No need for that!
February 8th, 2023
First of all, I am/was guilty of it as well. There was a time when I made fun of and belittle other people because of how they looked, how well they dressed, their material wealth status, their age, their physical condition, and fitness, their style of speech and vocabulary used, or their mental development. I don’t think I ever made fun of anyone because of their race or gender or religion but honestly, I cannot be sure of that and the possibility that I might have been a terrible asshole a long time ago still occasionally keeps me awake at night with a dreadful shame. BUT — that was ONLY when I was a kid (and like many kids I was cruel just because I could and didn’t know any better) and in my early teens — that was when I realized that other people can and do make fun of me and the way I am and about things I cannot change about myself. And that hurt as hell. So in this way when I was about 12–13 years old I discovered that other people have feelings as well and can be harmed by my words and it is wrong to hurt others by making fun of them and demeaning any perceived differences — either to their face or behind their backs. It is WRONG — full stop!
And unfortunately, I still see it and hear it all the time — be it in news media, in the entertainment business, in statements from public figures, and especially on social media. I don’t hear it addressed to me or put on air around me personally, and definitely not to my face — but even if I did, that can no longer hurt me. It could put me in a bad mood but no more than that. But what hurts me is when I hear those “funny” comments about others, about their looks or social standing, or their race or religion. I feel a surrogate pain and victimhood and feel personally hurt when it happens. And something like that happened today and in a professional setting non the less. A long conversation about visits of representatives from some small company, how they were funnily dressed, how they talked funny (how is that?), how they were in awe of our manufacturing and technology, how they didn’t know some business acronyms and terms, how their presentation was like something from 10 years ago. All that intersected with waves of loud laughter about some other people who didn’t fit the expected but also arbitrary standard of business professionalism. That was very unprofessional from my colleagues and hurtful like hell. Belittling other people, who might be a little behind the times but who are trying their best is terribly pathetic. If there is nothing good to say about those particular people, don’t say anything for goodness’ sake! Keep your mouth shut without spewing out wrong and hurtful options. Just because those who you are talking about are not here, doesn’t make it ok. There is nothing funny in this and there is absolutely no need for it.
