The Right to be Offended

[sixtyandaquarter]

Okay I still see people saying "Italian American", "Polish American", "Swiss American"... but still. Crap I still see "Irish American".
Those damn whites and their ability to also be nationality-American in America.

Hate to break it to you, the rude awakening comes when people realize whites aren't the lowest race - which is funny because I hadn't even realized there was one. Right now there's this huge backhanded backfiring racism against any "Arab Terrorist" and "Boarder Hopping Mexican". But, ehh, us whites just get to run for office easily, damn we're low o.O

 

[baniff]

hmmm. 60 1/4, i think you misunderstood me :D. I mean that you have to be careful what you say about other races if you're white, but you can say whatever you want if you're not.

 

[candle]

It's those damn double standards. If a black man calls a friend a "nigga" nothing happens, yet if a white friend does the same, he gets the shit beat out of him.

 

[sixtyandaquarter]

Then start using the word more in that connotation only and bend the world.

Else there's nothing you can do.
I use the word. I get no double standard. The problem isn't so much that white people can't use the word, the problem is that white people can't use the word around people too stuck up about what the rules say - be those stuck up people black, white, yellow, red, purple - whatever.

 

[Ellie]

Indeed...

Can't help but think that the world would be a better place if we were all blue. But I think it's in human nature to be offended and to offend people. You'd get people saying "I am bluer than you!" or "I am blue and tall! Lousy blue midgets stealing all our jobs!" and so on.

About having to be careful what you say:

If you went into the centre of Pakistan and shouted "Alah is a moron" you would likely get shot.

At the same time, if you went into Central America, and shouted "Hey y'all, God stinks, Christianity is lame" you would likely get shot.

Then if you went to a gay rights crowd and shouted "homo's!" you would get shot.

So it's not just white people having to be careful. In all three of those examples, it wouldn't matter if you were white, black, green, orange, etc. You'd still have a block of metal in your gut.

 

[Despain]

Then if you went to a gay rights crowd and shouted "homo's!" you would get shot.

If you went into a gay rights crowd and shouted "Homos!" they would most likely interpret it as a good thing and follow up the cheer.

 

[sixtyandaquarter]

I'm willing to bet some people would be very upset - but considering this did happen at the gay rights parade, and it caused a huge amount of laughter - I don't it's exactly the same thing.

 

[Despain]

The gay community has embraced a lot of derogtatory words--hell, there are lots of gay peeople who use "fag" affectionately. Similar to black people adopting "nigga", it seems!

So just using the words in an environment where they wouldn't be percieved as hostile isn't necessarily bad. Ie. shouting "homos" or "fags" in a group of gays where they could potentially think you are one of them. It's a bit different than shouting "I hate all you fags."

But, on topic!

People can be offended and it's no big deal. Fuck them, they should be able to take it.

Fucking niggers have no problem breaking into our homes and stealing our televisions but get pissed when they go to prison for it. God damn spics hop the fences and expect to be welcomed but get upset when a red-blooded American don't speak their language. And those towelheads have no problem invading our nation by taking our jobs but get all upset when we bomb their shithole of a country. this world is full of hypocrites.

 

[Venetia]

Everyone (including SB), tone down the deragatory language or I will close this. I uphold your right to debate and to have your opinions (no matter how I agree/disagree with them), but there are less inflammatory ways to state your opinion than throwing around racial slurs.

I realize this is ironic due to the entire nature of this thread, but there is a thick, ugly line between racial/homophobic slurs and little P.C. faux pas.

Thanks.

 

[BeastmodeBank357]

I also grow tired of this type of PC nonsense. It makes absolutely zero sense for people to want everyone to never offend anyone. I for one, do not want to live in that kind of G-rated, lets all be nice; type world. Once they start legalizing political correctness to the max, us atheist will get "boned" along with most others. Because it may one day get to the point where someone will say "christianity offends me, silence them!" and aside from the very true fact that christianity is offensive to many, it still provides zero grounds for any kind of censorship or silencing... (omfg what a run on sentence!)

