Society/Culture Being 'offended' - Australia's favourite pastime?

[thedevilsowne]

Considering I was in the Army myself for 10 years, I'd say I've personally met somewhere around the 1000 mark.

Gotta go out will read again later. Still have some questions and want to defend a few small points.
Overall you have made many well thought out points. I'm out of my league in this debate an are not too big a man to not realize when I'm beat. Congrats
I see what you do in a different light now. You won;t find my writing anything negative about the army again.

 

[Si Botak]

Still have some questions and want to defend a few small points.

Go for it mate, free country and all that

Overall you have made many well thought out points. I'm out of my league in this debate an are not too big a man to not realize when I'm beat. Congrats. I see what you do in a different light now.

Well, erm, thanks I guess but it wasn't my intent to "beat you". You're expressing a point of view, I'm expressing a point of view. I'm not so much as seeking agreement from you as understanding, and it seems you at least understand where I'm coming from.

You won;t find my writing anything negative about the army again

Mate, there's at least as many negative things to say about the ADF and the Defence establishment as there are positive - a number of posters on BF can fill you in on that one if you've got a week to read the responses

 

[thedevilsowne]

Go for it mate, free country and all that



Well, erm, thanks I guess but it wasn't my intent to "beat you". You're expressing a point of view, I'm expressing a point of view. I'm not so much as seeking agreement from you as understanding, and it seems you at least understand where I'm coming from.


Mate, there's at least as many negative things to say about the ADF and the Defence establishment as there are positive - a number of posters on BF can fill you in on that one if you've got a week to read the responses

Didn't really see it as beat me either. Was rushing out the door to go meet someone. Just was expressing that since you had been in army. An my army experience is zero. All I had to go on was a small number of second hand views. That I cannot continue to argue a point of view. Against someone who has clearly more knowledge on the subject and cares more about it than I do.

 

[fairdinkum]

thedevilsowne: I've noticed that you constantly type 'an' instead of 'and'.

Is this because you are too lazy to strike the 'd', or because you genuinely do not know the difference between 'an' and 'and'?

 

[thedevilsowne]

thedevilsowne: I've noticed that you constantly type 'an' instead of 'and'.

Is this because you are too lazy to strike the 'd', or because you genuinely do not know the difference between 'an' and 'and'?

I just like to save my d's in case I need them later.

 

[thedevilsowne]

thedevilsowne: I've noticed that you constantly type 'an' instead of 'and'.

Is this because you are too lazy to strike the 'd', or because you genuinely do not know the difference between 'an' and 'and'?

Ive noticed that you seem repeat yourself, is this because no one listens to you. Or do you genuinely not remember asking the first time?

 

[Partridge]

how could you support somebody that makes light of the greatest tragedy in world history!? mods?

You serious? Ever heard of World War 1? or 2? Russia had 20 million civilian deaths from WW2. I'd say that ranks slightly higher on the scale.

I agree with the original premise entirely though. Being offended has become a true Australian pastime. Up there with blaming losses on spiked drinks and claiming foreigners as locals.

 

[Cap]

has anyone looked on twitter in regards to Brock Mclean

honestly, there are people on their who are deadset pathetic - they abuse McLean for giving some dickhead abuse - all in mock offense.

we really are turning into a spineless nation.

 

[JimDocker]

has anyone looked on twitter in regards to Brock Mclean

honestly, there are people on their who are deadset pathetic - they abuse McLean for giving some dickhead abuse - all in mock offence.

we really are turning into a spineless nation.

Really? Mock offense ?

He said
"It is really poor some (people) hide behind social media to make comments while not saying who they are," he said.
"I was disappointed in the cowardly remark and responded as such.

Nothing mock about it.

It was a ridiculous thing to say/tweet.

 

[Cap]

I'm not even sure what you are referring too?

edit - are you are talking about Mclean being offended ? (there is an article about it on news)

I'm talking about 3rd party people being offended?

 

[JimDocker]

Oh yeah, I see what you mean. I think people are less offended as shocked that somebody could be so dumb.

On a side note. I love how you look for people to be offended so that you can say how piss weak we all are.

 

[Cap]

everyone needs a past time.

but it is something that I find amazing. I can remember my first job where a guy was fired because a third party was offended by something he said to someone else - who wasn't offended.

It just doesn't feel right that we give so much power to people who get offended, it has got worse as the years have gone on that anything that is said in public these days needs to be run through the "offended and moral outrage" scanner bofore release.

It is something that makes me wonder what kind of society we are creating where people can just be offended by anything and everything at the same time. (and I'm not talking about the real issues of life here like hardcore 'isms).

To be honest, it could simply be that I am in the minority where being offended so easily is sign of weakness rather than been a tool to identify issues within society like it is percieved today.

 

[fairdinkum]

I saw this in an article on thepunch.com.au

I am not offended by it. What's more, I even laughed at it. I'm still chuckling as I type this post.

What surprised me was that the author of the article in question seemed to share my views on it. Given that The Punch is owned by News, I was expecting the typical 'this is despicable rabble rabble' claptrap that organisation normally churns out.

I still reckon we are getting more insular, divisive and hysterical as a society here in Australia so it is pleasing to see that some people haven't yet lost their sense of humour.

 

[Pie eyed]

Currently I am most offended by the whining mealy mouthed athletes we seem to have sent to the Olympics....and the second rate hack "journalists" who egg them on at every opportunity to have cry and launch into a long winded explanation of the personal issue and pressures which they use to justify their failure to win.

