# Minority Hypersensitivity -- Everyone Loses **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 3, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minority-hypersensitivity-everyone-loses/186139 "2003-07-03T23:15:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minority-hypersensitivity-everyone-loses/186139/41 "2003-07-08T15:46:12Z")
**december:** _“precisely the same sort of complaints and accusations”? Not at all._ Yes, they are. You’re (now) arguing that it’s “hypersensitive” for people to complain about racism when no racially denigrating statements have been made. That applies to both cases. There is nothing inherently racist about Dowd’s calling somebody she disagrees with—even a “leading black jurist” she disagrees with—“barking mad” or “crazy”, any more than there’s anything inherently racist about College Republicans publicizing a “black self-help” lecture in a Multicultural Center. If it’s hypersensitive to complain about possible ulterior motives of disguised racism in the actions of the College Republicans, then it’s also hypersensitive to do the same thing about the criticisms by Dowd. If you are really serious about opposing racial “hypersensitivity” and “charges based on flimsy pretexts”, then it’s time for you to leave off your whining that any criticism of black conservatives like Clarence Thomas—even intemperate or inaccurate criticism—must be racist. As I said above, your blatant hypocrisy in this regard only serves to undermine the principles of equality and fairness that you’re claiming to espouse. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minority-hypersensitivity-everyone-loses/186139/42 "2003-07-08T16:17:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monstro \* > You need to address that question [Why should that be my responsibility?] to **december**. \*No man is an island, entire of itself; Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less… Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind…\* John Donne If **Ludovic** wants to behave well toward others because it’s the right thing to do, not to stop bigotry on the other side, that’s OK with me. Whatever the reason, I applaud good behavior toward others. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minority-hypersensitivity-everyone-loses/186139/43 "2003-07-08T19:54:33Z")
monstro: Pointing out that you did not explicitly state this does not refute the claim that you implied it. When you say “My question: if black people promise to stop being hypersensitive, can the bigots promise to stop being hyperignorant? Hypersensitivity is only the by-product of being sick and tired. It’s not going away as long as overt racism and prejudice continue to exist”, it clearly implies that bigots being hyperignorant at least partially justifies hypersensitivity. And the whole point of me pointing this out was to respond to Stuffy’s statement that “All white people aren’t judged by the actions of David Duke and Fred Phelps of the world, why then do you support that treatment for blacks?” Now that you have explicitly stated that “They make white people look bad, in other words”, I do need to point to your implicit statements. pizzabrat: that was the epitome of a strawman argument. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minority-hypersensitivity-everyone-loses/186139/44 "2003-07-08T22:32:15Z")
I. Was. Being. Sarcastic. Even **december** realizes that. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minority-hypersensitivity-everyone-loses/186139/45 "2003-07-09T06:15:34Z")
All groups are stereotyped by their worst members. All polititians are corrupt. All teens are hooligans. So on and so on. It’s human nature to associate groups with its worst members. We all do it. Yes, it’s wrong, but it’s the way things are, and the situation is certainly not limited to blacks. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minority-hypersensitivity-everyone-loses/186139/46 "2003-07-09T21:59:23Z")
The sarcasm was somewhat evident in the portion which december quoted, but the part that I quoted gave no indication of saracasm (I suspected it, but only because of what followed). If this was sarcasm, it was also trolling. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minority-hypersensitivity-everyone-loses/186139/47 "2003-07-09T23:22:59Z")
> [@](#): > > If this was sarcasm, it was also trolling. Like your penchant for beating a dead horse? ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minority-hypersensitivity-everyone-loses/186139/48 "2003-07-10T14:47:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Any decision to punish Hinkle will be made by the university’s director of student judicial affairs, who was unavailable for comment. However, Morton emphasized that an expulsion or suspension was not being considered. Morton would not speculate on how the university might respond to Hinkle’s refusal to apologize. [http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200307/CUL20030710b.html](http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200307/CUL20030710b.html) Sounds like Hinkle may be moving toward suing the University. I imagine the University wishes the whole case would just disappear. They come out looking bad no matter how it gets resolved. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minority-hypersensitivity-everyone-loses/186139.md?page=2)