If I gave off the impression that I have a comfortable carefree life. One of my posts from a different thread. When even your own mother has said very harsh things to you. Growing up where kids have said nasty things to you. Getting depressed to the point of (Another post I made). Yes learning to not care, shrug it off, laugh it away etc. Is a lot better than dwelling on it, and letting it get to you.
Don't they teach kids at an early age "sticks and stones will break my bones but words can never hurt me"


Yes there are some topics. (Like rape jokes, and other forms of abuse) that would naturally have sensitivity level to it. Those topics are understandable when someone gets worked up, but it seems like almost every topic has escalated to the point you have to walk on eggshells.


Ahhh trying to think of an example. I'll edit later when I can think of one.
I think some things said that could be taken as offensively are in a way good that it's said. It helps makes you stronger by overcoming it. Building a solid foundation to not take negativity from others.



- Sidenote: I wasn't saying it's the victim's fault they are abused because they gave the abuser power ... Well maybe in a sense I was, but not to that extent per se ...
My eldest sister was married to someone who physically (and possibly verbally aswell) abused her. Even though others tried to help her. It wasn't until she finally decided she had enough that she got out of that marriage. She told me she realized she wasn't happy, and neither were her kids. So she did something about it.
She became stronger and got herself out of that mess. Yes, you may think it's messed up of me to think she's partly to blame for what she went through, but just as easily that she got herself out of it. She got herself into it ... this is getting into another topic .....
My point after that ordeal, my sister doesn't need everyone walking on eggshells around her. She is strong enough to not let words hurt her. (or anyone else physically)

As everyone should be (or strive to be IMO), but with taking every little matter too seriously .... Get over it, heh.

Sidenote 2: Again I know there's a line, but I think my line is fine where it is, however most people's line of "Offensive" not far enough.

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Hence I said it gives the impression but that doesnt make it necessarily true - and although it might be ambiguous in my post, that part wasn't meant to refer to you personally but it was a general statement about people who have a similar attitude to yours. Although, I have to say that being a victim of abuse does not give anyone the right to expect everyone to cope in the same way. We're all different people with different experiences and different levels of strength; just because some of us are able to laugh off their past experiences doesnt mean everyone in similar situations should do the same.

I'd be also careful about using the phrase "sticks and stones will break my bones but words can never hurt me". Seems like an easy way for people to attempt to silence others - and it is vaguely victim blaming implying that the person who takes offense is in the wrong. And again, there are some topics when it is perfectly alright to take offense and to point out the blame.

Sorry to me it just seems like you are victim blaming here. It's the victim's responsibility to keep safe, the victim's responsibility to not let others abuse them, the victim's responsibility to get out of the abusive situation, the victim's responsibility to be able to laugh off any jokes or words they might perceive as hurtful. I'd rather see it that people have a responsibility not to abuse others and if an abusive situation occurs, its not the victim's fault for not getting out of it fast enough or for getting into it in the first place but the abuser's fault for failing in their responsibility. We'll have to agree to disagree here.

But at the very least we can agree that in some cases people take it too far with being sensitive.

I really can't not victim-blame when it comes to those occurences when the victim defends the spouse, or lies for him/her or whatever and places him/herself in the line of fire again and again. (If they're locked up, either by locks or kids, then it's a different matter, of course).

But really, you're responsible for your own fate, and if you don't take steps to try and make things better, then you really have it coming (that goes for all "victims of life").

----

And I'm also not going to walk through life on eggshells because I MIGHT offend someone, somewhere. I don't think anyone should. But there's a difference between telling "yo moma"-jokes and not knowing if new person's mother is dead or not, and telling someone to their face that "this or that about you sucks".

One person's strength does not exempt them from consideration of others' weaknesses.

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"[English] not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."
-James Nicoll, can.general, March 21, 1992

Oh, but it does. Strength comes with choices. Choosing your own path instead of following the whims of others. Choosing whether or not to consider others' weaknesses. (etc. blahblah)

I agree, but there's a difference between being considerate, and walking on eggshells just so you can guarantee you won't hurt anyone's feelings.
I wasn't saying if you're strong enough to take it that you should dish it out.


I feel like lately that line of "that's offensive/hurtful" is 2 feet away from someone instead of 1/2 a mile away. (Mine is probably somewhere along the lines of a mile or two away .... but that's probably because I don't let things bother me... or try not to let them bother me.)



I don't like to think as others as weak. If talking to others in a blunt or harsh way will help build their tolerance to such things. Wouldn't that help others get stronger?
Words (or pictures) don't have meaning to them unless you give it to them.


