Teasing

2025-11-07

I feel that I am a somewhat sensitive man. On the scale of super stoic to very sensitive I land somewhere in the middle.

There are some things where I am pretty stoic, I have a high pain tolerance and can push through injury pretty well. I am pretty good at the sight of blood or vomit, neither of them phase me very much. Also when kids cry some people’s hearts melt but I can stick to my guns.

There are other things where I am pretty sensitive. I was pretty sensitive about my race as a kid, as a mixed race kid I was kind of confused. As an adult I am still confused but a little less so. I would also be sad if someone insulted my intelligence, it is something that I work hard at.

And I have a lot of friends and family, there are a few of them that are pure jokesters and everything out of their mouth could be a joke. And there are some people that hardly ever joke, who are more serious or even more sensitive than me, who I wouldn’t tease. And I tend not to tease too much, especially with people I dont know as well, because it is hard for me to know what is socially acceptable or where people draw their own lines. So I stay on the more conservative side of teasing and joking.

But I started listening to this podcast called ‘The Rest Is History’ ( https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-rest-is-history/id1537788786 ). It is really great and I do recommend it if you want a history podcast. But it is two English (British? I dunno) guys. And they really tease each other a lot. And part of it, I assume, is that they are pod cast hosts. But I think that English people have a culture of teasing more than Americans and it is really interesting. They make witty remarks and comebacks all of the time and no one has hurt feelings. And maybe I should be a little more like that, just joke with other, and more importantly take jokes better.

Who cares if Sneha mocks my parking skills at Costco. Or if Sneha laughs at my multitasking ability. Come to think of it I think Sneha teases me the most frequently. But honestly I need to emulate this English culture and take it a little better. I know Sneha means well and loves me, I shouldn’t get so butt hurt if she mocks me. Or if any of my friends or family tease me.

-Gary