How do you feel about being offended?

I don’t get offended. I am secure enough in myself that I can listen to others feedback or take constructive criticism. If the “offense” is irrational and clearly coming from an emotionally immature person I let it go, along with them. If you are secure within yourself, know you are of integrity and realize a lot of other peoples issues are just that, their issues, nothing to be offended about.

Opinions are opinions and facts are facts, I always go with the facts.

I don’t really get offended by words (some people rightfully do), but actions can be obnoxious.

Some things – almost anything remotely controversial, which includes a lot of things that are positively near certain – will offend anyone. Religion, politics, drugs, evolution, and sex are all sacred cows to someone.

Addendum: Do you feel that others are entitled to claim offense and expect either financial compensation, forced apology, or censoring of what other’s are allowed to say?

No, @Trillian, because Jesus already paid for my sins.

I get offended at insults to my values, directly and indirectly – for instance, I got pretty angry at a guy once who likened an unborn child to a cancerous growth. Were he not on the far side of the Internet, I might have done something regrettable.

Courtesy requires one to avoid offending his neighbors; beyond this there is no right, save but to ask nicely that they make themselves harder to hear.
Financial compensation is ridiculous; you cannot buy new feelings.—-Now, punitive fines for deliberate insult…—
Forced apologies are meaningless.
Censorship is an appealing approach, but only while my bunch is guiding it. Since I can’t guarantee that, I’ll settle for not letting my tormentor have that power.

When I get offended I feel offended.

I hardly even care anymore.

Sure it doesn’t feel good. I tend to remain silent for a while. Somehow, I cannot reciprocate it or pass it on to others. I guess I am weak.

This clip sums my feelings on being offended. He goes into the offended bit at 3:22.

If I feel offended, I don’t think I have any “rights” in regard to it, except for my right to feel offended. I may ask for an apology, but I don’t have the right to one. I may ask them to shut up with their offensive self, but I have no right to their silence. Short of serious libel, I can’t imagine why anyone would ask for money in exchange for being offended. Does this actually happen? If I know the offensive offender, I’m much more likely to say something to them about it, whether it’s overheard or directed at me. I don’t have any investment in strangers, so it’s easier to just write them off altogether.

Words can cause emotional trauma. Most words, even the offensive ones, don’t.

Mostly what I find offensive is hate speech based on race, sexuality, gender identity, disability, religious beliefs. I agree with @augustlan in that I’m more likely to confront a person about it if I know them. Or if it’s someone who is at work in any capacity (like a cashier in a shop for instance) in which case I would report it to their supervisor.

I don’t get offended often as I think offensive remarks reflect more on the person making them than on me. Sometimes on the other hand an offensive remark is deeply hurtful and then I try to analyse why. Has it damaged the image I have of myself or of the way I think the world should be? How should I defend myself, should I try to change my behaviour or my opinions or should I assert them even more strongly? Why has this person been offensive. Is it personal? Did they mean to be hurtful and do they even realise the hurt they have caused. Should I try to hurt them in return to show I can’t be messed with? Offensive remarks create conflict between ourselves as individuals and ourselves as social beings who must get along with other humans.

Personal beliefs, favourite music, my way of doing things. These are the three things people often seem to find fault with and I can’t help but feel offended when they do. Also, if someone is being picked on for no reason – it ticks me off and I don’t ever stand for it.

Regarding the financial compensation, I believe that in the workplace, people may be compensated if their civil liberties or human rights are obstructed, for example if the boss or coworker insults their size, their gender, their sexual orientation, their color, the person could sue and receive something.

I don’t get offended. If someone says something about me, there are two possibilities:
1) It’s false.
1a) This person is an idiot. Why should I care?
1b) This person has wrong information. If I want them to have correct information, I can correct.
But either way, its not true.
2) It is true
2a) I don’t care/I like the fact. So why should I care?
2b) It’s something I’m not happy about.
2bi) I care enough to try to fix it. That’s on me.
2bii) I don’t care enough to try to fix it. So it’s not that big a deal.

