Process: When Uncomfortable is ACTUALLY Offensive

The Processes are opinion pieces where the author explains how they used information to reach their conclusion.

There are a lot of buzzwords that are popular in the modern lexicon, but probably the most commonplace is the term “offense”. Whenever someone exclaims it, they are usually saying it in an incorrect manner and what they are actually trying to say is “what you are saying is making me uncomfortable, and I lack the words to properly explain why I am uncomfortable with it”. According to Merriam – Webster, the definition of the word Offense is “an annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself or one's standards or principles”. This would be brought on by calling someone a slur, making a Klansman rally in the middle of a black neighborhood or urinating on a sacred object revered by a population. These may be extreme examples, but they are drastic to demonstrate that they are understandably offensive. In the same dictionary, the term Uncomfortable is defined as “causing or feeling unease or awkwardness”. These feelings may be caused by the drastic toning down of the previous examples in the following: referring to a woman as black as opposed to a woman of color, stating that the Klan has the right to freedom of speech as much as any other peaceful demonstration, and someone not liking a Mosque being built in their town. All three of these can understandably make someone uncomfortable, but at least definitionally, they do not cross the line into offense.

The next question is when do such acts cross this line and become offensive in nature. I would argue that an uncomfortable opinion can never become an offensive opinion, unless it’s a call to violence against another person. An example of this would be if someone calls for the death of a minority; calling for this is harmful and is therefore disregarding for them and their lives. Therefore, an uncomfortable action can only become an offensive action when it violates the rights of others. An example for this would be if someone burned a cross in another’s front yard, something which was a trademark for the KKK. This is an offensive action not only due to the menacing nature of the action, but also due to the trespassing act required to do so and the property damage involved with the fire. The problem seems to occur in the gray areas where offense and discomfort overlap, and the average person cannot tell the difference between the two. Thankfully, we have a lovely Constitution in this country that is capable of aiding us with this distinction and can help us tell if we should feel offense or if we are simply uncomfortable. We should look at this distinction like this: if it is an opinion, and it is not a call to violence, we are uncomfortable. If it is an action, and it violates our Constitutional rights, then it is an offense.