As a conservative: What causes it is that you basically have to retreat completely from society to avoid seeing opposing views.

I'd have to avoid all the late night shows, most newspapers and TV news stations, and most social media. It doesn't take long to get inoculated. As a left-leaning person, it's much easier to see almost exclusively your own ideas being reinforced.

> There seems to be an idea that the things that offend them are, like, “naturally” abhorrent, so it’s not offense so much as, like... digust in satanic things, virtue in “common sense”, etc. There’s a whole language to talk about things that carefully avoids the concept of “being offended”.

I'm sure that's a debate to be had--but to apply most applicably to this discussion, I mean "sufficiently offended to leave a website, stop watching a video, block something, report something, or otherwise feel like you've had a negative experience." The kind of things social media algorithms will pick up on.

I think you’re misunderstanding what it’s like to lean left.

You used the word “exclusively”... “As a left-leaning person, it's much easier to see almost exclusively your own ideas.”

I think you’re making a strange assumption here: some of my conservative ideas are almost universally rejected by the media around me, therefore many liberals must feel all of their ideas are universally accepted by the media.

That’s not true though. For example some liberals feel that capitalism is immoral. That idea is almost universally rejected in the media, and by most Americans.

I think your point—that some ideas which are important to you are being suppressed—is important to raise. I care about those ideas and seek them out. (Although I’m conservative in many ways)

But I think you really weaken your position in the debate by tacking on strong claims about how enfranchised leftists must feel in the media.

The people who feel comfortable with the media are really neither left or right. They are people who feel comfortable with the status quo, who feel most happy when everyone agrees and actively move away from discord. Non-ideologues. These people are neither left nor right.

Most parsimonious explanation; conservative adherence to old fashioned liberalism (aka "I disagree with what you say, but fight for your right to say it" kinds of sentiments), which is no longer really a part of the left.

That's provably false; see the NFL players protesting before games for a pretty good example.

I'd say that to be offended by something you have to believe that things ought not to be that way and the fact that they are can only be a personal attack on you carried out by some evil forces. This is not too rational, so yes, most conservatives do not get offended. (Another reason could be that idea of loving thy neighbor as he is, not as you believe he should be.)

> This is not too rational, so yes, most conservatives do not get offended.

https://www.google.com/search?q=obama+arugula

https://www.google.com/search?q=obama+tan+suit

https://www.google.com/search?q=obama+dijon+mustard

https://www.google.com/search?q=obama+feet+desk

Yeah, spare me.

Please keep this sort of political flamewar off HN, regardless of how annoying another comment is.

That's flat out false; conservatives get offended all the time. Remember the "War on Christmas"?

Definitely. Generating outrage is the bread and butter of outlets like Fox News, talk radio, etc. Sadly many left-leaning outlets seem to be pursuing the same model, because clicks.