In current times, it seems like everyone needs to pick and choose their words wisely, or else they’ll offend someone without even realizing it. People are taking offense to even the tiniest things, some of which make no sense. At this rate, nobody can keep up with the ever-expanding list of what is offensive.
One Redditor decided to poke fun at this weird phenomenon and asked people to describe incidents where folks got way too riled up about the least offensive stuff. You might just lose your mind at some of these responses, or not, if you aren’t easily offended.
More info: Reddit
#1
I was learning another language and someone told me it was cultural appropriation.
Image source: Kooriki, SHVETS production
#2
41M with two total hip replacements. A woman in her 50s got so offended by me having a disabled parking permit that she took the time out of her day to park behind me so I couldn’t leave and proceeded to call the police. The police came and cited her for breach of peace for how irate she was acting.
Image source: JonnyP3283, Nothing Ahead
#3
Me not wanting to have kids. People get so up in arms about my personal choice that has zero impact on them. As if me not wanting to have kids has somehow devalued their own children or that me not wanting to follow their same life path invalidates the worth of theirs.
Bruh, go make babies, be happy. I’m no reflection on you.
Image source: Suitable_cataclysm, Trinity Kubassek
#4
Someone called me black (I am) and a white woman got offended on my behalf, correcting them that it’s “African American”. When I corrected her that I prefer black, she looked appalled and told *me* that that is offensive.
🥴
Edit: I want to be very clear that I do not have a problem with the term African American. For those not in the know, it comes from the civil rights movement in the US as a way to reclaim the ancestry black Americans had largely been denied. My only point is that it is a preference and if someone corrects your use of any term that is applied to them as an individual, it’s very easy to just say “okay, got it” and make the change. Pretty easy, folks!
Image source: heydonteatmyfriends, Keira Burton
#5
I was subbing a class and was told a student used they/them pronouns. I couldn’t remember which student it was, so I just used they/them the whole class.
At the end of the class, the student got angry for diminishing the non-binary experience by using gender neutral pronouns for everyone.
Image source: Kintsugiera, Max Fischer
#6
I used to send a “fun fact of the day” slack message to all my employees and peers. Just a fun way to start the day. I was called by HR because an employee of mine said that I was promoting murder on official company property. The offending fun fact: A Group of Crows is called a “Murder”.
Image source: Vectrex221, Pixabay
#7
Had a friend who flew into a fit of rage if he sneezed and someone said “bless you”. He said it was offensive to his atheism. So I used to say it everytime he sneezed. I also am not religious.
Image source: onionleekdude, Edward Jenner
#8
Apparently using “big” words is offensive.
Image source: No_Nectarine6942, Pixabay
#9
I used to work at a theme park and I was leading a group of young kids around. I said “this way cherubs”.
A parent heard it, got me written up for being antisemitic. He told my manager that I “clearly only called them cherubs because he knew they were all Jewish”.
I still can’t work out the mental gymnastics there.
Image source: SquatchHasNoHeros, Momentos Reales
#10
Someone at a table next to me got mad at me at a restaurant because I said that ranch tastes better than blue cheese dip when eating chicken wings. He shouted “You’re wrong.” I just said “Ok” and he was looking at me like I disrespected his heritage. He kept staring at me and it was getting so awkward that I asked the waiter to move tables.
Image source: DrakeLostLol, Erik Mclean
#11
I have a colleague called Hercules. When he started, I said to my manager “oh, he has a strong name” and she started freaking out like “no you CANT say that, HR will be on your case, don’t say that again around me”.
It is an objectively strong name on account of, yknow, the Greek myth.
Image source: Kaael, Simone Pellegrini
#12
There’s a popular breakfast joint in a town in VT. Used to eat there frequently when I visited. It’s on a traffic circle, and the city puts it on the businesses lining it to maintain the grounds inside the traffic circle with flower beds. In exchange, the businesses got to put up little signs. The breakfast joint put a sign up by the pedestrian crosswalk that said “Brake for [business name’s] bacon.” Someone complained that it was against their religion to eat bacon, and therefore the sign was offensive. The breakfast joint ended up taking the sign down.
Image source: CMDR_Tauri, Michelle @Shelly Captures It
#13
Back when personal drones were just becoming more accessible, I was cashiering at a Rite Aid and we just put our Christmas stuff out, including a stack of cheap drones.
This kid, maybe 8, and his dad had picked up a few items. The kid sees the drones and says, excited, “oh, wow; that’s cool”.
His. Dad. *Flipped*.
DRONES AREN’T COOL THEY’RE FOR PERVERTS WHO WANT TO PEEK AT YOU IN YOUR OWN YARD ONLY FILTHY DIRTY PERVERTED PEOPLE WANT A DRONE
And so on, as his kid is *shrinking* into the floor.
They had already paid for their stuff so after his screamfest dear old Daddy pulled his kid out the door, still swearing and grumbling.
