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The popular perception of taking offense is that it Is a bad thing: at best, revealing a weakness of character, at worst, being a technique for shutting down debate and discussion. This lecture offers a defense of offense as a misunderstood emotion that deserves rehabilitation. Reflecting on jokes that have caused offense, I examine two mistaken beliefs about offense: the first, that taking offense is an expression of hurt feelings and reveals one’s vulnerability; the second, that offense tends to have catastrophic consequences. I will offer a different picture of what it is to take offense, as a far more domestic, if potent, piece of our social interactions and a way of resisting affronts to our social standing. I then turn to the aftermath of having given offense. I will discuss what does – and doesn’t – make for a good apology for having offended someone and what it is about jokes that might make them so prone to causing offense. |
