Offense, like insult, CANNOT be GIVEN, only TAKEN. These are internal learned EMOTIONAL responses.
As the great Stephen Fry has said, "You're offended? So fucking what?"
You don't like what I am saying? Stop listening. Or respond with reason. But don't tell me that you get to make me stop talking because you FEEL uncomfortable.
Free speech means I get to talk, about whatever. It does NOT mean, that you get to make me stop talking because you don't like what I say.
ONLY you are responsible for your feelings. You have NO right to make someone else responsible for your feelings.
You feel "triggered?" Stop it. Instead, ask yourself who was the imbecile who told you to feel that way. They did you no favors.
Or, just go to your "safe place," alone.
The whole point of freedom of the press is to not just allow, but to require, a forum for stupid ideas to be identified for what they are. Without this openness, lies flourish, and truth gets lost.
In east lansing a few months ago, a whitie was scheduled to speak at one of the university buildings. About 30 people showed to listen.
About 200 showed to protest his right to speak. They were violent. And they made the news.
Guess who "won" that battle.
Interferring with his right to speak, especially to those who invited him, was stupid at best.
It does not matter what is said, as long as it breaks no laws.
There are many outspoken people on this website who feel free to vilify and insult me if I post anything with which they disagree. I exercise my own rights by immediately blocking them.
Same for the abusive alt-right people on Facebook. I defriend or block them. Sure, you can be offensive, but you'll soon only have similarly abusive friends, who agree with your opinions.
Everyone else will stay FAR away from you, exercising their own right to avoid asshats..
I would like to read some of those responses.
As i wrote, offense is taken. No one can be offensive. They can be annoyingly stupid. But how their words are internalized is learned behavior.
That you feel vilified is sad.