What is the point of being offended?

[Lycan]

Why do we get offended? When someone says something stupid or something we disagree with, why do we not chalk it up to their stupidity and go on with our lives. Why do we get mad and try to stop or correct them?

[QED]

Why do we get offended? When someone says something stupid or something we disagree with, why do we not chalk it up to their stupidity and go on with our lives. Why do we get mad and try to stop or correct them?

Perhaps because we are concerned that such stupidity might get around to having an adverse effect on the world. If we are selfish and are sure that our lives won't be affected then we have the option to ignore it. But if we are concerned about the well-being of others then we might well feel a need to engage in argument on their behalf.

[Pujitos]

Interesting question. What QED said sounds okay, but from my own experience (ie why I personally get angry) is not this. When I get angry, I'm not thinking of others (mostly - unless I'm angry because people are being hurt or something). In fact, my anger at someone who slights or disagrees with me is prompted by selfishness.
I think that my anger at someone else's disagreement is a result of my own fear that they may be right, and/or my fear that they will be believed by others instead of me and therefore liked and respected more than me, and/or my dislike or having my sovereign opinion called into question (because I am often my own god).
That could just be me though...

[keltzkroz]

Let's be honest here. Most people get offended, and most of the time, its not because they were thinking about the adverse effect of what offended them would have on the world.

How many times have we been offended because someone cut us off while driving? I'm quite sure that most of the time, you got offended because you got cut off and he could have hurt you, not because he could have hurt somebody else.

[ST88]

Why do we get offended? When someone says something stupid or something we disagree with, why do we not chalk it up to their stupidity and go on with our lives. Why do we get mad and try to stop or correct them?

I think offense has to do with our sense of fairness and personal identity. In an argument, when we take offense at a personal insult, for example, I think we are saying something to the effect of "I could have insulted you as well, but I chose not to." In this way, it's kind of a device for asserting superiority. Witness the people who are offended by four-letter words. They often think that they are "above" that sort of thing.

I think we try to "correct them" in order to prove to ourselves that ours is the better way. It is much easier and more productive (for the offendee) to have a conversation with someone who isn't insulting them all the time. Giving notice that the offense was, in fact, offensive, also lets the offending party know that there are things that won't be tolerated. This serves to assert certain rules over the conversation that by themselves can be seen as a power play to control the discussion. If someone won't play that game, we may get uppity about it because our view of what the rules are are being ignored or overthrown: "Do we have to resort to such talk?"

I think taking offense also has to do with personal mythology. One myth I have of myself, for example, is that I'm a good writer. I've built this reputation up within myself for so long now that criticism doesn't bother me all that much. But there was a time early one where I saw criticism on my writing as a personal affront because I had this idea of who I was and what I was capable of, and dammit I was going to set them straight. I'll show 'em! I'LL SHOW EM! TOP OF THE WORLD, MA! My offense was purely the result of confronting someone else's view of me that conflicted with my own view of me.

[Greatest I Am]

We judge ourselve by those around us.
We collectively try to improve ourselves over time. Knowing that we can only go as fast as the slowest, we all try to push and pull each other to move allong quicker.
When I golf, if I am with a better group I do better than when I golf with a poor group.
I can prove this mathematically, but it does not give me the reason as to how or why it happens. It just shows that it is my best interest to improve those around me.
Does this happen to you when you compete?
Does good competition make us better?

[McCulloch]

We judge ourselve by those around us.
We collectively try to improve ourselves over time. Knowing that we can only go as fast as the slowest, we all try to push and pull each other to move allong quicker.
When I golf, if I am with a better group I do better than when I golf with a poor group.
I can prove this mathematically, but it does not give me the reason as to how or why it happens. It just shows that it is my best interest to improve those around me.
Does this happen to you when you compete?
Does good competition make us better?

Or put more succinctly

[center]Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.[/center]

[Confused]

We get offended because we are emotional human beings. There are times when our emotions override our rational thought process and it leads to anger or becoming offended. There isn't anything wrong with becoming offended in my view so long as after the emotions subside, you allow rationality to become restored and reflect on what the issue was and was it warranted. What have you learned from it?