Loading... If you are offended, what does it say about you?

Whoever got offended from those two lines has some self-esteem issues. Next time, try saying that you like men with a great penis but you never met one ... that should get all those self-conscious men very excited.

Strong is in the eye of the beholder. There are strong-willed men, there are strong men and then, there are strong men as in "the World's Strongest Men": http://www.theworldsstrongestman.com/athletes/2011

And the fact that you think that you never met a strong man - that is just your opinion and I think you are entitled to think as you wish.

Cheers! : )

If any one is offended about anything or any thing it is a personal interpretation made by them in accordance with their self image. That is what they think - and more especially feel- about themselves as a person. A person with a really confident (not pseudo acting) image of what and who they are is less likely to be offended than one who doubts his or herself as far as 'worthiness' is concerned.

Of course, we are all 'worthy,' or we would not be here. But the key here is the word 'image' at the end of the expression 'self-image.' For it is an image of ourself and that is all. It can be changed. Indeed, if we change it sufficiently enough, the chances are it will take a helluva a lot to offend us.

I quite agree that being offended by what others say about oneself or one's general category, belief system, ethnicity, etc. admits one's own unresolved and tenuous self-esteem issues. What other people say about oneself, likewise, admits their own issues.

Obviously - what someone else thinks -- another's OPINION -- really has nothing significant to say about or to do with oneself, but merely expresses where that person is coming from, including a lifetime of input, experiences and individual ABILITY to respond to the person's outside world. Many folks walking around really are ill-at-ease with their own relationship to the world beyond themselves, so find fault or nit-picking reactions to others. If one happens to be in their sphere, one may be the target for such stuff, but it is invalid for one's own being & function.

We need to learn to give each other benefit of the doubt and keep our own self-image intact by living up to our own selves and potentials, not by trying to adjust to, suit or fit someone else's idea of what / who we 'should be'. I like the quaint advice that says, "Don't let anyone should on you!" :-)

Good question, kallini -! Hugs

Brilliant opinions in here! If I am a strong man reading your poem I will realize your perception of 'strong man' needs to be defined. Not in order to defend my own strength, but to protect myself and my fellow-males from unfair judgment by a woman who was obviously scorned. 'Strong' contains a lot of attributes. In the shoes of a strong man I would like you to know them all, because that will enable you to even recognize the strength in men that may appear to be not strong according to your perception. Turning my back on you, will prove that I am not strong enough to even try to enlighten you. My approach will be: "Hey girl, you've met me, you know me, I am strong, and now you say you've never met a strong man? So let's play cards - put down your definitions of strength on top of mine. One at a time." (There may be a few snap's ) When I turn my back on people who are obviously harboring inadequate perceptions of anything, it means I don't think their perceptions have any destructive value, or I don't care about them or anybody who may be negatively affected/influenced by them and their perceptions.

It took me a long time to learn this rule: " Never take anything personally." WOW!

That isn't an easy rule to follow. However, I learned that the comment isn't even about me. (What an ego vocal coach has) :) It's about the other person.

When I look at you, and I see beauty - I am seeing the beauty in myself. But if I look at you and I see hatred - again, I am seeing the hatred within myself. We reflect pretty much what we are.

So, this man who got offended by your innocent and heart-felt poem, is very insecure. It's about him and not you.

I love the comments left by the other hubbers - thy're just great!

Maybe it says I am too sensitive. But (there is almost always a 'but')

It may say that I value different things from someone else. If someone tells a joke that I think is inappropriate and it offends me, it may be because our world views collide. And that is okay. I can be offended and you may never know it.

However if that continues to be the way that individual 'lives' then I would distance myself from her or him.

We all have our own 'take' on things. It isn't about who is right or wrong either; it is just choosing to view things a certain way...and sometimes that means someone will be offended.

For a man to be offended by the words of your poem in particular says to me that he's a very weak man and I find it ironic.

Love the comments so far...cant think of the last time I allowed someone to offend me...went through a hellish first marriage...and then when I healed I promised myself never to let that happen again...I put up healty bounderies..knew the truth about myself and just let other people own their own crap...people that react are just not healed in that area...which is why we have The PC movement....I dont walk on egg shells anymore...no way to live..if someone is offened by my writing or comments...well on my part its unintentional and I think they should seriously look at why it offened then deal with it for thier own sakes and move on...ok enough babble...great quest kallini...

Cheers Mike :0)

It sounds like he was using reverse psychology,If he was very strong wear it be physical or mental he wouldn't have been offended.

This question has two different perspectives.. the perspective of the person who says something (you, in this case).. and the perspective of someone who interpretates it. But switch it for a moment... trade places with the person you are facing.

You can't stop saying what you feel because, trust me, it will ALWAYS offend someone, somewhere. What you can do is apologize when it happens... because.. let's not be hipocrits here... we all get offended by something.. sometimes not even directed at us.. and we all expect an apology. It doesn't matter how strong we are ... everyone has the right to get offended with something. We're different. I wouldn't be offended with those lines.. but that's me...

If you get offended by something.. the only thing that it says about you is that you are particularly sensitive to that subject. But EVERYONE is sensitve to at least ONE subject so it doesn't makes us weak or strong. Many people think that pretending to be "ok" with a situation you hate or a sentence you hate makes you strong. News Flash: It doesn't. Sometimes it takes up a lot more courage to speak up and say "I hated that" than to shut up and cry about it silently later.

Whatever happens... keep yourself honest.. always but don't forget that you also get offended at times.

Somethings trigger the feeling of being offended in people. You can't make everyone happy. Even in a poem, something that is personal to you and your experience, people get offended.

I remember when I was writing a Hub,and were throwing ideas around. I saved it unpublished, it was about OCD and traveling. When the suggested tags appeared one of them read 'crazy.' It was computer generated and even that was offensive to me.

I think everyone has times when they read into and project their issues on to someone or something else. It probably hit a nerve with this person. As do a lot of things to people.

We always got offended when people corrected us from our fault, and refused to admit it. In my opinion, being corrected, I tell myself "nobody's going to tell I'm wrong". Anyone who tries to correct me will risk being offended by me. By nature we don't like to be told we are wrong (correct me if I'm wrong), we can't resist anger and wounded pride. Because for me instead of being quick to point out the fault of others, they had to examined first their own self if they don't made a mistake. In my own experience, I have a friend who are quick to show if off by correcting others, and it happened to me that way, I felt anger and wounded pride. I really felt offended and so after making an insensitive, arrogant remark, I saw the hurt in my friend's eyes, I know I offended her. And I realized I have done wrong, I was carried by my emotion and quick temper. Instead of doing such a sarcastic act, I confronted her in a nice way. and she clarified her point of correcting me. Lastly, bare in mind, that people who reject absolute standards of right and wrong are often inconsistent. And when they think they are being treated unfairly, they appeal to be justified that they expect everyone to adhere to. We need to received correction and admit our fault.

It says that you let others pull your strings! Pride and EGO they don't serve!