It is an entirely different thing to attack ad hominem than it is to discuss topics that may or may not be interpreted, construed, translated and altered into "offense". The taking of offense is a personal choice. One of the subtexts here is that as an open forum, one does not attack the individuals, but for the rest it is pretty much open discussion.

The reasons for taking offense at some topic or other are entirely too variable, and oftimes wholly inexplicable. Sometimes, offense is taken, for example, when one's own vanity is revealed, or a practice mentioned in jest that one has one's own secrets about.

I will never attack a member who contributes here in good faith, but I find it awfully dicey to start promising not to offend anyone -- in fact, I see no benefit in open discussion of general topics, in pussyfooting around. If individuals are involved, then it is a different matter altogether and I will try not to step on toes.

I would even go so far as to say that I am offended by certain kinds of preciousness and oversensitivity offensive, amongst fellow humans who all pretty much share the same parts and mechanisms and fallibilities, but I would never dream of censoring them, or letting myself be censored in exchange. It just wouldn't make much sense to me.

A