2008 Woodie Awards
Insensitivity's not funny
Issue date: 3/16/07 Section: Letters to the Editor
- Page 1 of 1
Dear Editor,
I'm probably getting on a soapbox and preaching, but oh well. So, I'd like to comment about the "Is America too Sensitive?" article. Just as Matt Diez says "feminists are too sensitive," I could just as easily say that he is too insensitive.
What is very funny to him might be very offensive to others. I have heard many people joke about suicide and mental illness, particularly depression. Those people usually laugh their heads off, but my insides twist with anger because my family and I have known the pain of losing someone to suicide. I myself suffer from severe depression and in the past, I turned to self-destructive measures to cope, which tore my loved ones apart. Making jokes about such traumatizing experiences is to minimize the pain of the victims. It is not having a sense of humor. Rather, it is being ignorant, tactless, and completely insensitive.
Yes, Matt Diez is right about the fact that some people get rich by citing "emotional distress." But according to statistics from the State Senate Judiciary Committee, the FBI, and the Bureau of Justice, America has the highest sexual assault rate of any industrialized nation in the world, and only one in ten rapes is ever reported. There are reasons why most women do not report a rape. For one thing, people often blame the victim instead of the attacker. Also, although most women live in fear and humiliation after a rape, our society tends to brush these incidents "under the rug," where we do not have to face this shame. We have a long way to go before men and women are treated equally, and to state that sexual harassment suits are used "to make a quick buck" reinforces the idea that women should not take a strong stance against sexist comments and actions.
I do not think I am too sensitive. I recognize that I am not the only person in the world, and that is precisely why I try to avoid making remarks and jokes that may offend. I am not perfect; I have said and done things that have hurt others. But when they correct me, I try not to get defensive. Rather, I listen to them and try to see things from their point of view because that is the one of the best ways to learn and better oneself.
Lastly, I am not afraid to use my right to freedom of speech, as I think I have just demonstrated. So, Mr. Diez, let me tell you something: Not everyone is like you. Please do not be so arrogant as to believe that your remarks should not hurt others because you find them humorous. And if you do make them, please be prepared for criticism from those you offend.
Sincerely,
Sophia Mortera
I'm probably getting on a soapbox and preaching, but oh well. So, I'd like to comment about the "Is America too Sensitive?" article. Just as Matt Diez says "feminists are too sensitive," I could just as easily say that he is too insensitive.
What is very funny to him might be very offensive to others. I have heard many people joke about suicide and mental illness, particularly depression. Those people usually laugh their heads off, but my insides twist with anger because my family and I have known the pain of losing someone to suicide. I myself suffer from severe depression and in the past, I turned to self-destructive measures to cope, which tore my loved ones apart. Making jokes about such traumatizing experiences is to minimize the pain of the victims. It is not having a sense of humor. Rather, it is being ignorant, tactless, and completely insensitive.
Yes, Matt Diez is right about the fact that some people get rich by citing "emotional distress." But according to statistics from the State Senate Judiciary Committee, the FBI, and the Bureau of Justice, America has the highest sexual assault rate of any industrialized nation in the world, and only one in ten rapes is ever reported. There are reasons why most women do not report a rape. For one thing, people often blame the victim instead of the attacker. Also, although most women live in fear and humiliation after a rape, our society tends to brush these incidents "under the rug," where we do not have to face this shame. We have a long way to go before men and women are treated equally, and to state that sexual harassment suits are used "to make a quick buck" reinforces the idea that women should not take a strong stance against sexist comments and actions.
I do not think I am too sensitive. I recognize that I am not the only person in the world, and that is precisely why I try to avoid making remarks and jokes that may offend. I am not perfect; I have said and done things that have hurt others. But when they correct me, I try not to get defensive. Rather, I listen to them and try to see things from their point of view because that is the one of the best ways to learn and better oneself.
Lastly, I am not afraid to use my right to freedom of speech, as I think I have just demonstrated. So, Mr. Diez, let me tell you something: Not everyone is like you. Please do not be so arrogant as to believe that your remarks should not hurt others because you find them humorous. And if you do make them, please be prepared for criticism from those you offend.
Sincerely,
Sophia Mortera
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