[pdonis]

"figur[ing] out what the world looks like" -- and then accepting that status quo -- is, or ought to be, the goal of all people

I don't see where the article says that you have to accept what the world looks like once you figure it out. Figuring out that the world is f--ked up and deciding to try and change it based on that knowledge is, it seems to me, perfectly consistent with what the article is saying.

such responses can serve to educate other people about behaviors which perpetuate the aspects of the status quo which the expresser desires to change

The article talks about this, under the heading of using "getting offended" to manipulate people. It's different because you are choosing to act offended to accomplish a goal, rather than involuntarily responding to something by being offended, even if it hinders you from accomplishing a goal.

[kscaldef]

It is somewhat difficult to divine the precise intent of the author of the article, or of the submitter of the article to HN; but I think it's important to acknowledge that some people are going to use this article to criticize and dismiss anyone who "gets offended" as someone who hasn't reached a certain ideal of detachment. Your very statement that you think it's okay to "act offended", as opposed to "getting offended", gets to my point of the subjective nature of the issue.

[zacharypinter]

That's an important point to raise. There's another post (came across it reading the lesswrong.com comments to the submitted article) on how teaching about biases in the wrong order can lead to negative effects. http://lesswrong.com/lw/he/knowing_about_biases_can_hurt_peo....

[dtf]

As I let the words roll of my tongue, "acting offended" sounds just awful doesn't it? Only a Machiavelli would admit to acting offended to achieve their aims! "Getting offended" needs to be seen to be from the heart - as if you really had been torn kicking and screaming from the womb of rational detachment. Effecting this obviously requires extremely good acting.

[jib]

Being offended is a good tool. It is much better tool when used logically and by choice. Don't think of it as acting in a performer sense, think of it as acting in a sense of taking actions.

There doesn't need to be any disingenuity there, it can be an honest response even though it is a logical choice to display that response.

[pdonis]

Don't think of it as acting in a performer sense, think of it as acting in a sense of taking actions.

Exactly.

[reeses]

Agreed. 'Accepting' doesn't even mean you have to like it. It's aligning your perceptions with reality. To get more mileage out of this horse, if you accept (especially if you are initially offended at the notion) that the world is unjust in its treatment of women, minorities, the poor, the rich, etc., then you can rationally determine if or how you can work to correct it.