 

[kyonides]

I may still need to say that Wyatt's opinion isn't correct. For example, in Central America they wouldn't kill anyone even if they say they're islamic or anything else. People would feel uncomfortable, yes, but they wouldn't kill just like that. Money, power and other material needs may be the only real cause of unnecessary deaths of innocent people. Lack of resources is the main problem, not religion. Actually, I'm sure they're more tolerant than most americans or american (religious / political) groups. Sometimes not even censorship is taken seriously...
That's what I like about them, they can say "negro" and no black man or woman would get angry at all, unless they notice that you are using it in the same manner as the n-word, as they called it here, and because they understand you were influenced by this american version of racism.

About the original post I may say that religious groups may be one of the most problematic groups ever known and this is true just because of fear. They don't want to lose their teaching license or their status / prestige and do the thing they consider to be right, to expell the student that may cause problems in the near future. Is this fear based on some serious facts? Maybe not...

One thing I learned about education is that you may forget about every single thing they taught you in school and maybe even high school, except for maths. The only thing they teach in a pure form should be maths. The rest may have changed since you left school. Only after you are able to go to college / university you really start being more conscious about the world or at least about your own environment. Why? Because this is the stage where you are able to think, to search for the truth about something (a fact or anything else). Some people may be considered mature at an early age, others may never be so mature even if they were 30 or 40 y/o.

 

[Deathbreak]

Even if you are promoting an evil - or simply vile - act, when did you lose the ability to do so?

Here in America, you should never, NEVER, lose the ability to do so. While censorship is an important moral, it should never be enforced. While some people will disapprove of such things, the problem doesn't start until people "enforce" these ideas. The freedom of Speech, the freedom to say whatever we want, weather it be offensive, racist, sexist, anarchist, or whatever, is the FINE line that separated us from unfree countries. Because we're on the topic of "offended" I am offended that your friend got expelled. It shows where this country is headed, and it's not in a good direction

 

[Sic Semper Tyranosaurus]

I believe that we have the right to offend and be offended, and that it works both ways. Just because you have the right to make a ridiculously ignorant presentation to a room full of people doesn't mean they don't have the right to boo you off the stage.

 

[Cait]

The right to be offended?  You know what I think?  I can't make anyone feel anything, only they have control of their emotions.  If something upsets them, they could talk to me about it, but that doesn't mean I have to listen.  I have the right to be a jackass, if I want to. (Eventually, people won't want to be around me, except other jackasses) If I am a decent person, I'll listen, but if I don't give a damn; I won't. (I am empathic, to be honest.  I do care about how people feel, and can tell easily how they are feeling.)

Isn't that what freedom means?  Of course, with freedom comes responsibility.  So the biggest question is why they chose how to deal with ways that NEVER WORK TO BEGIN WITH.  It often has to do with power, only power, and they want it over you.  Most of the time, the white guy has been trained to fall over and play dead when it comes to these topics.  The truth is that the only person who can deal with your emotions, how you feels, is ultimately YOU!  If we start doing things merely to make certain people feel better, the ideals of freedom and responsibility go right out of the door. 

These kind of people want to have power over you, anyway they can.  When you give someone a tad bit of power, it is like a drug and you get addicted to it.  Very easily, I might add.  I think you can read between the lines that I am no PC THUG, and believe in the right to say anything as long as you obey the rule of physics.

WITH EVERY ACTION COMES AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION!

If you are stupid to say something in the middle of a black neighborhood like "NIGGER!" and you're anything other than a black guy.  Get prepared to get your ass kicked!  Or any other group of people.  But the freedom of intellectual debates, papers about topics, and other unpopular ideas shouldn't be suppressed.  After all, freedom isn't at its best with popular ideas, but if it can protect those that are unpopular.  One day, your view might be unpopular, and who will protect your rights.  We have to stop protecting people from unpopular ideas, or we'll have a nation of babies who won't know who to deal with them in the end.  And become COMMUNIST as well.  How else do you think that those ideas will be suppressed?