“Insensitivity makes arrogance ugly; empathy is what makes humility beautiful.” – Renford Reese
Insensitivity is defined as “lack of concern for others’ feelings.” Unfortunately, insensitivity is seen and heard all around us. Especially in the media. Just this week, Harvey Weinstein had several sexual misconduct allegations against him, and jokes have already been made about the situation. James Corden, the host of The Late Late Show, thought it would be appropriate to crack jokes about the situation at the gala supporting amfAR, a foundation for Aids research. It certainly was not appropriate in any shape or form, and no form of apology can dismiss his actions. Although Corden has claimed that he joked about the situation in order to shame Harvey Weinstein, I believe that there was one reason why Corden made the disgusting joke: insensitivity.
People are so quick to throw their morals out of the window for a few laughs and likes — it’s absolutely sickening. Just because you didn’t go through what someone else went through does NOT mean, under any circumstances, that you have the right to target their situation as something to make fun of.
Jokes about rape are never funny. Jokes about cancer are never funny. Jokes about one’s sexuality are never funny. Jokes about one’s race are never funny. The struggles people face each and every day are never anything to joke about. You may think it’s fun to crack a joke about the boy’s religion — and you may feel cool inside that you were able to make all of your friends laugh — but the boy who is bullied every single day because of his religion certainly doesn’t. Not experiencing the emotional pain someone has endured does not validate your insensitivity.
The Internet is constantly flooded with heartless memes that target celebrities who have gone public about their demons, and it’s truly horrible how widespread they become. We allow this to happen way too often, and it needs to be put to an end. We need to realize that this is not the way to treat others. So many people are willing to sacrifice their values just so they can feel good about themselves. What happened to making others feel good about themselves?
Whether you realize it or not, our society has become so immune to the crass that makes up our society. We need to put an end to it. More of us need to be empathetic. More of us need to think what it would be like to walk in someone else’s shoes. In a world where you can be anything, choose to be kind.
