Overly Sensitive People and Overkill
Not long ago I published an article on an African American rapist and notorious serial killer named Jake Bird. Bird was executed on July 15, 1949. He was the seventh African American to be executed in Washington State since the death penalty was established in 1904.
The reason I bring this up is because of a comment posted about it by a reader who was obviously very disturbed by comments others had made. These comments concerned off hand remarks about how Bird should perhaps have been hung at birth because of the atrocities he had committed. I can’t say with certainty the race of the person, gender or age. However, they used the online identifier of “Racist.” Here, is the comment:
“What about the other 70% white serial killers, should they have been hung at birth? What about the klan? They definitely should have been hung at birth...What about the people who brought slaves to America? God should have never given them breath. Oh okay.” The article can be read at: http://jy3502.hubpages.com/hub/Serial-Killer-Jake-Bird
“Racist” was responding to an off the cuff remark I made to another reader’s comment about Bird’s infatuation with voodoo curses who wrote: “They should have hung him sooner, and then the hex might have been lifted! Maybe his mom was a voodoo priestess.” What apparently upset “Racist” was my response to this which was: “I think his momma should have hung him at birth.” Some may have found this offensive although most readers, in my opinion, would recognize it to be a humorous statement about a tragic event. But, perhaps I was wrong to make the statement. I’m a human being and human beings make mistakes…were allowed to do that you know? However, to soothe “Racist’s” ruffled feathers I answered with:
“Lighten up. You are taking these off the wall remarks way to seriously. Of course, I don't really want to see a baby hung. The comments were basically just a figure of speech. No doubt, what the people you refer to did, was inexcusable. It was a different time and place and many people were also uneducated.” I felt this to be a calm and legitimate defense. As of this writing, “Racist” hasn’t answered back.
The comment “Racist” made doesn’t concern me, but it’s an example of how overly sensitive people in this country have become. People have been arrested merely because someone thought they might be praying in a public place. Call something who or what they are and one can also end up incarcerated because they committed a “hate crime” against some group or minority. Life in America, as far as common sense goes, now seems to be governed by minorities. At the risk of offending someone, I find this ludicrous.
Are there any explanations to define this over sensitivity? Perhaps, but they may or may not be directly related. Several studies have been done on highly sensitive people (HSP). According to these studies one in every twenty people is considered to be a highly sensitive person (HSP). This means you may be an HSP or someone you know is. Be that as it may, the question becomes why are some overly sensitive to what others feel to be a minor problem?
One source says sensitivity comes from “an over indulgence of negativity.” This means whenever someone renders something as negative, they analyze it to death and think only of how the situation and implications affects them. Naturally, this tends to make one feel bad or insecure, thus, the sometimes overkill retaliations.
There’s nothing wrong with being sensitive, it shows a concern for others. But we need to learn how to balance it. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt any of us to take some sensitivity and anger management classes.
