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I Don’t Care If You Are Offended
I got into an argument on Twitter today. “Wow Jon, what a fascinating lead! Next, can you tell us about your last Candy Crush score on Facebook? And how’s that sinus infection going?” Look, I know my Twitter squabbles are boring, but I was trying to make a larger point before you so rudely interrupted me, Voice In My Head.
Anyway, Twitter peeps were going back and forth on childhood vaccination and I foolishly jumped in the middle of it. I had related the story about my children getting whooping cough from non-vaccinated children in their classroom. My kids had been immunized as babies but were nearing the time for their booster shots. As it turned out, our whole family was quarantined for a week and fed a steady diet of stomach-churning antibiotics. That experience left me less libertarian on the issue than I once had been. “Your rights end at the tip of my nose,” and all that.
One interlocutor noted that vaccinations might cause autism (they don’t). Another wondered if the State can mandate immunization (sure). But shouldn’t parents have the right to say no? (Not if they put the community at risk.) All fair questions and a fine debate to have. And so it went until one person replied with what he felt was a trump card: “That really offends me!”
Ummm… So what?
I felt rude responding this way, but his taking of offense is not my concern; public health is. Harrumphing “that offends me!” has zero bearing on any argument. It’s a non sequitur revealing naught but your delicate constitution.
No need to argue the pros and cons of vaccination in the comments; that specific debate isn’t the point. As our culture has slid to the social justice warriors of the left, activists on all sides seem to think that their being offended carries some sort of moral authority as a victim. It does no such thing.
I don’t understand taking offense in the first place. If someone insults me, I don’t feel badly about myself, I just think they’re an idiot. I certainly don’t grab my pearls and weep into my fainting couch. If you hate me for being conservative/white/Christian/etc. that’s on you, not me.
In a meme traveling about the interwebs, British comedian Stephen Fry said it best:
It’s now very common to hear people say, “I’m rather offended by that,” as if that gives them certain rights. It’s no more than a whine. It has no meaning, it has no purpose, it has no reason to be respected as a phrase.
“I’m offended by that.”
Well, so [bleeping] what?
The members of Ricochet are the finest debaters in the online world. So tell me, how do you deal with the reply “that offends me?”
Published in General
SO many people today, members of certain races and worse, members of certain religions, claim that Freedom OF Speech somehow means that a) THEIR speech is guaranteed to be heard (ie, you must put me on TV, you must attend my march, you must allow me into your place of business to speak, …etc and 2) THE are supposed to be free FROM being offended. If something offends me, I do something about it. generally, that something is leave. if it is something that SHOULD be changed (you know, like a crime type offense) call the relevant authorities. if it is a law I feel needs to change, I try to talk to people who can help make that happen. whether they are fellow believers or legislators. I don’t think the legislature can or should deliver everything every citizen requests but, a large number of people speaking clearly should be heard.
People, in general being offended by my opinion? well, Jon, I can’t top “So What?” seems the perfect answer.
oh man, that is awesome. <Runs to find someone to goad into this scenario>
Personal ad hominem attacks are offensive. They are meant to be. If I get nasty in an argument and say something mean and spiteful – that is offensive. And I should apologize for my behavior.
However, logical arguments, by any accurate definition, cannot be offensive. Can they???
Too often the Left finds facts and arguments to be offensive to their delicate sensibilities. I say to that – “Ain’t that a shame.”
As a stereotypical office dweller, over the years I’ve learned never to speak up during a mandated diversity/sensitivity/harassment training session. The instructor may invite questions or comments. It’s a trap.
This is a quote I saved recently. My apologies to the author, because I don’t recall where I found it.
Indignation is the soul’s defense against the wound of doubt about its own; it reorders the cosmos to support the justice of its cause. It justifies putting Socrates to death. Recognizing indignation for what it is constitutes knowledge of the soul.
Today being offended proffers moral authority ( for some) . Somehow there is this idea that there is a right to not ever be offended. (also known as political correctness), as if that is ever possible – for example, gay marriage offends one side, opposition to gay marriage offends the other. The moral authority, of course, only proffers to those who are ‘correctly’ offended…
The irony here is that apparently, you were offended by this person telling you that you offended them! So, I would say to both of you, get over it- getting and giving offense is the nature of any meaningful difference of opinion.
You see the problem is that in this modern day world you have to care if you offend people. Especially in a work situation or even a situation that can be tied back to your work.
Recently in Washington, a GOP staffer wrote on their personal facebook page that she did not like the way the Obama girls dressed / acted at an event. Result, outrage, offence, lost job.
More recently in my hometown (Louisville, KY) there was a lady that expressed her point of view on her private Facebook page on the way the people in Ferguson were acting like animals. Her FaceBook page also shows where she was employed. Some people were offended by her statements and contacted her employer asking how they can employ somebody that offends them so she got fired for her statements.
Personally I have been called to task, even unemployed for people taking offence at statements that were not directed at them in conversations they were not apart of.
So while it is true you do not have to care if you offend somebody or not, you also have to not care if you are employed or not. I am perfectly fine with offending people what I am not fine with is being unemployed. Because of that I have learned to say as little as possible in situations that can tie back to my real identity. This is also one of the reasons I do not use my real name on Ricochet.
Yes it is, it leans to the right. We all know that right leaning is code for hateful bigots. Thus this post is right leaning, hateful, bigoted, and offensive. Please remove.
I have very little sympathy for that staffer.
People have always had to “care” about the response to information they publish, especially when they work in politics.
A Facebook page, even with the “privacy” features enabled, is by no means a private forum.
When you put information online, you are a publisher. You are protected by the First Amendment against state censorship, but you are not protected from negative public response.
You have a right to publish whatever you want without caring about how it receives. That is not an offense.
However, by the same token, other people have a right to dislike it, and to express their dislike of it, and to lobby on the basis of that dislike.
So, of course one should care about how their communications are received. It has always been thus.
Apropos of nothing: This is an actual bumper sticker that exists.
Source: http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/sociologists-warn-christianophobia-among-progressive-activists
This is from Allan Bloom.