The Critic

Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Opinion

Arianna Millington

"My biggest weakness is my sensitivity. I am too sensitive of a person."

-Mike Tyson



There's this kid at this school who is extremely silly! He changes his profile picture to other people's against their will, he at one point had his face as the background on all the Macs in the math lab, and he created a weird profile on Facebook for his right hand. Let's just call him Timmy.

Timmy is one of those guys that's so comfortable with his heterosexuality that he jokes all the time about doing vulgar things with other guys. He doesn't try to hide it from them at all either; in fact, he goes as far as hugging them sometimes. Two of hese guys, who I know don't like Timmy's way of joking, don't respond in what I think is the smartest way. One of them continually responds to Timmy's ridiculous antics in a way that lets Timmy know that he's being bothered.

That's like when you're in elementary school, and there's a bully, and the only reason he continues to bother you is the fact that you let him know it's working.

Honestly, I see nothing wrong with what Timmy is doing, besides the hugging. Physical contact sometimes is too much as far as a joke goes. Aside from that he's fine. Some may call him immature, crazy, or just playing too much, but it's just a joke, right?

Each person responds to "joking" differently, for example someone might say Timmy is truly the funniest person they know, and some might call Timmy's jokes verbal sexual harassment. Are we supposed to live and talk based on someone's feelings? What if someone is oversensitive? Who determines what oversensitivity is?

I know I'm oversensitive, but then again it depends on how I already feel that day. I'm not big on what other people think say about me behind my back, because even if I were perfect, they would STILL talk about me.

However if I tell someone about something that they do to my face that bothers me, and I DON'T think is funny and they continue to upset me deliberately, I simply disconnect myself from that person. I just disconnect, whether that means deleting them from my Facebook, my contacts in my phone, or even not hanging around them in person anymore.

I don't necessarily always think that person is evil and hate them, I just think that since they can't acknowledge what I'm not comfortable with, or sensitive to, then they don't deserve me as a friend.

Continued...

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