Offended

[nemorathwald]

I just encountered the word "offended" again, spoken in a public relations apology. "Offended" is a word that takes facts off the table, and centers the conversation on subjective reactions. "I apologize for offending you." Translation: "I'm right, but I'm willing to lie and pretend to agree with you because your emotional reaction is more important to me than facts. Later, I'll complain in private over cigars and scotch about how political correctness is pressuring me to live a lie."

Comments

[jodybrai.livejournal.com]

'Twould seem that "Let's agree to disagree" would be a better option, in general, than an insincere "I'm sorry you're offended."

Then again, it's often true, in a literal sense, that I am sorry to have offended someone. I apologize for bringing you discomfort. I'm emphatically NOT going to apologize for my position, and if I'd realized how offended you would be made by my stating this position, I most likely would have refrained from discussing it with you. I probably would have refrained from taking the chance of sharing this part of myself with you. In the future, I will be more cautious of what I choose to tell you, knowing full well that this means that we will never be as fully connected as we would have been had we been able to discuss this issue without the giving or taking of offense.

As with any trite phrase, the actual intention varies greatly based on the factors involved.