Has American Society Become Insanely Hypersensitive?
print
tell a friend
Assemblyman Dov Hikind wrote on his Facebook page below this image: "The sign says it all: Enough Is Enough." To Hikind's left stands U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, to his left former NY Governor David Paterson. They spoke up for the release of businessman Jacob Ostreicher from Bolivian jail (he was, last December).
Photo Credit: Facebook
Around a year ago, I was lambasted on the blog for calling a girl a “girl” in a post I wrote, instead of calling her a woman, even though the other female readers of this blog freely use the pejorative “girl” for girls of the same age as the one I talked about.
In the comments I exposed that double-standard, but at the time I don’t recall mentioning the insane hypersensitivity and political correctness that drove the response.
This week I watched with amazement two other incidents (not involving me) showcasing more examples of this hypersensitivity and insane political correctness.
In the first case, Dov Hikind dressed up for Purim as a basketball player. A black basketball player, mind you. And for that he’s going to hell and his career is almost certainly damaged.
Because apparently you can dress up as anything on Halloween or Purim, except as a black man (or am I supposed to say African-American).
In the second case, Seth MacFarlane made some amusing jokes about Jews controlling the Hollywood movie industry, during the Oscar ceremonies. As a result, he was attacked for it by the Jewish watchdogs.
What?! Are you people insane?
A comedian suddenly can’t make jokes about something that is pretty darn near close to true, or certainly used to be.
This hypersensitivity is out of control.
Neither man had any racist intent in their acts or statement. Neither were aware that what they did would be considered racist or insensitive.
And why should they have?
People don’t costume up as Hassidim? As Italian Mafiosos? As Arabs? As Rastafarians? You can get all those costumes in the store.
But a black man is off limits? Or is it that costuming as a black basketball player if off limits because it’s a stereotype. Though what kind of stereotype can it be when 78% of basketball players are black?
And look how many Hollywood producers and actors are Jewish (or of Jewish descent at least). You’ve got to be an idiot to not see that.
But apparently it’s now wrong to point that out. (Unless you’re John Stewart, in which case it’s OK, presumably because he’s Jewish).
What’s next?
Is it going to be racist to point out how many Jewish Nobel prize winners there are? Is that an offensive stereotype too?
It really is time that this hypersensitivity got toned down, and save it for real racism.
Visit The Muqata.
tell a friendAbout the Author: JoeSettler blogs at The Muqata.blogspot.com and occasionally on his own blog at JoeSettler.blogspot.com.
You might also be interested in:
You must log in to post a comment.
No Responses to “Has American Society Become Insanely Hypersensitive?”
Loading ...
Great article! I was just talking about this same issue on my Facebook page. Some were offended by a comic I shared but others thought they should lighten up. There were some good points on both sides but it got a little heated!
Yes, it definitely has. This nation has millions of whiners because people get tired of hearing their whining and bend over backward to accomodate them. This only creates more of them, especially when the President and the government are leading the way.
this is leftist detritus spin off. This crowd is always looking for some injustice to give themselves a direction to replace the lost communist manifesto…They will be laughed out existence as some joke.
Let me take a different approach to this question. Is Purim not a holiday to express Jewish solidarity, and Jewish victory over the forces of annihilation? This habit of turning Purim into the Jewish Halloween is an attempt to make the celebrants appear more cosmopolitan, or hip, thus destroying the intended flavor and focus of the event. The second aspect, of providing humor at the expense of another has come to be viewed as in poor taste for the past decades, especially ethnic humor. Celebrity roast have always been in poor taste, even when uproariously funny, and the one bastion fully left for questionable humor is politics, unless you include sex, but it is difficult to separate those last two. And when was the last time you heard a Polack joke? Sven and Ole jokes were ever only fashionable among those of scandinavian heritage. Yes, sel-deprecating humor is an important ingredient for the healthy psyche, but humor at the expense of another is actually avoidance of self-deprecation. So, yes, Americans have become more sensitive to ethnically disparaging humor, but hyper-sensitive? Well, yes, some are? You aren't trying to lump us all together are you? Does Dov Hikind's black face fiasco trouble me? Only as far as the question, "what does a basketball player have to do with Purim?" By the way, have you heard the one about the United States State Department officials storming through the furniture department at Macys? They heard a rumor that Awesome Bed Linen was there.
JoeSettler,
Both MacFarlane's comments and Hikind's costume were out of bounds. And it is a tribute to American society that all spectra of American society agree, other than the bigot segment.
Well, as it turned out, it was a Jewish politician trying to roast Hikind. http://perpetualvoices.com/?p=481