T.I. -- Black People Can Be Oversensitive, Too

Gay people aren't the only ones who need to learn how to laugh at themselves -- T.I. tells TMZ Live ... the black community is also guilty of being overly sensitive when it comes to jokes.

T.I. called in, standing by what he said in the recent Vibe interview ... that gay people who try to stifle arguably homophobic jokes simply because they're offensive are "not American."

And T.I. insists ... the argument doesn't just apply to gay people -- it applies to anyone who can't take a joke, black people included.

But there's one exception ... the n-word. Then all bets are off.