That and the knobs on reality (laughs) tv shows constantly resorting to quizzing the contestants on how much winning the show means to themin ordet to fill up airtime on their boring, irrelevant excuse for entertainment.
Just *in cook something or tile the bathroom ya whining arse hats.

 

[Donners]

"Men were also continuously and unnecessarily sexist, waiting for me to walk through doors and leave the elevator before them.''
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/article-pits-hun-against-student-intern-20120808-23un9.html#ixzz232n8YBdT

Courtesy is now apparently sexism. Geez, I always hold the door for people, men and women. This woman (I suspect she prefers "womyn") must consider me a monster.

 

[fairdinkum]

^ I wouldn't mind her so long as she is cool with me saying 'c u n t' in her presence, too. Wouldn't want to be sexist and hold back just because a lady is around, knowimean?

 

[evo]

Heritier is a f**.

"As a consequence of this breach, Milne will be sanctioned $3000 by the St Kilda FC and be required to undertake an AFL education program to address the inappropriate nature of his comments."

think-police, FTW.

 

[medusala]

Whoever is running this is brilliant. Offending someone with style.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cr...traffic-to-genius-parody-Twitter-account.html

Pietersen suspects someone in the England camp is responsible for the Tweets and has instructed his lawyers to try and shut the account down

 

[fairdinkum]

Heritier is a f**.

"As a consequence of this breach, Milne will be sanctioned $3000 by the St Kilda FC and be required to undertake an AFL education program to address the inappropriate nature of his comments."

think-police, FTW.

As I posted in the MB thread:

Mayor: (Addressing assembly of students) Students, I am here because of a very serious matter. This morning it was discovered that in several places all over town, somebody had spray-painted the words, ‘**** get out’. Many witnesses reported seeing children with spray-paint. Now, if anybody knows anything about the kids who did this, you must come forward…
Cartman: (Interrupts and raises hand) That was us.
Mayor: Excuse me?
Stan: Yeah, we did that!
Kyle and Kenny: Yeah!
Mayor: (Angrily) Why would you write something like that and be proud of it?
Kyle: Well, because we want all those **** to get out of our town.
Cartman: Yeah, everyone hates those ****, right?
(Students murmur in agreement)
Mr. Mackay: Now just what the heck is going on here? This is not what we have taught you in this school! Kyle and Stan, you’ve always been tolerant of gay people!
Stan: (Confused) Gay people?
Kyle: We aren’t talking about gay people.
Mr. Mackay: You just admitted to spray-painting that they should get out of town!
Stan: Dude, why would we want gay people to get out of town?
Cartman: Oh, they think we meant gay ****!
Kyle: Oh. Hey, that’s not very nice, Mayor! Just because a person is gay doesn’t mean he’s a f**!

 

[Monniehawk]

Heritier is a f**.

"As a consequence of this breach, Milne will be sanctioned $3000 by the St Kilda FC and be required to undertake an AFL education program to address the inappropriate nature of his comments."

think-police, FTW.

Free speech is on.
Now we can get stuck into those rapist Diggers who lost the wars in Tobruk, Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc., and then come home as false heroes and bludge off the welfare system while we work our arses off keeping them in luxury........

Free speech?
Lack of respect?
Or big mouthed bigotry?

Careful what you wish for.....

 

[evo]

Careful what you wish for.....

What can I say? I find forced re-education thought programs for 30 year old adults rather disturbing. More disturbing is that many otherwise intelligent people think it is not only acceptable, but desirable.

Most people learnt nothing from Huxley and Orwell. It seems that the public off-the-cuff remark, even in the heat of battle, has become completely taboo.

Probably the most thing amusing thing is that Heritier has said that he wasn't offended, yet apparently it is still offensive!

 

[fairdinkum]

Probably the most thing amusing thing is that Heritier has said that he wasn't offended, yet apparently it is still offensive!

Did he really say that?

 

[evo]

Did he really say that?

Apparently.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/144104/default.aspx

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said O'Brien wasn't affected by the remark by Milne.

"Harry straight after the game wanted nothing to do with it (making any complaint)," Buckley told radio station 3AW on Thursday night.

"He wasn't offended. He wasn't affected by it.

 

[theGimp]

"It is simply not acceptable - even in the heat of battle - for AFL players to use homophobic insults on the football field," Anderson said.

..but calling him a *head is ok.

 

[Monniehawk]

What can I say? I find forced re-education thought programs for 30 year old adults rather disturbing. More disturbing is that many otherwise intelligent people think it is not only acceptable, but desirable.

Most people learnt nothing from Huxley and Orwell. It seems that the public off-the-cuff remark, even in the heat of battle, has become completely taboo.

Probably the most thing amusing thing is that Heritier has said that he wasn't offended, yet apparently it is still offensive!

But that is the dichotomy: discerning the difference between free speech and vilification.
Being "offended" is just too bland a concept: whereas, saying something that is designed to hurt - designed to incite hatred, rather than correct a situation, is mindless and deserves condemnation.
The trick is trying to get through the crap that often fudges the lines between self-serving vitriol or prejudice and genuine and honest constructive comment. Too many 'commentators' just don't get it.
'Re-education' conjures images of totalitarianism. Prison is re-education, and (more subtly) so is the National Anthem, Mass, newspaper editorials and advertising. Re-education should be aimed at identifying the differences between gratuitous comment and considered opinion, rather than imposing a given line. Otherwise it is the antithesis of free speech.
Strikes me that too many advocates for 'free speech' are just frustrated bigots with an axe to grind against something/one, yet who offer no positive outcomes other than their own gratification.
They frequently seem to be the most easily outraged and first to call for bans on anyone who dissents, imo.