Sunday, December 11, 2011

some things meant to be funny just are not

so there is this picture going around the internet that is meant to be a joke.  I personally think it is not funny.  I think for the people in the picture it is embarrassing and mortifying.  I am sure when they took the picture, they had no idea that this would be happening.  I am sure the person who started it meant it to be a funny joke and did not intend to hurt anybody in it.  That is what happens though when people don't think about how it will affect other people before doing something.  I don't feel I am being too sensitive in this.  Most know, I have a great sense of humor.  I have a sarcastic side.  I can take a joke.  Here is the picture:



two friends at a party take an innocent picture.  Some insensitive moron probably found it on a google search because when you post public images they can be found and be photo shopped with captions.  Insensitive moron posts the picture to be funny and now it is going all over the internet.  Lets put ourselves in these two women's shoes.  

The woman who is overweight:  I am sure she deals with what people see her as on a daily basis.  The stereotypes, the looks, wondering what people think that don't even know her.  Taking a picture when she probably hates any picture taken from the neck down because of how it will be perceived.   Dealing with jokes that are hurtful, like this one.  Those of us that are overweight can tell you what a struggle it is.  You want to get all the cute clothes. You want to get out there and have fun and be the life of the party but instead you sit in the background and don't want to draw attention to yourself because of the weight issue.  So now this woman has to see this probably posted all over the place and probably smiles and brushes it off like it is no big deal, but in her room, she cries.  She is mortified at how cruel people can be.  She probably wants to hide and not come out.  But she cant.  

the woman behind her:  I am sure she is mortified as well.  I am sure she had no intention of wanting to look naked in a picture.  Now she is embarrassed and wonders if people are envisioning her with no clothes all the time.  If there are perves out there looking at her in the picture and doing things in front on the computer like when they look at porn.  that people now have a visual in there head of something that was never intended and if she could take the moment back, she would stand next to her friend.   I am sure her heart breaks for her friend as well who has been made fun of because of her physical appearance.  I wonder how long she will  have to mentally gear up to go out before she feels like people are not looking at her and feel they are giggling behind her back.

It is so hard to move on from being made fun of or cruel jokes.  I still deal with the repercussions of that as a child.  Kids are mean.  As adults when it happens, however, we are supposed to just suck it up and deal with it.  It is a joke however.   Put yourself in the person's place that the joke is made about.   Probably not so funny then.