Do you think people are too easily offended these days?

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Political Correctness is a cancer. It doesn't help anyone. People are way too worried about hurting someone else's feelings so much so that in American schools "tag" is no longer played on playgrounds because someone might be "it".
/facepalm

 

[tomtom94]

Has someone said that this thread offends them yet?

Anyway, I certainly think that people find sexism and racism far too easily in stupid places, and that people in general are a lot less tolerant of things that were fine in the 80s...

 

[matrix guardian]

In some cases yes, in some no. Alot of the time when someone says 'im offended' It feels like they don't understand what it means, like they are saying 'I disagree with you' or 'that arguement your using is different to my view'.

I feel some people are getting confused with being 'offended' and someone having an opinion that differs from their own. Though in some cases, people are perfectly allowed to be offended and have every right to.

Maybe it's not so much that they are confused about it, but more that they get offended so easily that "someone having such a view different than mine" offends them. The mere fact that "someone has an opinion I don't like" upsets them.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

I think people are too easily convinced they are offended by "Jeans on a newsreporter" etc.

Personally offended? No, I don't think they're any more/less prone to that than people have ever been.

Well, maybe less, since the culture we've fallen into in the past 15 years has us all stepping on eggshells constantly.

 

[matrix guardian]

yeah people over react to everything.

on the bbc website they posted a study saying that something like 75% of adults wouldnt help a lost crying child in a shopping centre for fear of being mistaken for attempting to abduct the kid!

It is very sad that societal perceptions and attitudes are such that it is no longer thought of as safe to help people. Helping someone can be very risky nowadays or at least that is the perception. If it's kid that needs help, they are screwed and all on their own because pedophilophobia has gone way out of control. If someone is injured, don't fucking touch them, because you could effect their injuries or make it worse and get your ass sued off. People sue at the drop of a hat these days. It sadens me. I feel sad that I am sometimes afraid to be friendly and nice to other peoples kids.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

I live in Britain and I think the opposite. I'd say it's because we can take the piss out of our selves.

+ With chav's on our streets we've been taught these naughty words from a young age. What becomes the norm becomes less offensive.

I love britain BECAUSE we dont take ourselves seriously at all, unlike america. I love this country. No one takes anything too seriously and lawsuits for stupid reasons just dont happen. IF someone hits you with his car by accident lightly you swear as loud as you can, tell him to drive carefully and continue eating your pastry.

 

[Oz Draconis]

If people learned to laugh at themselves, take a joke, and realize that being PC is so fucking ridiculous, then maybe we can all get along. But noooooo, we have to be nice to everybody and believe everyone is a special little flower...c*ckbiting f*cktards...

 

[Candidus]

It's not just that people are too easily offended, it's that people seem to believe that being offended constitutes actual 'harm' to themselves, and entitles them to some kind of redress- perhaps they believe that you ought to be censured in some way for having offended them.

"That's really offensive."
Well you know, so f*cking what? Wipe that expectant look off your face, you twat.

That's my only problem with the trend.

 

[TheIr0nMike]

Yes

It's gotten to the point that people are being offended because people are offended by something.

 

[Pariah87]

It's not the peoples fault to a large degree. We are brought up to be offended by things we are taught are wrong. If I saw a T-Shirt that said "I saw Jesus fuck a dead baby!" I personally wouldn't be offended because I have no emotional investment in the subject matter. I'm sure alot of others would be horribly offended by the shirt though.

America, it seems far moreso than the UK seems to be trying to cling on to the insanely puritan values that the people we kicked out for being "insanely puritan" founded the country apon. A decent percentage of people still hold those views to a greater or lesser degree, so things which are perfectly acceptable in Europe or other places are still seen as taboo.

Seeing a cop shoot at a bad guy in a film is fine in America because it's an accepted part of everyday life, seeing an unmarried couple get it on in the back of a car is incredibly bad (unless the killer then punishes them for their wicked ways, teaching the audience that if you're promiscuous YOUR GONNA DIE!). On the reverse, we're quite fine to see people do the deed, yet we're more concerned with violence.

Then we come on to the people that get offended by the little things. Some of the things people get offended by, even on this site are hillarious. Justin Bieber for example seems to offend so many simply because he exists?

I'm rambling now, I've been away for a week so I haven't had my daily fix of typing shit, so Ill answer the question. Yes, people get offended far to easily these days, although I'm guessing it's no different from "the old days" we're just more aware of it now because we're living it.

 

[Soxafloppin]

Yea i hate people getting offended about how a character was protrayed.

 

[the Dept of Science]

It's wierd, because in some ways, we have to walk a very fine line. Stories like someone trying to sue Simon Cowell for saying rude things about her at Britains Got Talent or the changing of the lyrics to "Bah bah black sheep" come to mind. It strikes me that 50 years ago, someone like that would be told not to be so gosh damn stupid, grow some balls and move on.
On the other hand, if you look at some things that were considered offensive in ages gone by are now considered quite tame. There are some great musical examples which demonstrate this. Bob Dylan singing "Everyone must get stoned", Leonard Cohen's line "Giving me head on an unmade bed" or Serge Gainsbourgs song "Je t'aime... moi non plus"(banned by the Pope for being too sexual) were considered contreversial. Hell, when Rock Around the Clock was released, people were appauled at the widespread dancing that had swept the nations youth. These things seem tame, even twee nowadays. Noone bats an eyelid if a song about sex, drugs, murder, whatever gets released.