exploration. Every good artist paints what s/he is.”

From conversations I’ve had. It’s gotten too narrow. From that vantage point, we’re discarding creativity and replacing it with journalism.

I agree, my own novel was somewhat frowned upon for its sexual content. But then you get a novel like, Fifty
Shades, and it's a best seller! Lifestyle choices are also looked at through the PC lens these days, something that I don't think does anyone's mental health much good.

 

[Urban Gardener]

I agree, my own novel was somewhat frowned upon for its sexual content. But then you get a novel like, Fifty
Shades, and it's a best seller! Lifestyle choices are also looked at through the PC lens these days, something that I don't think does anyone's mental health much good.

I know what you mean, and usually people get offended without bothering to check the facts or look into the context. It’s all based on appearances.

 

[Ahimsa]

I know what you mean, and usually people get offended without bothering to check the facts or look into the context. It’s all based on appearances.

Social media has a lot to do with that. I came off Facebook because I just couldn't stick people posting photos of themselves all the time, not to mention the rubbish some of them espoused. Lol.

 

[Danielle]

Fifty shades makes bdsm look bad.

 

[Ahimsa]

Fifty shades makes bdsm look bad.

Absolutely, there's nothing bad about discipline!

 

[Urban Gardener]

Social media has a lot to do with that. I came off Facebook because I just couldn't stick people posting photos of themselves all the time, not to mention the rubbish some of them espoused. Lol.

I agree. Social media has given people validation for things that otherwise would not get much support, and it encourages people to be shallow. I don’t use it either.

Everything is getting more authoritarian, the left and the right.

 

[VeganAnon]

I am really on the fence about this. I was born a white cis male (so all the lucky big majority for me things) and then
tend to check every minority after. As a kid I was overweight with glasses and a speech impediment. Then puberty I got hairy and gay. And I was always more intelligent and emotional than those around me, none of my cousins would play board games with me cause I beat them. I agree there is some over sensitivity about a lot of things but depending on what it is, unless ever in those shoes we don't really know. And sometimes it's not that something was said, but rather how it was said. In the past I have been super sensitive about a lot of things.

I had a friend in college I stopped talking to due to his vegetarian jokes. Cause they were non-stop and not funny. My friends will joke with me about being vegan but at least funny and good natured and aren't non-stop. If we are offending someone in our lives, we should stop an apologize and attempt to understand. Sometimes there are those that will always be offended regardless but we can still try to avoid as much as possible just as basic human courtesy.

 

[Urban Gardener]

I have come to view a lot of things in terms of power dynamics. People are social animals. We’re not as different from other animals who live in groups as we like to think.

A lot of my closest friends have been dogs. Some have also been horses. If you hang out with them, you see that they constantly compete and cooperate just like people do. There is a balance there. The aim is for the best interest of the group, but individuals also seek to advance within the group.

People do a lot of things to try and get the upper hand. They compete more with those who they view as different or inferior. So prejudice is a huge factor there. However, claiming to be offended can also be used as a power play. It all depends on the intentions and the context.