The Kindness of Not Humiliating Others

"It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honoured by the humiliation of their fellow human beings."
―Mahatma Gandhi

I watched a very short video today (about 50 seconds) on Upworthy (www.upworthy.com) that really made me think, http://links.upworthy.mkt5937.com/ctt?kn=9&ms=ODEwNTcwNgS2&r=NTk3ODUxNzUxMTIS1&b=0&j=MTk1MTMwNjM0S0&mt=1&rt=0.  It was a snippet from an interview of Jennifer Lawrence, star of the "Hunger Games" by Barbara Walters.  "Why is humiliating people funny?" Lawrence asked.  She said that the media should take responsibility for the impact that putting down people -- particularly in the area of looks -- has on the younger generation.  She specifically took issue with the word "fat" and said that she thinks it should be illegal to call people that. 

The video snippet reminded me of a conversation I had with someone a couple of days ago.  This person remarked that we often feel the need to "poke" people with a snide remark or a comment that establishes who is up and who is down.

I don't know why we engage in making fun of others, although most comedians have made a living from doing it and frequently the person who is the life of the party does it, too.  I wonder whether it comes from our own insecurities and if we can "poke" someone, humiliate someone (even slightly), then we think that we might feel better.  All this made me wonder whether I could -- for the most part -- say only kind things to people and refrain from saying something unkind unless it was truly necessary.  Not sure, but it is definitely worth a try.