Such incredible hatred
I try not to get political here, but every so often something so odious crosses my personal radar that I can't help myself.
Of course it's Ann Coulter, whom Republicans and conservatives have made rich and famous, and her "faggot" reference to John Edwards. It's nothing particularly new for her; she's used that, or a variant, with both Clintons, Al Gore and heaven knows how many others who've caught the attention of her reptilian mind.
Some of us learned years ago to deal with that kind slur and its variants. But my heart goes out to a generation of kids still coming up who cringe in pain when they hear its hatred -- or those who hear it and feel empowered to inflict that pain. One sick, sad woman.
2 comments:
ohmy god, forgiveme, i have to write. will and i were just having this conversation, the latter half of it, last night. about kids at school using terrible names for a few kids, two boys, two girls, who are out and/or not quite out but not much hiding. will says it breaks his heart. he has told kids to stop. we talked about the terrible pain. he said he thinks one kid doesn't know what others say behind his back. i said, oh, he knows. whether he knows or knows, he knows. any words of wisdom for how and what will can do to try to stop the hurt? he wrote a letter to the principal about racism toward a muslim kid, but got the basic brush-off. anyway that woman is reptilian at best. i'd like to slap her silly. slap her mute. forgive the deluge. she makes me froth. your comment about the young generation of kids just struck a sad chord. all looks grand. mahogany floors, eh????? will you walk in velvet socks. nah, that's be too slippery....
i'm so proud of will's concern for his mates -- but i'd expect no less from a kid from two great parents (and the occasional awe-inspiring uncle or two).
i think his friends will develop their own mechanisms for coping, but the most important thing for them to know is that they're loved and respected whoever they are. of course they know, in some sense, what people are saying or feeling about them negatively -- which makes it all the more important for classmates, teachers and even brush-off principals to do positive things, which mostly involves treating them as people instead of archetypes or objects. it sounds as if will is doing just that, and bless his heart for it. it's absolutely the best he can do (and he needs to remember that the best he can do is... *the best he can do.* some people will hurt, and we can't always remove the hurt, but we can let them know we care about it, and about them).
you might have a word with will's teacher, since the principal doesn't sound too swift. the teacher probably knows that one of the worst markers for teen suicide is "atypical" orientation; it's just something for the teacher to keep in the back of his or her mind, and keep an eye on the kids' general affect.
as for the venom lady:
i had an interesting thought this morning. just as kids encounter a frightening spectrum of viruses and bacteria that (one hopes) eventually strengthens their physical defenses, they encounter a wide range of hurtful words and behaviors. one hopes those prompt psychological immunity to grow, too.
what bothers me is adults, who should know better, casually coughing their viruses of hatred into a susceptible community of every age.
as the old joke goes: i'm forming an attachment for that woman. it will go right over her mouth.
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