NicoleG wrote:
Why is it that if I say something that offends someone else, yet I had no intentions of offending, I am the one held accountable for the other person being offended instead of the other person being held accountable for wearing their emotions on their sleeve and taking offense when I meant none?
I see, good thing you have friends!
As for your question, it's sadly simple: People are opaque to each other, as Thomas Hobbes so brilliantly put. We have no way of accessing other people's minds except through external gestures (body language, voice etc). Well, people with Asperger's are not very good at it, so we have problems communicating.
Aspergers are held accountable (in general) because they are the ones who can not communicate well. We pass the wrong signals. Really, it's not their (NTs) fault. I believe we must learn how we can.
Etiquette is wonderful. I've learned that placing some formal words, as meaningless as they might seem, makes everything easier. "Please" at the end of a request; "Sorry for anything" at the end of conversations; "I didn't mean it, really".
Well, just wanted to share my views and the solutions I've come across.
Again,
Good luck, I hope you overcome your difficulties