Disagreement is a healthy part of democracy. We all have different views on taxation, foreign policy, justice, and so on. The beauty of democracy is that we can disagree openly, discuss publicly, and (hopefully) find a compromise.
The operative word here being “compromise”. These days, it often feels like nobody is willing to compromise and everyone is playing to their political base. Compromise is referred to pejoratively as “fudge”; a solution nobody is happy with but everyone can just about live with. Everyone gets their second-best solution.
Compromise obviously requires dialogue. It requires give and take, flexibility, and pragmatism. However, if we are so focused on “ideological purity”, and so offended by someone’s political views that we refuse to even talk to them, how can we ever achieve compromise?
Adopting a loud, aggressive tone is a great way to grab attention in the media. US President Donald Trump is the most famous example of a politician who likes to regularly – mostly via Twitter – dish out criticism. At the same time, Trump also is famously thin-skinned, taking great offence when somebody criticises him.
Is everyone too easily offended these days? Should we be more willing to listen to views (and personalities) we might find offensive? Or would that normalise extremist views? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below and we’ll take them to policymakers and experts for their reactions!
Image Credits: (cc) Flickr – Gage Skidmore
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Leve de polder!
Far too much pandering to the ‘Find Offense In Everything’ Brigade.
These people, usually (though not always) from the extreme liberal left find offense in everything, usually on behalf of someone else, or on behalf of a specific group, who often are not bothered. You are not allowed to disagree, in case you attract the accusations of (pick one) Racist/Xenophobe/Misogynist/Nazi/Homophobic/etc.
Often the claims of such people do nothing to help the cause they purport to support, indeed, they often cause and promote the very things they protest against (Antifa are a classic example)
Absolutely, the world is too easily offended these days, dangerously so.
Why is it dangerous? Because nowdays one of the best arguments against a different opinion is “I’m offended”.
I’m offended means nothing, is no more than a whine, a complain, but for many people it means “I’m offended therefore I’m right and you are a bad person”. This blocks every chance for healthy discussion.
And when there’s no room for dialogue because one party inherently feels offended by everything the other party does. A loud and aggressive tone becomes the next best thing to do.
It’s no longer about debate, it’s about convincing the public how evil is the other party compared to you. And this can easily give birth to extremism.
There’s nothing wrong with stating that you are offended. The problem is when you use that as an argument for why you are right.
The problem is when you base your entire policy on being offended.
Yes the reason is on the picture.
No. Some decades ago people would get offended when a woman would wear trousers. Or when a black person would sit down in a bus.
We’ve progressed since then.
Yes. MAGA
Not too easily on serious matters. Really touchy on trivial ones. Distraction works🤔
It’s not so much we’re more easily offended, but rather that there is a certain group of people who feel that because of their feeling of offence, they believe it’s right to take away another person’s right to free speech. A totally insidious movement.
Yes there is a culture of puritanism in global culture. However theres is also a clear unshamefull attack to the average mean of living. Etnics minorities, human rigths being attacked by main politics.
Well, when that “offended” card is well planned &used.
By the way, why is Trump on view 😀😀😀?!? Why not somebody’s else, they are plenty “offended” this days 😀😀😀
Anelia – offender, he doesn’t do political correctness, and PC advocates hate it.
Catalin – It’s funny when somebody says ” political correctness ” 😀 isn’t it !!!! Now days everyone who’s says the truth, is offender racist, fascist……and about the hate, the media, comedians, actors…..are spreading hate and have dividing agenda………
The Lefties sure are…not only but they police everyone who doesn’t comply with their “victimhood Olympics” narrative…
Yes
I’d say yes, people use it as a tool to manipulate debate which is infuriating.
Yes it is, cause manners have less value nowadays, cursing someone could be taking as joking with him, nothing serious don’t take it personal we are joking, however you broke a line you shouldn’t, cause once things get really serious you won’t find any reason not to fuel the issue starting from cursing
Second, the politician which am afraid they are idols like it or not, they carelessly acting like common people with behavior matters or even with their speeches, in which the common people will say if the politician are saying it why shouldn’t we,
The real question however, is there another low level can we cross it yet? Or the good days should start coming by now?
And my answer unfortunately, and as long as trump in power and his British copy in Britain, it’s just getting worst
Hope i am wrong thu
I think those who are easily offended are more heard than before, probably because it attracts attention, and attention drives the online ad business.
One chooses to be offended.
After decades of Cold War ideological competition and superpower confrontation, people all over the world appear to be brainwashed, unable to think and talk without referring to those old ideologies of the last century…
The offender‘s intend is often also exactly that: to offend. So it’s on both side of the argument. One side is offensive while the other gets offended.
And it’s also not true that it’s only or always the same side that gets offended. It’s on both sides, really.
This makes discourse too emotional to argue reasonably and very difficult to get anywhere…
I agree with you! And I also think that it’s easy to say that people get too offended, when you dont know how much some “jokes” can actually hurt people. Like, people from minorities have been made fun of and stereotyped for centuries – and not just that, for such a long time they simply either didnt have the same legal rights or they were discriminated against. And now these things have thankfully started to change a lot – but the stereotypes still permeate society and people are still suffering from discrimination. So, when people make “jokes” that are offensive, it hurts them a lot. And I think they have a right to be offended!
“normalise extremist views”? if you find something offensive, does that mean it’s an “extremist view”? Don’t extremists find other views that differ from theirs, “extreme”?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3l_M-zbLqnk
I feel this summarized it rather nicely.
More often than not, the media is looking to sell more news by providing exaggerated journalism.
Ding! We have a winner. The search for advertising revenue has made the news into a clickbait free-for-all. Formerly serious journals now lead with “Batboy sighted” and bury any serious news behind layers of sensationalism. This attitude has permeated into society.
modern jornalism makes us guinea pigs to emotional swings… no problem I have my Valium right here.
“I’m so lonely but that’s okay I shaved my head
And I’m not sad
And just maybe I’m to blame for all I’ve heard
But I’m not sure”
True. You have to be careful what are you saying, how you behaving and everything else. Because somebody could feel offended or discriminated. Crazy times.
Some people are or pretend to be easily offended and then demand to control free speech. A futile attempt that violates freedom of thought and freedom of expression. The speaker is not the one who is actually offensive, it is the truth that is ugly. And sensitive, belief-enslaved or triggered people are having an emotional reaction to it. Then groups or authorities get on the band-wagon and try to silence the ugly truth if it is inline with their agenda, views or sponsor’s desires and goals.
that’s true.
that is correct!
Not everybody is offended. Those who are so offended usually are against free speech
No. On the contrary. There used be a times when people challenged you to a duel for offending them. Thankfully these times are over.
Being “offended” is often a pretext for bullying someone.
We are getting too sensitive. That does not mean we should welcome outrageous remarks. Many nuances here. Who defines, and how, when a red line is crossed?
People are just trying to find higher moral standards.