I think I agree with most of this. I did like the comments pointing out that we can be offended by having our status raised, but actually I think in that situation we’re really offended on behalf of someone else when their status is lowered. Someone who puts down jewish people in front of me offends me because I object to the lowering of jewish people’s status, rather than the raising of my own relative to them.
However, people also use the term “offended” when they’re angered by something they think is morally wrong. So for example “I am offended by the idea that Nazi Germany is a desirable place/time to live.” I don’t know how that fits in here or if we could consider it a misuse of the term.
I want to note though that I was not at all offended by Summers’ comments about women in science. I am a female economics undergrad and research assistant who fully intends to become a professor. But I (mostly) agreed with him and defended his comments—perhaps they were clumsy but they were not sexist or demeaning to women. I wouldn’t have defended him if I felt he treated women as objects in his comments or excluded women from the intended audience.
So for example “I am offended by the idea that Nazi Germany is a desirable place/time to live.” I don’t know how that fits in here or if we could consider it a misuse of the term.
If someone were to speak favorably of Nazi Germany in your presence and you appeared to assent, that would impugn your morality and lower your status in your social circle, so you have to take offense and make clear to everyone around that you are absolutely not in favor of Nazi Germany. I think this is basically the same example as being offended by vulgar language. You want to avoid lowering your status by association with anything vulgar.
I think I agree with most of this. I did like the comments pointing out that we can be offended by having our status raised, but actually I think in that situation we’re really offended on behalf of someone else when their status is lowered. Someone who puts down jewish people in front of me offends me because I object to the lowering of jewish people’s status, rather than the raising of my own relative to them.
However, people also use the term “offended” when they’re angered by something they think is morally wrong. So for example “I am offended by the idea that Nazi Germany is a desirable place/time to live.” I don’t know how that fits in here or if we could consider it a misuse of the term.
I want to note though that I was not at all offended by Summers’ comments about women in science. I am a female economics undergrad and research assistant who fully intends to become a professor. But I (mostly) agreed with him and defended his comments—perhaps they were clumsy but they were not sexist or demeaning to women. I wouldn’t have defended him if I felt he treated women as objects in his comments or excluded women from the intended audience.
If someone were to speak favorably of Nazi Germany in your presence and you appeared to assent, that would impugn your morality and lower your status in your social circle, so you have to take offense and make clear to everyone around that you are absolutely not in favor of Nazi Germany. I think this is basically the same example as being offended by vulgar language. You want to avoid lowering your status by association with anything vulgar.