I've just finished an enjoyable read - "Brick Lane" by Monica Ali - Flora bought it in an airport bookshop. At the end of the book is an article written by the author after the book was published. It is titled: "The Outrage Economy". Clearly Monica Ali took some flak for stuff in the book/film.
As she points out, stock in the market for "outrage" or offense is rising. To put it another way - it is the trump card of the protestor: "I was outraged/offended/hurt (delete as applicable)".
As someone said I think - implicit in freedom of speech, has to be the possibility of giving or taking offence.
But is that a defence for being offensive? Answer: Maybe. I suspect that giving offence is sometimes the only way to make an important point (Jesus did it). But not always.
Sometimes offensive humour works - sometimes it is crap.
Taking offence - that is another issue - I think that playing the "I'm offended" trump card is just fueling "offence inflation".
It seems that some Christians see it is their role in life to be offended and make a lot of noise about it. That is so far from the core of the Gospel. "Im deeply offended" - is such an un-gracious response.
I'm not saying that people who find something morally wrong should stay silent. We do need to speak out sometimes - but let's not fuel offence inflation. We need signposts on the moral map not cowpats.
I find this mental tape a good one to play: "I am not responsible for what happens to me, but I am responsible for my reaction".
Would someone like to remind me of this post next time I act all offended?
2 comments:
Perhaps it's a question of what we're offended about? I think there's plenty in the world we ought to be offended and outraged by, but when the target is us (either individually or as collectively as Christians) then yes, we should turn the other cheek.
I'm also cautious about this because far too often an excuse for racist 'jokes' or language is "well they/she/he shouldn't be offended by that", - certainly it shouldn't be up to the offender to decide what's offensive!
With you Tim - and thinking about your comment it seems that we maybe should more often be deeply offended/enraged when we see bad stuff done to others.
Maybe not so much when it is done to us.
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