Are we oversensitive?

 

We live in a world of open and real-time communication, where people from across the world talk to each other irrespective of any boundaries. We live in an independent world, at least most of us do, and that independence along with the power of reach and expression has put us all in a constant defence mode. We do not need to go out to be scrutinized; our social media presence or lack thereof is up for takes. Given the circumstances, let us discuss the answer to the question are we getting over sensitive?

Our world has always been full of bullies and nosy neighbours, but now with globalization and technological advancement, we continue to live in a society where our neighbours are determined by IP addresses. Bullies don’t need to harm us physically they can do so at the click of a button. Being oversensitive is a part of a defence mechanism and sometimes an automatic next step is to perpetrate an offence, for it is best known, the offence is the best defence.

 When I was discussing this with my sister today in the morning and told her about today’s blog, she sounded sceptical. Our viewpoints have always been different, but her insights always force me to think harder. Her point being is this from an individual perspective or societal perspective, plus she raised another very important point. Is one section of society getting oversensitive because of the insensitivity of other sections?

I will start with the first point. Sensitivity is always personal and to some extent, it is an extension of our vulnerability. I am fat, so I am sensitive about all body-shaming joke. In fact, I still remember when my book was released; one of the first few comments was about my weight. I am not sure how that affected my writing, but the gentleman made it a point to talk about it. I moved on, but the memory has stayed with me.

There is another way to look at it though; fat shaming could be personal for me, what about racism, or casteism, or sexism or so many other isms that may or may not directly related to me. Am I sure that I can stay away? Why did SSR appeal to so many people’s sensitivities? Sridevi’s death was also controversial but it failed to move the people like SSR did. More than the reason it could also be something to do with the timing of the incident, when people were already trying to grapple with the uncertainty and unfairness of life during corona time, news like this can make someone question the entire system, and rightly so.

Sensitivity is not just about how closely we relate to the issue but also the how we are feeling in that moment.

This brings me to the second question, about growing insensitivity in people resulting in over-sensitivity in some. I find Hathras a perfect example. State apathy can only make someone question the safety of a woman in the state and country as a whole. However, if you look at the news you realize, it is not just about injustice against a woman. It has an aspect of state failure, system apathy and something that Indian politics thrives on, caste-based politics. There is a huge social media movement to take action against the culprits. The silences of those in a decision-making position will forces masses to take the protests in their hand. Is it the right? I don’t know, but it does seem to be one way of getting the victim’s voice heard.

Sensitivity is an attempt to make things right by feeling uncomfortable and voicing it out.

Our parents said and we have also been witness to a pre-internet era. I remember going to my uncle’s house to study the Bermuda Triangle because he had a collection of the encyclopedia. Now my kids look at Wikipedia, and they aren’t really interested in Bermuda Triangle. They are more aware of climate change and global warming. Greta Thunberg, Autumn Petltier of Canada, Leah Namugerwa of Uganda, and Ridhima Pandey closer home are some names which are actively sensitizing the world on the impact of climate change. Ignorance is bliss and knowledge is power and today’s generation has the knowledge and is using it to bring about a change.

Sensitivity is choosing knowledge over ignorance and empowering others to see the same.

Coming back to my first question, are we oversensitive? My answer to that is, no, given the current situation we are just the right amount of sensitive so let us take pride in our sensitivity, instead of condemning it.