Are we really to the point of being offended by someone speaking words in a different language because it sounds like an unacceptable word here, even when the words have no similarity in meaning?

As a Mandarin linguist, it is common to hear that word in daily conversation in Mandarin, sometimes repeated multiple times as the speaker grasps for their next words, much like “um” in English. The translation of the word used 那个 - nei ge is “that”.

Here is clip from "The Daily Show" with Trevor Noah and Ronny Chieng for clarification over pronunciation and language of Chinese and American English

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/4sjfro/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-controversy-over-professor-s-use-of-chinese-word

Welcome to the "Fainting Couch" Generation. They clutch their pearls, cluck about, and faint at the mere hint of something that offends them.