Dear Assholes,
Saying "no offense" after making an extremely offensive statement does not actually guarantee that there will be no offense. It is not like tag, where simply declaring yourself "not it" is enough to make it so.
Also, saying "no offense" can in and of itself
cause offense, if it is hastily added to an otherwise
inoffensive statement, in a way that implies that you think the offend-ee could/should have taken offense, when they actually didn't.
I'm not (believe it or not!) easily offended. I visit websites just to read the uproariously offensive things stupid people say, which is amusing (well, until you realize they vote). But somehow, those split seconds where close friends and family members slip up and reveal what they actually think -- under the guise of being "inoffensive," no less -- are
way worse than anything on FSTDT. (Well, except for my family members
on FSTDT.)
Robo