To add on a tiny bit: If you don't find something offensive, whether you're in a group or not, but plenty of other people do, maybe instead of blaming it on "PC culture" you could have some empathy, see that they DO find it offensive, and try to avoid whatever talk was offensive and support others in doing the same?
I understand what you're saying. However, why are some topics protected by this code and others not?
In fact, MMM has several articles in which he purposely tries to agitate and be offensive (like Clown Car habit). He didn't have to say clown car, he could have been much more polite. Telling people they can live on half their income offends plenty of folks too.
Has to do with several factors, most notably two things:
1) Historically and/or currently discriminated or injured minorities.
No one has been persecuted or injured historically, or currently, for driving an SUV (rare exception aside, but not as a group). Think: Homosexuals, black people, women, etc.
2) Immutable traits that aren't changeable or by choice.
One can stop being an SUV driver. One cannot stop being gay, or black, or change their gender (though they possibly can change their sex, they count in this group).
There's lots of interplay, but that's where the line is, typically, around those two items.
Many people find standing up for abortion rights as offensive (i.e. they think it's supporting murder), however in the abortion threads it seems fine to offend in this manner. Why is this OK?
See above definition. You can be offended that people want to "murder babies," or offended that others want to "control your body," but being prolife or prochoice isn't typically a historically oppressed group, nor an immutable trait. So they need less protection.
Now, this isn't my house, so I'm fine with cherry picking the topics for which we can be offensive (whatever that means), I just don't think there is any logic behind it.
There is, and hopefully you understand it a bit better now? :)
Finally, I agree with much of prognastat posted (he did so while I was posting). I'm an atheist too, I guess I should shut up about it since it offends many. Some group of people are always going to be offended at anything, so it's tough define when the offensiveness bar is high enough for enough people that it becomes a problem that needs to be censored.
It is tough. It's often a judgement call, and a difficult one, at that.
But can you see how sluring homosexuals is different than an athiest bashing on a Christian, or a Christian bashing on an atheist? Both have had some discrimination in the past in certain cases, but it's not a generally discriminated thing today, nor is it a trait anyone is born with.
In the end, the overriding #1 site rule is "don't be a jerk." That's to everyone, all the time.
Posting an opinion isn't being a jerk. Calling someone a name is. The athiest and christian mentioned above may cross that line, if bashing someone, or may not, if sharing their opinion in a polite way, even if it offends someone.
Don't be a jerk is a clearer line, and chances are, if you're offending people, you're being a jerk. We'll still allow you to say it, we'll just
strike it out so that it's clear it's not acceptable*.
*Assuming we, mods, see it, or it's reported to us.