Question

Bok advises campus officials (and students) simply to "ignore" offensive words, flags, and so forth (para. 13). Do you agree with this advice? Or do you favor a different kind of response? Write a 250-word essay on the theme "How We Ought to Respond to the Offensive Misconduct of Others.

Answer 1

Answer: 1. I do not agree with this advice.

2. I would rather propose dialogue as a better means to resolve situations where a person feels offended by the actions of others.

Explanation:

HOW WE OUGHT TO RESPOND TO THE OFFENSIVE ACTIONS OF OTHERS

Offensive Misconducts are actions intended to hurt others, perpetrated without consideration to the feelings of others. They can be carried out in the workplace, at school, at home, and in other social settings. These acts of misconduct can come in the form of bullying, racist or sexist comments, false accusations, physical attacks, threats, etc.

When faced with offensive misconduct, silence is not the best approach. Silence means consent and offensive misconduct are not meant to be condoned. They should rather be addressed using appropriate conflict resolution skills.

One such very important skill is dialogue. Dialogue is an approach that seeks to discuss the matter with the offender. The offended does not take on an offensive approach. He rather explains how the action affects him. He asks vital questions about the intentions of the offender. It might well be that the action might not have been aimed at being offensive. When addressing this issue, it is also important that an attitude of calmness be maintained by the person seeking to resolve the conflict.

Active listening should also be maintained when the other party is trying to explain himself. This would help the offended understand the viewpoint of the offender.

When a person who feels offended continues to ignore an offensive action, this might make him start nursing resentment, which might further lead to retaliatory actions. That is why it is very important to address offensive actions immediately instead of condoning them.

After taking the necessary actions, if the offender persists in his actions, the matter should be reported to an authority.