When someone quickly says "That's offensive" it brings the matter to be over analyzed, and pick the one possible meaning and makes that the focus. Making that the only thing they can thing about from that point one.
(Does that make sense? O.o )



But ... My sense of things is off (Or I think it is) which is why I made this thread.
Is everyone overly sensitive? insensitive? or it's balanced ?

Last edited by kitty1826x at 1:26 pm, Jul 2 2014

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The internet is just full of people like you that aren't recipients of certain kinds bigoted and/or harmful behaviours that think that anyone affected by that stuff "complain too much" and are "hypersensitive". Before you ask questions like this you should step outside of yourself and try to place yourself in the position of the affected person. And this should be obvious but just because you can brush certain things off doesn't mean that everyone else can or should be like that.

Also I am absolutely not surprised that people on this website refuse to recognise racist things. MangaUpdates where most of the viewers are white Americans who most likely think they have a great grasp on Japanese culture because they read manga and watch anime. Essentially most of MU'S of community are Weeaboos and it follows that so many of you would think people who react to institutionalised bigotry are ~*~hypersensitive~*~



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No one gives a shit what trite garbage you write here.

I think that people become stronger by a) gaining a sense of perspective and b) building their self-esteem - learning to value their good points rather than dwelling on their faults, so the insults don't matter so much. Hurting/insulting someone just embitters the person and teaches them to be guarded about their feelings and opinions. Sure, that's a normal part of human life too - learning that most people don't genuinely care about your situation - but it doesn't really improve anyone as a human being. It's just a nasty truth that everyone learns at some point or another.

I don't see myself as sensitive, but I am considerate of others. Generally I like to feel that I'm making someone's day better rather than worse, and I always feel that politeness is the most productive way to talk with other people - people won't respect you or what you're saying if you're ranting and making racist/sexist comments (except for Rob Ford supporters ). As a hitchhiker, I meet tons of people who want to vent to me about their personal issues or political or religious beliefs, so conversation often requires some delicacy. The only time I've told someone off was when he started ranting about 'non-whites taking over Canada' (he also believed in chemtrails, but I just nodded politely at that one).

Anyway, like I said in my previous post, I think that people overreact to some things. But I think that the line for being 'too sensitive' is wayyy out there, on the border between 'normal reaction' and 'reaction that the majority of people would consider insane'. When it comes to someone being offended by a rude comment that's been directed at them personally, how they feel is how they feel. They can't be instructed to be 'less sensitive' and who is anyone to say that they should be? If you're not going to be considerate of other people's feelings, that's your problem, not theirs.

Since you used the "you", it was following my last post, and it really does seem like most of your comment is directed at me. I'm going to take it as you were directly talking to (about) me.


Yes, I am blunt, and don't tip toe around people's feelings, but I never said I wasn't considerate of their feelings. When I talk to someone, I look at their facial expressions, and if I see that I made them feel some sort of negative emotion, I then apologize, and explain what I meant. I almost never have ill intentions when talking to someone.

Like DragonAndLance said There's a difference between being sensitive for a reason and being sensitive for the sake of being sensitive.
Which I think that everyone is so concerned about being racist or discriminative that any slight thing that can be taken as so, is taken that way. Hence hypersensitivity.


Sidenote-
Age gender country? - Almost everyone on MU is a white American.
(Which I'm not white )
On that note you couldn't have just said American? Geez.
... But even just saying American is ...

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Yes yes, I know I make longwinded comments, but that's just me >.<
I should proof read my comments more, but I won't...
So keep in mind I'm filled with typos

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For errors linking in threads

people calling her a racist because of that video (all I got from it is she is an idiot but I hate a lot of todays so called artists, so that's not new)
just makes me think about the Pokémon Jynx when it first got to America
some person decided it was the Japanese making fun of black face, so they started calling Pokémon racist and even after it was explained to them that Jynx was made to make fun of teenage girls in japan who got dark tans and covered their faces in make up, they just kept screaming racist until Pokémon was forced to change Jynx to what we know today


I'm a blunt person, I will say what I mean and I will tell people face to face when they are wrong
if that upsets them that's their problem not mine, I will not change who I am just to make someone else happy

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Smiles Conceal Knives - Lynn Flewelling.
There is No Such Thing as BAD Words.

To lighten the mood a bit, I'd say; if you want to see some hypersensitivity, go to Tumblr ;p

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"Time spent with cats is never wasted" - Sigmund Freud

Saw this & immediately thought of this conversation: http://imgur.com/gallery/lsOa0Lr