Recently, there have been a few articles popping up discussing the fact that many teenagers who are just now watching "Friends" for the first time find it a very offensive show. I can't help but disagree. I'm not here to tell you that you should or shouldn't find this or anything else offensive or not, I'm simply here to state why I don't find 'Friends" offensive.

Although I doubt that there is someone on this Earth that does not know what the premise of "Friends" is, I am still compelled to write a short synopsis of the show for the few of you that don't know. The show "Friends" follow the lives of six friends living in New York City through their mid- and late-twenties. The six friends consist of Monica, a compulsive neat freak who many consider uptight; Ross, Monica's older brother and a paleontologist that makes some questionable choices in his love life; Rachel, Monica's high school friend and ex-spoiled rich-girl; Chandler, Ross's college roommate and someone who uses humor as a defense mechanism; Joey, an aspiring actor who is always hitting on the ladies; and Phoebe, an eccentric masseuse. The sitcom follows these six individuals and their everyday lives including the trouble with jobs and relationships.

Most of the running gags in the show, which were once see as simply funny, are now raising eyebrows as many young viewers watching the show for the first time as to whether or not they are offensive. As I discuss much of what happens throughout the entirety of the show, there is a spoiler alert in effect as of right now.

I think it is important to first highlight all of the things that "Friends" got right. First off, in the first season of the show, which aired in 1994, featured a lesbian couple. This was a big thing back then, and even now, and its something worth acknowledging.

Another thing "Friends" did right is showing divorce in a somewhat positive light. Ross suffers three divorces throughout the show, the first of which he has a child from. During the show, he still maintains a healthy relationship with both his child and his ex-wife.

In the last couple seasons of the show, Rachel gets pregnant and gives birth to her child out of wedlock due to a contraception failure, both of which are topics seldom touched by light-hearted comedies.

Now, to talk about what people find offensive in the show and why I, personally do not find them offensive. One of the running gags of the show is that Monica used to be overweight when she was younger. Many of the characters poke fun at her for this and call her fat or tell her to watch what she eats throughout the show. Many people find this to be offensive and in poor taste. I do not find this to be offensive or blatantly rude because this is a group of close friends that have most likely talked about this in the past and have agreed that Monica doesn't find it offensive. At one point in the show, it comes to light that Chandler, who is engaged to Monica at the time, once broke up with his summer camp girlfriend because she gained a large amount of weight. Chandler admits what he did was wrong and that he was young and stupid, he also assures Monica that, no matter how her body changes, he will still love her.

Another running gag, and an area that raises concern is Chandler's dad. When Chandler was young, his mom and dad divorced and Chandler's dad came out as gay. Later in the show, it comes to light that his dad is also a drag queen and possibly transgender, even though this is never actually said in the show. Chandler makes jokes throughout the show about his dad being gay and seems to blame a lot of his relationship problems on it. Although this may seem harsh, it is somewhat understandable as a lot of adults who suffered divorce as a child seem to have difficulties in relationships.

But Chandler isn't the only one accused of having homophobic tendencies, throughout the whole show, all of the men make comments that are homophobic, as highlighted in the almost hour-long YouTube video "Homophobic Friends." These jokes range from comments about Ross marrying a lesbian, to some jokes that the guys "hug too much" and some questionable jokes about women that may seem quite crude. These jokes are inexcusable today, but you do have to take into consideration that this show first aired in 1994, when people were not nearly as aware of what was considered offensive.

Lastly, and probably the largest problem with "Friends" is the lack of diversity. Of the six main characters, none of them are people of color. There are a few POC that make their way onto the show, but are only there for a few episodes. While those that worked on the show stay true that this was not a conscious choice and was only made because the actors that were cast were the best actors for the roles, people can't help but to notice the lack of diversity present.

Although there are some glaringly offensive aspects of "Friends" and I completely understand where people are coming from when they say they find it offensive, I have to disagree. This show was made at a time when there weren't really offensive jokes. Most of the jokes made between the friends never seem to cross a line and, when they do, apologies are made and conversations are had. It is plausible that teenagers are finding this offensive, but I, personally, do not.