WeX Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Stephen Fry said it best when he said: “It's now very common to hear people say, 'I'm rather offended by that.' As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more... than a whine. 'I find that offensive.' It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that.' Well, so f'ing what." Sorry if this has already been posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melthebell Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 yes we have a right to offend, but you must take any repercushions like a man, dont want to do the time dont do the crime. i read yesterday in a paper about some twitter troll who with his "mates" wooed a woman who was horribly disfigured as a baby in a fire, all her face and body and hands etc anyway for months he sweet talked her etc when it came down to it, he gave her abuse about how disgusting she looked and it was all a bet etc etc all she was doing was getting on with her life best she can and out of the blue she gets a waste of human skin abusing and offending her im sorry but thats just not on, i can think of lots of things id like to do to him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 yes we have a right to offend, but you must take any repercushions like a man, dont want to do the time dont do the crime So if I offend a muslim extremist who then kills me, thats OK is it? The very fact a person is gay offends some people. Should homosexuals take the abuse and physical attacks "like a man" too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 No we don't. There are limits and they are more easily crossed than we care to know. I disagree, causing offence is not reason enough to (legally) restrict what can and can't be said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgksheff Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 There is a very clear difference between taking offense and taking abuse. Not all that you may regard as offensive may be abusive. Most abuse is very likely to be offensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 So if I offend a muslim extremist who then kills me, thats OK is it? The very fact a person is gay offends some people. Should homosexuals take the abuse and physical attacks "like a man" too? The repercussions should be within the law of course, which would probably limit them to things being said back that offended you. ---------- Post added 25-01-2014 at 12:18 ---------- yes we have a right to offend, but you must take any repercushions like a man, dont want to do the time dont do the crime. i read yesterday in a paper about some twitter troll who with his "mates" wooed a woman who was horribly disfigured as a baby in a fire, all her face and body and hands etc anyway for months he sweet talked her etc when it came down to it, he gave her abuse about how disgusting she looked and it was all a bet etc etc all she was doing was getting on with her life best she can and out of the blue she gets a waste of human skin abusing and offending her im sorry but thats just not on, i can think of lots of things id like to do to him Don't you think that goes well beyond causing offence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgksheff Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 I know it may sound pedantic, but ... I don't think anybody has "a right to offend", but nobody has "a right not to be offended". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melthebell Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 So if I offend a muslim extremist who then kills me, thats OK is it? The very fact a person is gay offends some people. Should homosexuals take the abuse and physical attacks "like a man" too? thats taking it to a different plane of thought tbh, what i meant was deliberetly setting out to cause offence the examples you have given are people taking being offended to the extreme rather than somebody being particularly offensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discodown Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 So if I offend a muslim extremist who then kills me, thats OK is it? The very fact a person is gay offends some people. Should homosexuals take the abuse and physical attacks "like a man" too?Thats not being offended though is it? A physical attack is not causing offence. If I smash you in the face with a brick I can't follow it up with "no offence" and expect you to laugh it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmack Posted January 25, 2014 Author Share Posted January 25, 2014 No but apparently it is becoming policy for WUMs to regularly start stupid threads. Personally I'm all for free speech. ' I disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it.' Voltaire. But that's different to 'do we have the right to offend?' Isn't it? Free speech is the right to voice an opinion on any subject, and is an essential part of any society which wishes to regard itself as a free Democracy. Stating your opposing view to someone else's opinion should not give offence. Providing that you use reasoned argument and do not introduce personal insults into the discussion. The 'right to offend' could also be expressed as 'do we have the right to be ill mannered and obnoxious.' My opinion is that providing you are prepared to accept the consequences of behaving in that manner there is little to stop you. It isn't a 'right' though. Where you have a 'right' to do something there should be no consequences involved, either under the law or by direct personal action. So would you introduce a law to stop people being ill mannered and obnoxious. ---------- Post added 25-01-2014 at 12:51 ---------- Are you suggesting that's offensive? It's a very slightly humorous way of viewing a short phrase in a wider perspective. You could try a lot harder when it comes to the holocaust, surely. A lot of people would find that Jimmy Carr joke deeply offensive, ---------- Post added 25-01-2014 at 12:53 ---------- Sounds to me as if he's whining himself if he finds it offensive that someone is offended. If he can't take it then don't dish it out. He's having a go at people who think that there is a bill someone called "the rights of the offended" which is instantly enacted the second someone is offended. Nobody has a right to not be offended. ---------- Post added 25-01-2014 at 12:59 ---------- To put it simiply I beleive that we all have a right to offend but we have a responsibility not to if we can avoid it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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