What word offends you?

[Platypus]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: Platypus

Originally posted by: Beev
None. Period. Words are just that. Words.

I better reevaluate what I thought being human meant, if "words are just words".

People saying asinine BS like this what offends me.

The phrase I find most offending is "it's just a theory".

Asinine? Are you saying that because you don't share this viewpoint that it's immediately cast aside in favor of what you think? Interesting. :roll:

Words *are* just words, it's the INTENT of the person that is offensive. Taking offense to an ordered series of sounds is just silly. I don't feel offended every time I hear the word lovely human or queer or gay or fairy because they're just words. If someone came up to me and said, 'you are a fucking lovely human,' it's not the word 'lovely human' that I find offensive, it's the HATE and INTENT of that person that I find offensive.

You may call it splitting hairs but honestly it's how something is used that deems it offensive to me, not the words themselves. It's the tone of voice, the way it's used, the intent behind the meaning that determines that response from me. I have friends who call me 'queer' as a term of endearment, people I know for a fact have no problem with gay people or even my gay friends who say that to me. It's all about usage.

So to take offense to a word printed on a piece of paper with no intent behind it just seems asinine to me. If it offends you then that's your prerogative but accept that others are not so thin-skinned.. hell someone like myself can't afford to be thin-skinned in the world we live in.

 

[mh47g]

You shoulda called her a retard again...

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: lyssword

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: lyssword

Originally posted by: Alistar7

Originally posted by: Beev
None. Period. Words are just that. Words.

Bullshit.. words are everything, that's the #1 way humans communicate. Words are extremely important, and if you don't realize that then I am sorry..
I am an Immigrant and I can tell you firsthand how important words are. If you can't communicate with words, people will view you as sub-human.

erummmmmmm

WTF?

How one uses words separates a politician from a president.. A regular worker from CEO
If you are saying wtf, I probably insulted your intelligence, by using words nonetheless..

You have missed the point. By an incredibly wide margin. Words are nothing more than symbols. A word in and of itself cannot rightly be offensive. It is the ideas that are represented by the words that are offensive. Many people, however, impute certain ideas to specific words and disregard the possibility of alternate usage and through this limited understanding they come to associate the words themselves with the offensive ideas.

Other people mistakenly identify the ability to use words skillfully as a marker of superiority. The ability to speak or write well displays absolutely nothing more than the ability to speak and write well. That's it. Being able to speak and write well does not mean that the speaker or writer has good, or even workable, ideas. The most eloquent and persuasive speaker or writer in the world may very well be completely full of shit.

ZV

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: Platypus

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: Platypus

Originally posted by: Beev
None. Period. Words are just that. Words.

I better reevaluate what I thought being human meant, if "words are just words".

People saying asinine BS like this what offends me.

The phrase I find most offending is "it's just a theory".

Asinine? Are you saying that because you don't share this viewpoint that it's immediately cast aside in favor of what you think? Interesting. :roll:

Words *are* just words, it's the INTENT of the person that is offensive. Taking offense to an ordered series of sounds is just silly. I don't feel offended every time I hear the word lovely human or queer or gay or fairy because they're just words. If someone came up to me and said, 'you are a fucking lovely human,' it's not the word 'lovely human' that I find offensive, it's the HATE and INTENT of that person that I find offensive.

You may call it splitting hairs but honestly it's how something is used that deems it offensive to me, not the words themselves. It's the tone of voice, the way it's used, the intent behind the meaning that determines that response from me. I have friends who call me 'queer' as a term of endearment, people I know for a fact have no problem with gay people or even my gay friends who say that to me. It's all about usage.

So to take offense to a word printed on a piece of paper with no intent behind it just seems asinine to me. If it offends you then that's your prerogative but accept that others are not so thin-skinned.. hell someone like myself can't afford to be thin-skinned in the world we live in.

If that's what you meant, I agree. I thought you guys meant that nothing anyone says will ever be offensive. I'm the one always defending rappers for saying "awesome dude" etc. "That's gay" shouldn't really be offensive, because it's not referring to actually being gay.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: lyssword

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: lyssword

Originally posted by: Alistar7

Originally posted by: Beev
None. Period. Words are just that. Words.

Bullshit.. words are everything, that's the #1 way humans communicate. Words are extremely important, and if you don't realize that then I am sorry..
I am an Immigrant and I can tell you firsthand how important words are. If you can't communicate with words, people will view you as sub-human.

erummmmmmm

WTF?

How one uses words separates a politician from a president.. A regular worker from CEO
If you are saying wtf, I probably insulted your intelligence, by using words nonetheless..

You have missed the point. By an incredibly wide margin. Words are nothing more than symbols. A word in and of itself cannot rightly be offensive. It is the ideas that are represented by the words that are offensive. Many people, however, impute certain ideas to specific words and disregard the possibility of alternate usage and through this limited understanding they come to associate the words themselves with the offensive ideas.

Other people mistakenly identify the ability to use words skillfully as a marker of superiority. The ability to speak or write well displays absolutely nothing more than the ability to speak and write well. That's it. Being able to speak and write well does not mean that the speaker or writer has good, or even workable, ideas. The most eloquent and persuasive speaker or writer in the world may very well be completely full of shit.

ZV

Nowadays, soundbites are what convince people, not great oratory. Compare John Kerry and George Bush. Kerry was a great speaker, Bush wasn't (or so it seems). People liked Bush more, because he simplifies and speaks with a Texas accent, and most of all doesn't appear to be superior to the audience.

 

[GasX]

Since I see getting offended by anything other than a direct personal attack a major character flaw, I'd have to say not much other that "Your mother's a whore"

 

[Ryan]

Depends on the person saying them/what relevance that person has to me in my life and their intent - not necessarily the word itself.

 

[randay]

its not the word used, its the context and tone. you can call me anything you want and if i know theres no malice behind it, i wont be offended.

 

[IGBT]

..don't empower people to offend you with words.

 

[Linflas]

"Fair" when combined with "share" because generally what follows is anything but.

 

[OCNewbie]

I'm one of the ones that see words as words... nothing worth getting bent out of shape over.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
'nef' , don't call me that

Okay, i won't....nef.

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: Beev
None. Period. Words are just that. Words.

Yep.

 

[Engraver]

When a bushman curses at me in his clicky tongue popper language.