That, of course, oversimplifies, but its a framework that serves me well.

@Nullo “Censorship is an appealing approach, but only while my bunch is guiding it. Since I can’t guarantee that, I’ll settle for not letting my tormentor have that power.”
Interesting on several levels;
So, you believe that people should be censored from saying things with which you disagree, but as long as it’s something ok with you, it’s ok to be said?
Do you really consider people who hold differend religious, political, or moral beliefs to be your “tormentor”?
Your use of the word “power” implies that you understand that on one level or another, words have power; and who controls the words of others carries power. So, would you wield that power to force others to comply with your world views regardless of their feelings?
“Punitive fines for deliberate insult”. Again, interesting. What construes deliberate insult? A statement of disbelief? A parody? An opposing set of beliefs? Do you believe that you and “your guys” should also be fined for “insulting” the feelings of others, or are your views the only valid ones?
@jca, how, exactly, would one determine if one’s civil liberties or human rights had been “obstructed”? Can you be more specific? If you’re too short to reach the lightbulb and I say so, have I offended? Is the truth offensive?

@Trillian: I don’t claim to be an expert on these matters, having never been involved with this type of specific claim, but at my present job I hear people complaining about workplace issues. I can imagine if someone’s boss or coworker yells at them something like “You fat bitch” or “I hate fags like you!” that might be something the person might be able to be compensated for in some way. I don’t make the laws so again, I don’t claim to be an expert on this. How is it determined, you ask? It’s determined through hearings with lawyers and the justice system. I don’t make these determinations, they’re made by people that are well versed in these matters.

When I am offended, I don’t feel entitled to an apology or anything. That doesn’t mean I won’t say something, though. What I am hoping to accomplish in doing so is to show the person how hurtful their words were and maybe get them to think twice about saying such things in the future. A lot of offensiveness comes from ignorance. Maybe someone doesn’t even realize they’re being offensive, and my speaking up will make them see things differently.

The last time I felt offended was at a wedding a couple of weeks ago. I was telling my mum something about one of my dogs (a Staffy) when someone, who was not part of the conversation but chose to stick her oar in, said “I don’t like Staffys”. Maybe offended isn’t the right way to describe how I felt but I certainly wanted to punch her in the head. Firstly, no one asked for your opinion and secondly, if you know someone has something that they love dearly your opinion is unimportant and worthless so mind your own. I probably took it a little more personally than I should but it felt like an attack on my dog. It didn’t help that, at the time, I was worried about my dog and was explaining to me mum what was worrying me so I was probably more sensitive than usual. I kept away from that woman all day although I wanted to confront her about thinking she was entitled to say anything at that point.

@Leanne1986 . I concur. This person is a boor.
Response #1 When I want your opinion, I’ll beat it out of you..
#2 – Turn around deliberately and make eye contaact. Hold it for several seconds. Turn back to the conversation and pick up where you left off. Don’t say “So anyway…” just continue the conversation.

Give enough people enough time to talk, and you will eventually hear something you don’t like. Interact with enough people and you will eventually see something you don’t like. And the sun comes up tomorrow.

Being offended is waste of time and a vexation to the spirit. Sort of like being angry or envious. I admit it happens to the best of us, but your soul gets a little corroded when you give in to it.

I think it hurts most when someone doesn’t realize they’re offending you because you assume they’re speaking out of clear and honest intent. True friends stab you in the front and that ironically is what hurts the most. When someone offends me intentionally I could care less. If anything I see that as being obnoxious.

@Trillian Those would have been brilliant responses to her pointless comment. Oh, hindsight! I am used to people telling me that they don’t like the breed my dog happens to be but at that particular time I was worried about my dog, which would have been obvious from the conversation I was having at the time, so I felt her comment was deliberately spiteful.

@gorillapaws http://www.popscreen.com/v/5ZgMA/Steve-Hughes-Whats-wrong-with-being-offended