What offends you?

Something that has affected me specifically today. People that get all sanctimonious and arrogant when you disagree with them. I had one guy today who basically told me I was stupid and ignorant simply because I disagreed with him. Just because I have different opinions doesn't mean that you have the right to be all high and mighty about it.

 

Exact-uh-ly. It's not "elitism", per se, I have a problem with. Everyone thinks they're right and most people think that others should feel the same way. But it's that judgemental disdain for others I can't stand. That is not the same as debating your point.

 

assholes. in other words, those who explote others.

 

I don't find anything offensive.

 

What's that like?

 

kids who let their jeans slide so low that we can see ass

smokers who stand at store entrances

drivers who see the construction signs and go all the way to the front instead of merging early

people who drive with worn out tires in the wintertime

people who piss on the public toilets

blatant racism

people kissing and touching ass in public places

welfare collectors who don't even try to get off the system

people who are able bodied using handicap parking

countries that ask for our help and we give them lives...only for them to continue the same bullshit fixed elections and corruption

 

Can't think of anything that really rises to level of my being offended by it. I don't usually waste my time/energy disagreeing with things, when I can be doing my own thing.

 

i was going to disagree with you, but then i'm thinking that you're probably right.

bigger things/things we find important ARE worth fighting for, but minor annoyances and things that we just get frustrated at and continue on with our day are really just poisons to our own well being if we're not going to do anything about it except not like it. like, i do hate when people stand in doorways, but what am i gonna do about that? no sense in letting it make me feel bad.

is that what you meant?

 

Yeah, that's bascially what I meant.

 

I see what you're saying, especially because some of us have listed minor annoyances as a response, but I think being offended by certain injustices or what could be interpreted as personal attacks is totally understandable, whether or not it's a waste of time. It could prompt some serious action to counter those injustices.

Loud gum smacking isn't as legitimate as racism and possibly not even really defined as something offensive, but how can any human never be offended by anything? Ever?

Here's my question: Does being offended by something make it offensive? Or does attempting to offend make something offensive?

Does the answer depend on whether the attempt was successful? Or is it purely intent that matters? Is something offensive if over a certain percentage of people agree it's offensive? Or does it take but one?

 

good questions.

i think something becomes offensive when a group of people or a majority find it offensive, it definitely has to be more than one person imo... sort of the same way that more than one person has to hold general beliefs about the world before they are accepted as true, if it's just one person they're usually considered insane or at least very strange.

and i think that when someone is attempting to be offensive that's just either obnoxious or funny... i think the most offensive things people do are when the people who do them think they are right (like really racist people).

 

Racists don't always believe they are right. In fact, sometimes they know they are wrong.

I'm not sure I agree that something is acceptable when more than one person believes it to be true. There are lots of packs of morons out there. Or that one person's opinions are invalid because they stand alone...

Anyway, you provided a good response so pardon me for playing devil's advocate. I sure as hell don't have an answer. I was just speculating.

I guess I lean towards: if someone is offended, then it's offensive. But most people would be totally stifled if we played by that rule. Everything I think is probably offensive to someone somewhere.

 

hmm yeah you bring up a lot of good points... like, some of my family members are racist but in their better moments will admit that they're just being emotionally and intellectually, they know that they're not being reasonable.

it's definitely a tough thing to define for sure one way or the other.

and it depends on where you are, i think. my cousin went to china recently and sneezed on a public train, and everyone turned around glaring at her because i guess that's a very rude thing to do. on the other hand, women were spitting all over the street and my cousin was shocked to see that, as that kind of thing is pretty strange behavior in america.

i think that what's "offensive" and what's "right" or "moral" behavior is a seperate inquiry though.

 

9/11 truthers and scientologists.

But mostly 9/11 truthers.

 

A chick from work sent everyone in the office an email... quiet a racist email on refugees (it was trying to be funny). I had to stand up and reply to all it was sent to, that i was offended by it. It is not acceptable to promote racism!

 

goddam crackers...

 

all the isms, they all suck !

 

Generally, i dislike the face of society which I often see.
Most people I know are racist, and always tell me black jokes. I tend to steer away from that kind of shit. Also, being in high school, I dislike really preppy kids who make fun of everyone for everything possible to defend themselves.

 

suckism

 

Bad manners and queue jumpers! You know, generally older people who think they have a god given right to get attended to right away and whats worse, if you have the audacity to comment, the rest of the queue give you a hard time for picking on the op who by the way knows exactly what they're doing!