Conundrum Time!

[kriadydragon]

Okay, so you run across something you feel to be slightly offensive in someone's journal - someone you know and who is on your f'list. Not personally offensive, but possibly offensive to another group, or nation, or religion, or what have you.

Do you say something?

ETA: When I say offensive I don't mean that they're being deliberately offensive. That is, they're not trying to be mean or insulting. They're just kidding around, is all. Basically it's your classic foot-in-mouth situation but they don't seem to realize it.

Comments

[sholio]

Oh, I struggle so hard with that. I haven't come across something like that very often, but on the occasions when it has happened, I have sometimes gone ahead and said something, and sometimes just quietly let it go. Sometimes I've had it turn out kind of badly (including one person who unfriended me), but usually the person's been really nice about it and receptive to my comment. It does seem to turn out the best if you're very polite about it and make sure that you let them know you know it was unintentional ...

Personally, like nefhiriel said, I want people to feel like they can speak up to me if I say something offensive, and I hope I would react well if someone ever did.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I want people to feel like they can speak up to me if I say something offensive, and I hope I would react well if someone ever did.

*Nods* I've often heard stories of friendships that were shattered due to unintended offenses, only to be repaired once the offended party spoke up about them (in a polite, understanding and non-defensive way, of course).

But it is scary since you never know how it may turn out. I know someone who can be rather difficult to talk to, even be around, whenever you try to point out that they just said something that you found offensive. Rather than clear the air, it ends up leading to an even bigger argument that you're eventually forced to drop just to make it stop.