Jess
Yes we are supposed to be polite and consider the feelings of others but the pendulum has swung to far the other way. Consider if some cartoons of Jesus had offended me at Christmas, and there were many about, and should I have staged a protest outside a Catholic church with others holding banners inciting others to kill non-Christians I would have been arrested and charged. So how come it's ok for some sections of our community to stand outside Mosques doing exactly that whilst a benevolent and smiling police force look on??
I was once in a briefing when a nutty professor from Qinetiq used the "N" word as in the woodpile example. I was of course sat next to a colleague who was coloured. He and I and several others took offence to the statement and he made his feelings well known. Actually I really wished at that moment that I really hadn’t been there!! The Prof apologised of course but the damage was done and my colleague took the matter further.
As for the painting and the dog, I believe that my colleague from that briefing WOULD find it offensive and in that case if he objected someone would get it in the neck for sure. That’s life!
