By Savannah Simmons, Opinion Editor
Are people too soft about what is presented to them in the media?
The phrase “too sensitive” gets thrown around when talking about the media, but are people being “too soft” or finally calling out things that are not quite okay?
When asked about a reboot, Steve Carell, star of “The Office,” does not think the show would hold up due to the change of times. Thinking about the climate Carell is talking about, it is true; recently people have grown more sensitive to things that may be funny but somewhat offensive.
“But apart from the fact that I just don’t think that’s a good idea, it might be impossible to do that show today and have people accept it the way it was accepted 10 years ago,” Steve Carell told Esquire. “The climate’s different.”
Are people reacting to things like appropriation, racist jokes and sensitive subjects really being overly soft, or are they simply calling out situations they think need attention? There may be a mix of both. Certain people may deeply take offense to what is going on and others may want to highlight the issue to make sure that others don’t think whatever is being said is normally okay.
Relevant topics such as mental illness, race, gender and sexuality have been twisted into jokes that can be somewhat funny at times, but also can be taken a little too far for some. No matter what the joke is or how it is meant to be perceived, it is no one’s place to say that another person is “being too soft” with whatever their reaction may be. People’s feelings are valid and it’s not okay to tell someone that they aren’t.
On the other side of things, yes, people are allowed to say what they want and it has always been funny to poke fun at different subjects. Even though times change, the jokes that were meant to be taken lightly are now taken in a different and more serious manner, jokes are still going to be made. These jokes will continue no matter who takes offense to whatever they may have said or done.
Looking through social media or listening to the news, it’s as if every week someone is doing something that another group raises their eyebrows at. It should not be seen as negative to take offense and speak out about something that made someone feel a certain type of way.
Jokes and references will always be made and someone will always take offense no matter what the topic is. That being said, if a joke or reference you make offends or hurts another person, you should think about why they took offense and apologize if that’s what the issue calls for.