The Problem With Linus Joking at others expense

[Rybo]

3 hours ago, DaniIsAGoddess said:

Look at modern medicine, if we relied solely on the immune system then we would still be in the dark ages. We have actively eradicated diseases, we wash our hands and have sewage systems and water treatment. It's a great metaphor but you have to look at it properly, we're talking about cleaning our social environment as we try with our physical environment.

We've done that.  Society at large is accepting of virtually every immutable characteristic and life choice imaginable.  However, we're currently in the process of overreaction: we're attempting to eliminate all strife from those we view as marginalized.  This is having the inverse effect: people are creating ways to feel marginalized out of whole cloth.  Being the butt of a joke is not something that should cause anybody any lasting stress, because everybody experiences it.  Tall, short, fat, skinny, good dancer, bad dancer, redneck, cosmopolitan urbanites, etc, all get joked about regularly.  
 

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"When we remove we remove emotional adversity in everyday life we are left with people who cannot handle mundane adversity inevitable in life" thats an oxymoron. 

True; I meant that removing adversity in *childhood* when it is possible for parents to do so leaves children unequipped to deal with it in adulthood where there are no longer authority figures who can protect them.  

 

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Everything is relative, as we remove larger problems the smaller ones seem larger. Also you have to acknowledge the concept of the straw that broke the camels back. whilst some reactions to 'micro aggressions' are as a result of their perception of being larger (There's a discussion to be had about where the burden lies but thats beyond the scope of this i feel) others are a result of a culminations of many 'micro aggressions'.

 

Also true.  The problems are twofold. 1) we're complaining more loudly about the small problems than we ever did about the big problems, and 2) solving these small problems is impossible.  You can control what a government can and can't do, to an extent you can control what your culture at large does, but you cannot control what free individuals do.  It's a fact of life that other people are going to say things that you consider to be in poor taste.  It's a fact of life that they're going to have different belief systems than you.  You can ask them to change, but some will say "no," and others will take offense at you even asking that of them.  It implies they've done something wrong.  Either way, after you've asked and they've said no, you then have two options: you can seek to punish them or you can seek to come to terms with their existence.  Society is trying the first option and finding it unpalatable.  I hope we'll learn soon that the latter option exists.  

 

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We also have to keep in mind the differences in backgrounds between people what some might describe as 'privilege'. 

This is a two way street.  In this example, you're expecting Linus to be aware of the pain he might be causing someone with his words, but shouldn't the aggrieved party be expected to understand that *they* don't have full context, either?  Simply put, it is completely common for guys to rib each other over minor differences, and we get a kick out of it.  Trying to take that away from us will cause far more harm than simply accepting that's how males bond.