Hyperbole

I just read an editorial that likens certain immigration policies to ethnic cleansing. I agree with the import of the piece. But having just spent some mind-blowing days in Rwanda, learning about and seeing the remnants of the genocide that took place there, I find the analogy unforgivable; I find it obscene.

I enjoy playing with words and being sarcastic. I understate serious matters and exaggerate unimportant ones. I whine “I’m staaaaaarving” because I’ve missed (or merely delayed) a meal. I complain “That’s unjust” because some referee makes a bad call. But I’m learning that my senses of humor and irony and scale are based on a life of privilege. I joke too often about subjects that are no joking matter.