Torn between being thankful they weren’t regulars and sorry I didn’t get a chance to tell the kid, *it’s not you, your dad is just a d**k and everyone sees it*. .
Image source: lyan-cat, Josh Sorenson
#14
Guy told my mother it was a good thing my father was dead because it was the only way he could escape the shame of being associated with her.
She was celebrating her football team win on Facebook.
Image source: pitathegreat, Darya Sannikova
#15
I know someone who judged a teachers social media bc the teacher was wearing shorts in her profile picture. Not booty shorts. Just regular shorts.
Image source: growsonwalls, Rajaa Lemnari
#16
A friend of mine, back when she first introduced her now-husband to her parents, told me that her father for some reason thought it was a great idea to bring up politics. Her husband, very obviously not being serious, joked he was going to write-in vote for Mickey Mouse, in an effort to change the subject. Her father got very upset and came to her saying he thought she should break up with him because “he doesn’t share our values.”.
Image source: EmiliusReturns, steven lozano
#17
When I was in college in the 90s, I was working as a cashier at a department store and some old lady was so offended by my bleached hair that she told me I was going to die of AIDS.
Image source: BottleTemple, Stas Svechnikov
#18
I don’t know if this offended anyone, but one of my more downvoted comments on Reddit. There was a video of someone fishing and he did something I didn’t understand. So I asked: “genuine question here but why did the guy do this?” Someone chimed in and gave a thoughtful response. I responded “Thanks”. That “Thanks” got like 15 downvotes.
Image source: discostud1515, Řaj Vaishnaw
#19
A friend paid the check for dinner and said, “I ate the most food anyway.” Another friend found it rude that they mentioned eating more food instead of “just doing it out of the goodness of their heart.”.
Image source: Carnilinguist, cottonbro studio
#20
I get asked if I speak Spanish, and when I say, “I’m sorry, I don’t.” People have been offended. They give me an incredulous or dirty look and respond with confusion that I don’t speak Spanish. Sorry???
I am white. My background is almost entirely European. Not sure if it’s because I have really tan skin and dark hair and eyes, but it happens on a regular enough basis that I am perplexed. I am terrible at learning languages, my bad!
Image source: Scared_Ad2563, Leeloo The First
#21
Way back in the early 90s when I was in high school, I went to the lab and said, “Hey guys, is the teacher here?”
Cue the most pedantic girl in our class, “There aren’t any ‘guys’ in here. We’re all girls. Why would you call us ‘guys’?”
She was so offended over a simple expression.
Image source: alleghenysinger
#22
A while back, a woman in a local Wiccan society in Washington was offended by children dressing as witches for Halloween.
Edited for spelling.
Image source: Drake_Cloans, Monstera Production
#23
A doctor on Instagram was telling an interesting patient story, and mentioned that the patient was in town for a “sportsball” game. She received angry messages about how she was demeaning sports.
Image source: mossadspydolphin, Courtney Schroedel
#24
I spent 9 hours deep-cleaning the house for an inspection. I went above and beyond, clearing my work schedule and going the extra mile, and my roommate “double checked” my work. He had a complete psychotic meltdown because I forgot to sweep *underneath* the couch.
I moved out the next day and never spoke to him again.
Image source: BarPotential2651, cottonbro studio
#25
Me not being from the right nationality they thought it was from.
Image source: Kittytigris, Lara Jameson
#26
I did not know what a slang term for a section of downtown Reykjavik was and apparently this made me antisemetic.
Image source: BigNorseWolf, Natã Romualdo
#27
Wife told me it had rained overnight. I said „oh really?“. She lost it because I accused her of lying with that.
Image source: BigBorner, Ayush Pandit
#28
Joking with a patient (in an outpatient, family practice doctors office) that we have a lab on site so she wouldn’t want me to be the one drawing her blood since I’m out of practice.
She seriously made me explain what I said, then got pissy and told me that I shouldn’t joke about things like that because I “seriously destroyed her confidence in me as a nurse.”.
Image source: ApprehensiveDingo350, RDNE Stock project
#29
Someone got offended by a “Keep Off the Grass” sign.
Image source: Loud-Yak-690, Mathieu LESNIAK
#30
My coworker was called an “egg eater” while she was eating eggs at her desk and it became a whole thing.
Image source: onyxanderson, Jill Wellington
#31
I grew up with a kid who had the last name of sprouse but every single teacher/substitute would pronounce it as spruce during rollcall and he would lose his f*****g s**t every time. like i remember i had like 3 classes in a row with him the first day of school and each time he blew a gasket. when we’d have substitute they’d do it too and everyone in class would start giggling and staring at him as the rollcall was approaching his name then predictably they’d say “spruce” and he’d start yelling and screaming at them. it was wonderful.
Image source: ARGENTAVIS9000, Irina Iriser
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