i'm offended

Offended is the most overused and least understood word in the English language. I get so frustrated how people constantly misuse this term. It seems that everyone claims to be offended by everything these days. If it's not along the line of their belief system or doesn't benefit them in some way, people pull the offended card out. This is the perfect time of year to illustrate to point. Everyone is offended by Christmas decorations or trees or songs. In fact, some even claim to be offended by the very word "Christmas." It's absolutely ridiculous. Some schools have actually banned Christmas songs from "Holiday" presentations. Some city halls have barred nativity seasons. Some stores refer to Christmas trees simply as "family trees." Why all these changes? Because someone claimed to be offended. It's absurd. Now, I'm not Jewish, yet if I walk into a business and see a menorah, I am far from offended. Just because I don't celebrate a holiday doesn't mean I have to be offended by items taht represent them. I'm just so fed up with the term "offended." People seriously need to cut back on the exagerations.