[bigdealjim]

But that right there is exactly the problem I have with people like this. Being offended is a choice. People choose to be offended. One might hear something they perceive as offensive and they're given a choice: Did this person actively choose to offend me, or am I taking this the wrong way? In one choice, you assume that most people are generally good, have good intentions, and aren't out to get you. In the other choice, you position yourself as someone under attack, or someone at the lesser end of a power dynamic.

[Frondo]

Again, if you respect the person you're standing next to, the person who's now offended by something you've said, then you're probably going to act a certain way: you're probably going to hear them out about you offended them, and you'll probably want to apologize and then amend your behavior.

Can you reconcile "I respect you" and "I'm not going to acknowledge your being offended, but instead will tell you how you're wrong"?