Do you find yourself offended by artwork that is provocative?
It depends entirely on what it is. The level of provocation also depends on how/if and whether I've been desensitized to it.
I remember the first time I listened to "Moonchild" by Iron Maiden. I was a teenager. The opening lyrics were so bold - and in the first person (the ones that start with "I am he, the bornless one, the fallen angel watching you") - but as such they are meant to be listened to/observed and not personally identified with - only an unstable person would do so, imo. The song is about the Devil, in first person, mixed in with some biblical symbols and biblical names. I listened, and I was shocked and scared by them. I think that was the point. The spirit of Pride and Hate was making itself known through aggressive music and my very first listening I was taken aback. Offended.
Further listening to that tune had me less offended, less sensitized to it but I don't listen to that one hardly at all these days. I remember at one point I threw out my CD because of some of the lyrics on that album. If I do listen, it's as an observer, and even now it's brought to mind that the spirit given is false, not in some of it's goals but in it's power to achieve them. It only has power that a man or woman gives to it through will.
Speaking to the question generally, what is provocative is often relative to the ideas held dear by the person with whom those ideas come into contact. For example, art making fun of the so called prophet of Islam doesn't offend me, and this is because I don't have any pro religious feelings or respect for most of Islam and it's so called prophet.
