Wendy Kaminer On The Right Not To Be Offended

Wendy Kaminer hits the nail on the head about avoiding offense.

If we have a right not to be offended, then we have no right to give offense. That means we have no reliable, predictable right to speak, because in diverse societies there are no universal opinions or beliefs that are universally inoffensive. If we have a legal right to feel emotionally safe and un-offended, we have a legal obligation to keep silent, which we violate at our peril. Emotionally safe societies are dangerous places for people who speak.

-Wendy Kaminer, On College Campuses, The Danger of Playing It Safe With Ideas, November 21, 2014

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