There was a time several years back when I accidentally mocked someone to their face. I was at a restaurant with my cousins, and the waiteress accidentally spilled a little water on me. Some time passed and it came up again. As I gave my take on it I mocked her and complained about how stupid she was. Little did I know that she was right behind me.

I think about that time often. Like, much more often than I should. It really truly stuck with me. I feel bad. Very bad. And here's why. That moment made me realize how hurtful mocking someone could be.

Another example is when people mock your voice when you say something either dumb or contradictory. I've always been self conscious of the way I speak since English isn't my first language, and I actually feel very hurt whenever someone repeats me in a mocking tone. Of course I know that they're not necessarily copying the way I speak, but it's still hurtful.

That is just how I feel. For some reason, mocking is just a lot more hurtful than a joke or criticism. It brings it to a whole other level. When someone is made fun of for something they do, chances are they already feel embarrassed enough already. The waitress obviously felt bad for spilling water on me, all I did was show myself to be a mean person by adding onto what already happened. My cousins thought it was funny until we noticed her behind us. After that I just seemed like a jerk. It's funny until someone gets their feelings hurt.

So why do we mock people in the first place? To be funny at the expense of someone else? Generally, we don't mock people to hurt their feelings. It's usually to demonstrate a flaw in something someone does or says, or to make a joke. We just don't realize the affect it could have on people.