HAVE YOU EVER been gripped in the throes of an argument where the point of the conflict has been lost?
Then, because all else failed, including reason, a barrage of insults follows.
Now, social media has made it even easier for longstanding feuds, the source of which has been lost to time, to continue ad infinitum.
It is even worse when someone you did not even know that you were in conflict with, insults you via comments on photos.
But comedian Jimmy Kimmel has found a way to make people at all levels Iaugh at themselves in the face of mean criticism.
He has hit upon a made-for-television segment that compels well-known people, even the President of the United States, Barack Obama, to face criticism but in a way that relieves stress. In what would have been an otherwise painful exercise, the persuasive Kimmel has found a novel way for the celebrities to redeem themselves against tweets.
His latest conquest was Obama who, while appearing on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, read some of the mean things tweeted about him. In the confines of his office or home setting, such tweets might have been upsetting. However, sitting before a live audience and millions of television and online viewers gives rise to a different emotional response by the offended.
In this setting, the celebrities get to relieve a bit of stress by first laughing at some of the preposterous suggestions or firing back their own cutting remarks. This has to be a great stress reliever and gives the original targets a chance of getting their own back.
After years of some awful remarks, last week Obama got a chance to roast some of his faceless critics thanks to Kimmel.
In one case RSurfer girl tweeted – and Obama read it – is there any way we could fly Obama to some golf course halfway around the worfld and just leave him there?
Obama responded: “. . . I think it is a great idea.”
Someone posted the riddle: How do you make Obama eyes light up. Shine a flashlight through his ears.
Obama (grinning): That’s pretty good.
Another tweet: Somebody send Obama some live hacks on how to be a good president . . . ha ha . . . Like I bet that would help. LOL.
Obama: The LOL is redundant when you have the ha ha.
Another posted that Obama’s hair was looking greyer and they couldn’t imagine why since he didn’t seem one bit worried by all that was going on. Obama just had a pained look to that one.
When someone posted that they didn’t like the president in a particular type of jeans and Kimmel appeared wearing a similar pair, Obama conceded that the tweeter had a point.
My point is that for many of us we wouldn’t say these things face to face for fear of being challenged. In addition, we don’t want to make people uncomfortable or hurt their feelings.
So we sometimes take the cowardly way out.
Then again sometimes we just want to be cruel.
I have been criticised.
I have criticised.
I have been stung by criticism.
I have stung with my criticism.
It goes with the territory.
I do not consider those who criticise me a hater, nor do I consider myself a hater for offering a critical opinion of people or situations.
So the next time someone takes a potshot at you, do not let your first reaction be to respond in similar fashion.
When someone attempted to tell my friend Mona something bad about me, she laughed, told me and we laughed again. The suggestion was so ridiculous it was truly laughable for me or anybody who knew me.
Honestly, if I paid attention to everything someone said about me and dwelled on it, it would make for a very miserable existence.
• Antoinette Connell is a News Editor.
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