I'm offended by what you said!

[hillbillyatheist]

seems people say this alot these days.

the latest example is the idiot senator here in colorado who thinks eating fried chicken makes you poor. now this isn't about her, its about how today it seems there are certain things you can say, wrong or right that people instead of engaging in debate try to shut you down by saying what you said is offensive.

an example that will ring true here is saying atheist stuff to a christian and they say "I'm offended!" instead of trying to argue.

I actually think that society would be better off if wrong viewpoints were challenged instead of silenced.

in other words the black senator should have stood up and argued why the fried chicken lady is an idiot. NOT simply whine about being offended and how dare she say that.

why shouldn't people say what they believe? you don't agree? argue with them.

a good example is me. I wondered why a woman being drunk but verbally saying yes is rape.

she did say yes, and nobody forced her to drink and then be a dumbass.

had I said this on PZ Myers website, I'd have just been shut down. called a rape apologist, offensive, the end. they feel self righteous, I remain convinced of my view.

instead I mentioned this to a friend of mine in real life who is a feminist and she simply challenged me. she pointed out how its stupid to leave car keys in your car, but if you do, a person stealing it is still a thief, right? yeah. then she mentions kids and the mentilly disabled and how they can't consent even if they say yes because their judgement is impaired. just like a drunks.

which is why its rape.

now I agree that it is rape. I was wrong. my view was challenged by debate. I changed my view.

this wouldn't have happened if people just shut me down by crying about being offended.

so what do you think?

[stromboli]

In the case of our Colorado congresswoman, the equating of fried chicken to blacks is promoting a racial stereotype, which is why the fire. Had she worded her comment differently, it might well have passed beneath the radar. I don't necessarily think it is racist, but because of the fact she is a Republican and white speaking about people of another ethnicity, she really ought to choose her words carefully.

[hrdlr110]

I can get on board with that. It's much easier to be offended than it is to construct a rational opinion to counter a particular point of view.
I remember when I was 6-years-old, my cousin was my best mate. We were walking down the street together. A guy that we both knew, had lost his leg in an accident, he drove by us and waved. He had also recently married. I can remember asking my cousin, a year older than me, why anyone would marry somebody with only one leg? To this day I can remember his response....."to help them". I'm 51 now, and to this day, even tho I was only 6 at the time, I'm ashamed of having asked the question. (Wow, I just had a religious experience, I've never told this story before!)

[hillbillyatheist]

In the case of our Colorado congresswoman, the equating of fried chicken to blacks is promoting a racial stereotype, which is why the fire.

right but why not argue why stereotyping is bad, or why its wrong, etc? this thread isn't specifically about her or even if she's right, wrong, or whatever. its about people saying things others deem "offensive" shouldn't be said. The black lady didn't stand up and say "you are making incorrect stereotypes, and here's why they're wrong. also here's why thinking food makes you poor is wrong. no she said "I'm offended and how dare you say that. She won't have racist shit at this meeting? why not? Even if she was a blatant racist, why shouldn't she be allowed to express that opinion? Then everybody else can argue why she's wrong. let her poor reasoning be exposed to the light and shown for what it is.

Had she worded her comment differently, it might well have passed beneath the radar. I don't necessarily think it is racist, but because of the fact she is a Republican and white speaking about people of another ethnicity, she really ought to choose her words carefully.

it is a good idea to choose your words carefully to avoid misunderstandings. but this isn't about her, I just used her as an example.

[stromboli]

Agree with what you are saying. It seems in our current political/social environment that people are quick to take offense at almost anything. I once got into an almost heated argument with a black gentleman I worked with because he misunderstood something I said, and confronted me. I had been speaking about Vietnam vets-he is one- and the comment I made he interpreted to mean "black" and thought I was being racist.

In the case of your feminist acquaintance, I would automatically side with her because I have a daughter and can see her viewpoint (she is a feminist) so I've been indoctrinated, I guess. I guess the lesson, if there is one, is for us to be more patient and less inclined to snap judgment.

[GrinningYMIR]

My generation, those born between 1991-1997 were raised to be all "sharey" and "nice" by our TV shows and many of our parental parties. Basically it was right when the TV stations freaked out about the violent shows like DBZ and some of the 80's re-runs. As such I think that my generation as a whole, was influenced to be more apt to reacting negatively to small comments due to the fact that we were raised to be, for lack of a better phrase

Whiny angst filled kids who couldn't express their anger.

So when I hear the whole "that offends me" phrase from people my age I cringe inwardly. I was raised by parents who gave me free reign over games and TV. Pretty much anything I wanted to watch/play I could (though Diablo and Jurassic park gave me nightmares) and when angered I was told to tell someone plainly. "that pisses me off, don't do that." instead of the more passive-aggressive "that offends me, you shouldn't do that" Do the terms mean something similar? yes. Do they have the same effect? Nope

[Hydra009]

Her remarks are pretty messed up.  Obviously, there is no problem with the "black race" or its genetic makeup (sickle cell anemia is a response to endemic malaria, which occurs in a bunch of tropical/subtropical climates, so obviously, there are non-blacks with the disease, but yeah, sub-Saharan Africa really got nailed with it, and their New World descendents sometimes carry it today) but she does sort of have a point in that American blacks are 1.8 times more likely to get diabetus, and yeah, diet is a big part of that.  But a muddled message and racist overtones really hurt her point.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I'm pretty tired of the idea that we have the right to not be offended.  I say that even as some things offend me.

[Colanth]

Exactly.  Any time someone tells me that something I said offends them (assuming I wasn't being offensive) I remind them that there's no Constitutional guarantee to not be offended, so they're free to feel offended any time they like.

[surly74]

If you are offended...it's your fault, not mine.

That usually offends people somemore.

[the_antithesis]

If you're not offended, you're dead.

[Solitary]

I'm offended every time I see myself in a mirror now. :shock:   :(  Solitary

[Fidel_Castronaut]

If you are offended...it's your fault, not mine.

That usually offends people somemore.

I'm offended by people who get offended.

Where's my free government legislation protecting my sensibilities?

[You Only Live Once]

I can definetly relate to this topic, personally those who simply claim to be "offended" by something you say with no rebuttal or argument are either just plain lazy or there not really offended at all and are just claiming to be because that's what they would consider to be the norm. I once was explaining to my coworkers why I am pro legalizing marajuana, one of the ladies at my work replied with "what you just said is very offensive". I replied with the simple challenge of why is that? Her reply was "it just is". If your going to offer your two cents at least have the nerve to back up what your saying in some form or another.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I can definetly relate to this topic, personally those who simply claim to be "offended" by something you say with no rebuttal or argument are either just plain lazy or there not really offended at all and are just claiming to be because that's what they would consider to be the norm. I once was explaining to my coworkers why I am pro legalizing marajuana, one of the ladies at my work replied with "what you just said is very offensive". I replied with the simple challenge of why is that? Her reply was "it just is". If your going to offer your two cents at least have the nerve to back up what your saying in some form or another.

Yeah it happens all the time.

"Im offended" seems to be where the buck stops in argument terms with many people who use it as an excuse to stifle the opinions of others.