Do you think most people get offended to easily these days?

[nightdrot]

Unquestionably. The culture is now at the point where Disney is putting warning labels on reruns of "The Muppet Show" lest someone take offense - law suit to follow.

This is a society with a giant chip on its' shoulder. Where to be offended is to be a victim and thus worthy - and now demand - the empathy and protection of society.

It is a peculiar manifestation of the populism of the age. The elites are distrusted and established institutions protect the powerful - or so the argument goes - and the "common man" stands at the pinnacle of all Creation. Right not for what he believes but for who he is.

The technology then reinforces that habit. In previous eras, the technology produced mass audiences. Newspapers, movies, radio, television. All had to be adapted to reach a mass audience and thus people, whatever their individual quirks, had to experience reality more or less through the same prism.

With the advent of cable, the internet, social media and the I-phone, this has changed. Now any individual may go to those sources of information that confirm his or her biases. Those biases are less likely to be challenged and more likely to be reinforced - and the result is a people of narrow perspectives and a sense of entitlement.

This in turn resulting in a mood of hypersensitivity and narrow identities. Thus it becomes easy to be offended and thus to easily offend. Such that Kermit the Frog - to cite the example above - is now seen sotto voce, or perhaps not even that sotto voce, as offensive and the harbinger of some vague form of bigotry.

It is pure rubbish and suggestive of a society that, bluntly, needs to grow up. Alas, the satisfaction and self-pity that comes from being a victim is too emotionally energizing and consequently matters are not likely to improve for a long time to come.

This might be tolerable - if unpleasant - were it not for its longer term legal and cultural implications. The scope for expression and debate is narrowed as emotional offense replaces reasoned analysis. Thus the freedom of speech and expression will narrow and - paradoxically - as everyone retreats to their cultural corners, the likelihood of conflict will intensify and the scope of liberty will narrow.

At some point it is to be hoped that the culture, as it has before, will grow weary of shouting and tumult and this will provide an antidote to the current passion for being offended. However, hope is not certainty. A culture plagued by the absence of practicing adults and that fails to understand the wisdom of the old adage, "wisdom is knowing what to overlook," will be a place of sharp elbows and even sharper conflict.

It is not, and will not, be a pleasant culture to live in let alone raise children, work and do so many of the other things that were once deemed characteristic of civilization. One thing it will not be is civilized.

[Not_Average]

We live in a softer society. A mere disagreement in politics causes grown ass adults to throw temper tantrums.

[AmandaYVR]

Yes, I do. Outrage Culture seems to be a thing.
But there's also a hell of a lot more rude and offensive things being said anonymously online.
And then you've got the legitimate miscommunications and misunderstandings.
And the trolls. And the block-happy people.
It's a hot mess. With no signs of reversing anytime soon.
But at least the one good thing is that people are still pretty much the same in person. They're not rude to each other as strangers, face to face. There's still pretty good civility there.

[SavageGirl101]

yesss and its so annoying people will try to cancel anything these days

[NathanDavis]

No I do not think most people get offended easily
But the few that do are very very loud and overdramatic
And then, there's even more people who take them seriously and amplify the situation to make it seem like "it's everyone" doing it

[Anonymous]

Absolutely. I posted a question on why some people can't accept that America lost the Vietnam war and one user with multiple accounts got hysterical and launched a campaign of harassment and bullying. Even used multiple accounts to report me and get me blocked.

[Soteris]

You mean as opposed to back in the day when you simply had a good ol fashioned duel to the death if I insulted your mother or was sentenced to death for disrespecting royalty and God?

[MCheetah]

Yes. The batshit insane far less of idiots on social media, but the right is guilty of it, too. Both sides get too triggered, nowadays.

[DCooper]

Hell yeah. For example, I posted a simple question about a Dodge automotive color option earlier today, and someone got offended enough to strike it.

[call_me_scar]

No people have been getting easily offended sense forever just look at old laws from 200 years ago that prohibited free speech because some king couldn't take criticisms, hell even the Christian god is a easily offended bitch just look his 10 commandments instead of saying dont enslave others or don't rape people the first 3 are a ego trip

[OddBeMe]

C. Ehh... there’s just more and easier media coverage for displeasure. If I see another tweet on a news show I’ll vomit.

[CuriousMufuxka]

Yes goddammit! For instance you asking this anonymously.. People are going to talk shit one way or another.

[Pete671]

people seem to look for reasons to be offended imho,

[CapnHawk]

Yes. The world is turning into a bunch of snowflakes.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I'm offended when someone uses "to" when it should be "too".

[Snakeyes7]

A lot more people need to grow a spine.

[Year3000]

Irl no

[GearsofHalo117]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS