Being anti social justice warrior is a catalyst for bullying behavior

[thesummerqueen]

TBH, in normal every day interactions, my personal (and anecdotal) experience is that it isn't about being overly sensitive. It's about Person B pointing out to Person A that what they said either *is* or *could be construed as* insensitive and before they can even get out why, Person A objects to the very idea that they could EVER be insensitive and it escalates from there.

You know what I've found when managing conflict in my recent relationships or as a VP?

That taking a moment to listen when someone says something is offensive and asking why can help you sort the wheat from the chaff. People who have real reasons to be offended usually have a cogent argument and the ability to verbalize precisely what it is - and are usually willing to admit when it's an irrational feeling (which doesn't necessarily invalidate the whole thing) vs a real problem. People who are just there to be argumentative don't.

It takes a minute of your time to ask why they're offended before deciding they need to "toughen up, cupcake" - because the ones who really do need to pull the zucchini out of their ass generally hand you an x-ray of the fact that something's stuck up there...metaphorically, in their conversation, of course.