I used to say I can’t be offended. When would try and choose their words with me, I would reassure them they couldn’t offend me. To be offended, to me, meant you were bothered by meaningless or careless words someone around you said. It was a sign of weakness. Thin skin. Then one day I looked it up. Turns out it means to feel upset, annoyed, or resentful. I guess I’m really offended all the time. And it’s usually because of all the people I see or read about who go out of their way to be offended by…
Perhaps we need offended training
Sensitivity training has settled comfortably in as the solution for when a co-worker, college student, or celebrity says something that may offend the easily offended. There has always been an element of watching what one says in public. That’s how things like class and decorum were determined. But as we’ve given more weight to the politically correct, watching what one says is becoming not only a full-time job, but also quite a guessing game. There’s no way to know who will find what offensive. And the scales of society have tipped to give weight to the offended. Perhaps we…