> One way to tell--how angry the person gets once offense is mentioned.
> Persons who do not mean to give offense generally want to know how offense
> was taken and would usually want to try not to do so again..
I always want to know why offense was taken, but if I consider the answer unreasonable or if it interferes with my communicating clearly, I'll put the blame on the offended where it belongs. At some time in our history I'm sure it was an evolutionary adaptation to avoid people who said things you didn't like. But it is our duty to transcend that useless vestigial response in favor of rational self-determinism. Too many people take offense at simple facts and opinions, stated clearly and honestly. I have little patience for such people.
-- Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com> <http://www.piclab.com/lcrocker.html> "All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past, are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC