'Announcing "I'm offended" is basically telling the world that you can't control your emotions'

[cleanhippie]

Just something to think about the next time one of us gets the urge to proclaim how offended we are, especially here in the Religion forum.

[rexcat]

1. Similar to...

"I am so done with you."

[rug]

2. I suppose that applies to the "bashing" word as well.

[cleanhippie]

3. I disagree.

Offend - (transitive) To hurt the feelings of; to displease; to make angry; to insult.

Your accusations offend me deeply.

(intransitive) To feel or become offended, take insult.

Don't worry. I don't offend easily.

Bashing - a harsh, gratuitous, prejudicial attack on a person, group or subject.

[rug]

4. Meh, they're both used subjectively.

"Your Catholic bashing offends me."

"Your atheist bashing offends me."

[cleanhippie]

5. I'm offended by how easily you conflate the two.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

18. An attempted insult is only an insult if it is accepted. nt

[NightWatcher]

6. Bashing= severe criticism to which I lack a concise retort

[rug]

7. Lol!

[mr blur]

13. Nope

[humblebum]

8. Now,let me understand this. So you are

"basically telling the world that you can't control your emotions?" Definitely one to bookmark.

[backscatter712]

9. Stephen Fry also speaks on this subject.

[onager]

10. And...did somebody drop this?

[cleanhippie]

11. Thats my opinion, too. I fully agree.

Funny just how often we see this card being played. Not only here in Religion, but all over DU.

[cleanhippie]

12. I just used this in another thread!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1327717

Perfect for the occasion. Thanks!

[Starboard Tack]

14. It's very important to control those "nasty" emotions

Wouldn't want folk to know how we feel about anything, would we?

[cleanhippie]

15. I think you would benefit from seeing this.

Seeing the point yet?

[EvilAL]

17. Yeah, it pisses me off as well

when people think they have the right to NOT be offended by something. Unless I have you tied to a chair or am harassing you with whatever offends you, you can easily walk away or turn off the channel or block me or ignore me..

[2ndAmForComputers]

16. There's also this old canard:

You: X happened, here's a link. X is not right.
Idiot: Ooooooooh!!! Are you... OFFENDED??? Like a whiny politically-correct crybaby? Only whiny politically-correct crybabies would be offended by that. Nyuk nyuk nyuk!
Idiot 2: Yeah, some people are very whiny politically-correct crybabies! Nyuk nyuk nyuk!
Idiot 3: You tell 'em! Have you noticed how many of that type are whiny politically-correct crybabies? Nyuk nyuk nyuk!

(Disclaimer: the above may contain slight exaggerations of tone for illustrative purposes.)

[frylock]

19. the next time i see one of these ecards that are remotely funny or poignant..

will be the first time.

[Dorian Gray]

28. Heh

They are really annoying.

[kwassa]

20. What an idiotic card.

Feeling offended has nothing to do with controlling one's emotions.

The first is a feeling. The second is a response to the feeling.There are other valid responses to feelings, the most appropriate being to express that feeling.

Controlling one's emotions only makes the other person feel more comfortable. Why is that an obligation?

[rexcat]

22. By keeping one's emotions in check...

one has a better chance of staying rational and bringing better discourse to the topic at hand. If you think that being emotional and bringing irrational thought into a debate is a good thing I might have to question that thought process.

[Dorian Gray]

29. I'm very rarely

offended by anything, especially on the internet.

But why should someone always want to stay rational? What's wrong with feeling emotions? Why is that problematic?

[rexcat]

30. Emotions in the context of a debate

your reasoning goes out the door, otherwise there is nothing wrong with emotions.

[Dorian Gray]

31. That's true

but not everyone comes to message boards to debate. Sometimes it's about sharing with likeminded people, or just expressing themselves in some sort of forum.

But, I do agree that if debating, making rational points is important.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

21. To put that another way

You are saying that you can act like an arsehole, and if I object to your acting like an arsehole, I am at fault, not you.

The term for that is "blaming the victim".

[rexcat]

23. It does not take much for some...

to become offended. Just the fact that I am an atheist can be offensive to some here on DU and in this group.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

24. I notice that you did not actually address what I wrote

[rexcat]

25. Let me try this again...

some think that by mentioning one is an atheist that puts them in the category of an asshole. It does not take a lot to offend some people.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

27. Which still does not address what I wrote

Saying that it is wrong to take offense when one is acting or speaking offensively is the same as saying "I can act like an arsehole, and if you take offense at my acting like an arsehole, then you are to blame, not me."

