Yes. Oh, yes

[sheenaghpugh]

From Philip Pullman's Guardian article:

"We need to be on our guard when people say they're offended. No one actually has the right to go through life without being offended. Some people think they can say "such-and-such offends me" and that will stop the "offensive" words or behaviour and force the "offender" to apologise. I'm very much against that tactic. No one should be able to shut down discussion by making their feelings more important than the search for truth. If such people are offended, they should put up with it."

Comments

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

The problem with this, for me, is the assumption that action causing offence is a noble "search for truth". Most offensive people I know are doing anything but. They are usually using their position to ridicule people less powerful than themselves for being less powerful.

I suppose it depends what you're offended by.

I don't say this with particular reference to Pullman's book about Jesus, by the way, which I couldn't get beyond a few pages of. But I would hate his words to become a catch-all way of fobbing off people who find anything offensive.

[sheenaghpugh]

The context makes it clear he isn't looking to offend for the sake of it. But I think the phrase about nobody being entitled to go through life without being offended is vital. And I hate this notion that you have to "respect sincerely held beliefs" - not if they're stupid, misguided and dangerous you don't.

[julesjones]

I note with interest that some of the sincerely held beliefs I'm expected to respect are ones that are offensive to *my* sincerely held beliefs - in particular the bit of my beliefs I'm inclined to quote about "and a second is like it, you shall love your neighbour as yourself".

There are, alas, rather a lot of people who find the mere existence of people with different religious views to be offensive (and yes, that includes some of the people who actively practice atheism as a species of religion, of which Pullman is not one so far as I can tell.)

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

My own feeling is that people do have a right to be offended... but they don't have a right to be RIGHTLY offended. That has to be judged....

[sheenaghpugh]

I think the problem arises when they think they have a right to have the "offending" words or action stopped merely because it offends them. There's a guy on the Isle of Lewis trying to open his golf course on a Sunday who is being balked by outraged sabbatarians who feel offended by the idea of anyone else playing golf on a Sunday. he's perfectly willing to respect their right to spend Sunday as miserably as possible, he just wants them to respect his right not to...

[ajodasso.livejournal.com]

No one should be able to shut down discussion by making their feelings more important than the search for truth.

Amen to that.