“It offends me” is a whole other beast from “It’s offensive.” The former indicates that something bothers me and I’d prefer not to see/hear/experience it. It also indicates that I am the one with the problem and while I think this is wrong, I acknowledge that others can experience it if they choose—as long as it has nothing to do with me.
“It’s offensive” implies that it is near-universally appalled and that even mentioning it is distasteful. While there are things that fall into this category, it’s important to remember that something that bothers you is not necessarily in it.
One of the arguably unfortunate things about the world is that no matter how horrible something is, some @$$h0le somewhere is going to find it funny. Now, this doesn’t mean you should bite your tongue when something that bothers you pops up. You just have to remember to acknowledge that others think differently. Engage in debate—civil debate—ask it to be removed or whatever. And if someone says something you did offends them, offer them the same courtesy.
It’s frustrating, but one of the prices of free expression is that people can do things that piss you the hell off. And unless we all want to go Harrison Bergeron, we have to tolerate it. Unless it’s illegal. Then, yeah, go nuts.
Finally, I’ll leave you with the inspiration for this post, which probably makes the point better than I ever could:
Ever notice I use a lot of the same sources? It’s because I want people to think I’m smart, so I cite smart ideas of others. But it’s no big deal. Because that’s how academia works.
