Eat, sleep, offend, repeat. Being offensive to one another seems to be something everyone does, whether it is on purpose or by accident. We have all been offended by someone or insulted a person in some way.  Wars, lawsuits, murder, and worse all have at some point sprouted from someone feeling wronged by another. Why though, why are people offended so easily?

   Past actions of people can cause modern day problems to transpire. On the BBC Radio 4, an article covered a student attending Columbia University who demanded a statue of Thomas Jefferson be taken down for its being a “…stark reminder of America’s bloody history of white supremacy.”

   Teenagers of the 21st century seem to be offended quite easily. Junior Holly Able [real name withheld] said, “I think everyone takes everything so personal and like too seriously and they don’t know how to take things as a joke.” bringing up a fair point of drawing a distinct line between a joke and a degrading phase.

   On Thrive Global an article by Eric Turner stated, “We live in a world where it’s now not okay to state your specific values or beliefs unless you’re going to be completely inclusive to everyone and everything, even if that means you go against your values and beliefs.”

If we are to believe Turner’s idea of the world, we aren’t supposed to discuss our opinions if they oppose the common society beliefs. Is it the fault of the individual who has differing beliefs; or do we blame the person who is insulted by the comment.

Sarah Langman [real name withheld] a Senior at Taylorsville said; “I think that people should watch what they say. However, at the same time, some people should not be offended so easily about such simple things.”

   Exceptions to this are where the fault lies on offending someone, such as a racial slur, sexist remark, or other degrading comments someone can make to another. As well as jokes or comments shouldn’t be said in the company of people if the joke maybe misinterpreted.

Senior Jimmy Fung [real name withheld]explained he avoids offending people by making sure he knows the boundaries of people he talks to.

   What can be done to avoid offending each other? Watching what is said and who it is said to, not being as sensitive to others’ comments, and last of all realizing that others have differing ideologies and opinions and as long as they are not hurting anyone; it isn’t anyone’s place to force others to change.  

James Pointon published an article on the “7 ways to prevent being offended so regularly.” He writes that you must “understand your feelings, understand why someone is acting offensive, recognize constructive criticism, recognize the effects of intoxicants (alcohol), learn to meditate, expand your cultural horizons, don’t be offensive.”