Is it nasty or offensive to challenge accepted ideas if it upsets people?

I like it when people challange ideas, and are up for a debate.

It's only when you get rude, dogmatic and personal about it (eg. 'you're an idiot for believing that') that its nasty.

No. The person who invented omelettes knew this. The challenged the accepted idea that eggs were to be eaten raw. And they cooked them eggs. Then they turned it into a saying about making omelettes. One where you have to break eggs to make the omelette. They were darn wise.

I believe everything in life needs to be challenged. It is how things change. Change is constant. Like godsmack said, if your morals and beliefs and faith are strong enough, then whatever challenge is brought to you, you should be able to withstand without fear.
If it upsets you, then you are fearful that you are not strong enough, which leads to reckless behavior that can be detrimental to your cause.

No. It's not nasty or offensive. Having said that though, that is exactly what some poeple will accuse you of when you do it (sometimes). But like name-calling it should always be taken with a grain of salt.

But if an idea is wrong, or not helping people, then it's dangerous to accept it and promote it. That hurts people more than challenging the accepted ever does. Also, even if what you challenge ends up being true, people will understand things they had to defend and think about more than if it was never questioned. And then people will value it more. That's doing society at large a favor.

Also, by questioning things, you help open things up and teach the younger generation who's still learning stuff. The older generation may have already examined this twelve times and not appreciate the invitation to rethink things. But everyone needs to go through a personal examination process with what they believe and life. It has to happen sometime, it's healthy.

However, just stirring up trouble for the sake of causing trouble is trolling. And it's destructive because the person questioning is only pretending to question things, they don't follow it through. So it has no benefit, unless someone else makes something out of it.

I agree with everyone, it's healthy to challenge things even the most accepted ideas, but if it's hurting people I say go easy on them, but still challenge them.

If you're going to challenge accepted ideas, people are going to get upset. It's only nasty if you're only doing it to be mean.

Pff, no. This world is to sensitive to those kinds of things and honestly, if I chalenge your opinions or beliefs and it upsets you, they weren't that strong in the first place were they? Maybe you need to work on yourself a bit, lol.

not only is it not in itself nasty and offensive, sometimes it is absolutely neccessary!

Know what you think. Express it clearly. Share it when the topic is raised - but not as a confrontation. Your ideas are as good as anyone's and as good as you make them.

No, but people can become very defensive if you challenge their beliefs.

to challenge no; to do so in a nasty or offensive way yes. All in how you do it.

Absolutly NOT a lot of those ideas are ruining peoples lives every day gender roles, religion, or the idea that an embryo of fetus is a child. Absolutluy challenge challenge challenge and never stop!