It has nothing whatsoever to do with being an atheist or not, it has everything to do with arseholes claiming that there is something wrong with being offended by their arseholery.

[rexcat]

32. I did but it appears you totally missed the point...

but at this point that does not surprise me in the least.

On a totally different subject did you know that rock is made of dense material?

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

33. Oh, I understood your point

You are whining that some people find your atheism offensive., Have you considered that you could be accused of displaying lack of emotional maturity by taking offense at the reaction of some people towards your atheism?

Now, let me reiterate my point, WHICH YOU HAVE NOT ADDRESSED IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER: If someone is acting like an arsehole and takes offense, the arsehole might well say "Announcing 'I'm offended' is basically telling the world that you can't control your emotions". In other words, the arsehole is saying that the victim is at fault when the victim takes offense at the arsehole's acts. The term for that is "blaming the victim". Might you deign to respond to that, instead of whining that some people don't like your atheism.

[rexcat]

35. I don't care if you like or dislike atheism...

Your opinion about me or my "atheism" is of no concern. Atheism is a lack in believe in a god or gods. Religion on the other hand is a belief in the supernatural or in more blunt terms, superstition at its worse. I don't think I lack "emotional" maturity but it sure looks like you are into personal attacks without any substance. What I do see is a lot of projection on your part.

I don't known what "deign" means (your second paragraph, last sentence) other than your lack of coherence.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

36. Personally, I have no reaction, either positive or negative, to atheism per se

I do object to those atheists who make statments such as "raising children to be believers is child abuse" or "believers are ipso facto idiots". I have, admittedly not in this forum, defended atheists against the accusation that they have no ethical standards.

Atheism is a lack in believe in a god or gods.

No, that's agnosticism. Atheism goes farther than that, and states positively that there is no god or gods.

Religion on the other hand is a belief in the supernatural or in more blunt terms, superstition at its worse.

I think I know why some believers don't like your declaration of atheism. It's your saying things such as religion is "superstition at its worst". Any believer would find that objectionable. And that is exactly the sort of thing I was talking about: When you say that, you are acting like an arsehole and being offensive. Now, to say "Announcing 'I'm offended' is basically telling the world that you can't control your emotions" is saying that you can offend people, and if they find you offensive, then they are at fault, not you.

I don't known what "deign" means (your second paragraph, last sentence) other than your lack of coherence.

From The on-line Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
deign, transitive verb: to condescend to give or offer

In other words, would you condescend to ADDRESS MY POINT, which you have not done, even though you falsely claim that you have.

Actually, I suspect that you have not answered because you know that I'm right, and the sole fault involved in your acting as an arsehole is entirely on you, not on the people you have offended. You just have neither the grace, the balls nor the honesty to admit it.

[cleanhippie]

37. Friend, you are totally mistaken on the meaning of these words.

http://api.ning.com/files/kvOHl9cTrw7tTohXFKjpEExwwz0hualrDsn0-6s1D4DjsRMe*PO7qlttW97WZji-XBcwFp*Xow8E56zaTjaZNfL0xbIoD9xr/gnosticism_graph.png

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

43. All right, however

You STILL have not deigned to address my point.

[skepticscott]

39. Only true if you think that

simply being offended automatically makes you a "victim". Not that it would surprise me if you thought that. It seems to be a very prevalent mindset among the religionists here and elsewhere.

[LARED]

40. Religionists are hardly alone when it comes to claiming victim hood

by being offended.

My experience tells me Christian religionists are quite adept at turning the other cheek when offended compared to lots of other groups.

[skepticscott]

41. Not alone

They're just particularly prone to and adept at it.

[LARED]

42. No more than any other group nt

[Nostradammit]

26. Bullshit.

Punching someone because of what they said would indicate that "you can't control your own emotions."

The declaration that one is offended is a perfectly acceptable course of action.

[LARED]

34. For the sake of clarity

Lets say someone states they are offended by the nations motto; "In God We Trust", are they lacking emotional control or is that a different type of offended?

[peace begins with me]

38. Why are you starting an OP on a non-spiritual topic?

Why not save the mental musings for some other forum like GD? Is the mind always needing to find something else to think?