I still believe that if you find something offensive, a request to change phrased in the language of harm-minimization is better than a demand to change phrased in the language of offense, but I don’t know if anyone is challenging that.
“Request to change” is low status, while “demand to change” is high status. The whole point of taking offense is that some part of your brain detects a threat to your status or an opportunity to increase status, so how can it be “better” to act low status when you feel offended? Well, it may be better if you think you should dis-identify with that part of your brain, and believe that even if some part of your brain cares a lot about status, the real you don’t. But you have to make that case, or state that as an assumption, which you haven’t, as far as I can tell (although I haven’t carefully read this whole discussion).
Here’s an example in case the above isn’t clear. Suppose I’m the king of some medieval country, and one of my subjects publicly addresses me without kneeling or call me “your majesty”. Is it better for me to request him to do so in the language of harm-minimization (“I’m hurt that you don’t consider me majestic”?), or to make a demand phrased in the language of offense?
It would be much better for you to make a request in the language of harm-minimization. If you do that sort of thing often, then it may so damage the aura of divine right (or whatever superstition your monarchy rests on) in that country that your descendants will never again be able to perpetrate the sort of crimes that your ancestors committed with impunity.
“Request to change” is low status, while “demand to change” is high status. The whole point of taking offense is that some part of your brain detects a threat to your status or an opportunity to increase status, so how can it be “better” to act low status when you feel offended? Well, it may be better if you think you should dis-identify with that part of your brain, and believe that even if some part of your brain cares a lot about status, the real you don’t. But you have to make that case, or state that as an assumption, which you haven’t, as far as I can tell (although I haven’t carefully read this whole discussion).
Here’s an example in case the above isn’t clear. Suppose I’m the king of some medieval country, and one of my subjects publicly addresses me without kneeling or call me “your majesty”. Is it better for me to request him to do so in the language of harm-minimization (“I’m hurt that you don’t consider me majestic”?), or to make a demand phrased in the language of offense?
It would be much better for you to make a request in the language of harm-minimization. If you do that sort of thing often, then it may so damage the aura of divine right (or whatever superstition your monarchy rests on) in that country that your descendants will never again be able to perpetrate the sort of crimes that your ancestors committed with impunity.