My unpopular beliefs about this whole bullying thing.
Yes I know I never update.
Yes I know this makes me a bad person.
Look for me to update about NaNo soon.
But right now I'm so pissed I'm about to pop.
I've not posted any links or had any quippy one-liners for this whole rash of suicides due to bullying in public schools. Mostly, it's because... well at first, I held a pretty damn unpopular viewpoint. And I still do... but we'll get to my change of heart in a minute.
I was picked on as a kid, mercilessly. There was virtually no escape from it unless I was just by myself... I never fit in be it at church, or dance classes, or school or anywhere where there was more than about 2 or 3 kids my age. My utter hatred of children stems largely from these experiences. My parents wouldn't help... and teachers were useless (they always tell you to go find a teacher or adult... but it never helps.)
But newsflash... even when I was feeling my worst. Realizing that I would never be the person that my parents wanted. Maybe I'd never have friends that I could actually relax around without feeling paranoid. I'd probably never have a normal social life because I was constantly ill-at-ease around people my own age.
I never actually killed myself. Or even seriously considered it.
So I have a hard time having sympathy for a kid who kills themselves over bullying.
Lets face it. Bullying is a part of life, and it was certainly part of mine. And I know for a fact that you can have all the warm fuzzy counseling sessions with the victims, and all the rules in the world against it, but nothing will stop mean little shits from being just that. But you'd kill yourself over someone calling you fat, or skinny or short or tall or whatever? KILL YOURSELF? And forms of depression and whatnot aside... that always just seemed super lame to me.
And especially when it was internet drama. I mean really... It's the fucking internet. You need a thick skin to make it through public school... but to survive on the internet you better bring armor plating. Or just stay away from 4chan and forums in general.
Now hold it. I know everyone and their dog is about to jump on my case, (and I do stand by my above statements for regular bullying, sans actual medical depression) but this whole rash of suicides of gay kids because they're being picked on for being gay is different. And I'll tell you why it's different.
Because this is religiously and politically sanctioned ridicule and demeaning of gay people.
I'll say it again: Religiously and politically sanctioned.
I dare anyone to dispute me. Come out come out wherever you are.
Gay people are viewed as being second class by a large enough section of the populace to have their own political party. As being something other than human even. And these people are not fringers. I'll put links at the bottom of this note where prominent religious and political figures who take part in the government on a very visible level demean gay people, and do not support their basic human rights.
Now I ask you this: how is a child, discovering who they are and what they will be in this world, supposed to have a healthy self image when they know people like them are hated by a large sect of their country?
This isn't the same as mean little shits being mean little shits. There's no fixing that.
But there is fixing children growing up in a family where they're taught that gay people are the deviant, evil, disease spreading spawns of Satan. And I am not being metaphorical. This is not hyperbole. That is literally preached word for fucking word in countless churches across this country every Sunday. And I know many of you reading this note go to those churches and hold those beliefs. You know who you are. What did you think was going to happen?
And I will be quite frank. The blood of these children is on the hands of ANYONE who willingly sits in a church that preaches hatred towards gay people and does not challenge this message. And it is doubly on the hands of anyone who taught the bullies of these kids to hate gay people.
Yes... I've said the word 'hate' many times. And it is true.
Why else would you limit their rights, downplay their suffering, and turn a blind eye to the inequalities if not because you hate them?
And we could remedy this in our schools... but anytime anyone breaks out the tolerance messages about gay people in school, the whole world blows up in a panic because heaven forbid we teach your kids how to be tolerant and kind individuals since you seem to be unable to summon the maturity to treat people who are different from you and hold different beliefs like they're still human beings. But I know for a fact, it's because you believe they're not. Again... What did you think was going to happen when your kid, stewed in years of intolerance, met someone who was different from them?
And on a different note on the other side of this... I'm frankly not a huge fan of this whole "It gets better" campaign.
What... so we should just tell them chin up... your life sucks and you're viewed as second class and always will be, because we can't get the stones in this country to tell the religious right to fuck off?
Fuck that with a rusty spoon.
No one's life should suck because they're gay... or anything else for that matter. Instead of the "It gets better" campaign... how about a "Your invisible homophobic deity can fuck right off" campaign? Because just letting these people get away with murder, literally, just because it's for a religious reason is bullshit. When are we, as a country going to stop pandering to religious reason as the only reasoning for laws and culture in this country. When? Because I'm ready for it to stop yesterday.
Here's your links. I'm going to go eat some peanut butter and calm down.
Go wash your hands, Lady Macbeth.
John Boehner, House Minority Leader
"And that is why marriage and family law has emphasized the importance of marriage as the foundation of family, addressing the needs of children in the most positive way." (and what... gay people are like acid that just eats away at a proper family... unlike say... affairs.)
"Protecting the institution of marriage safeguards, I believe, the American family." (yes... the gay mafia is coming.)
"Studies show that children best flourish when one mom and one dad are there to raise them." (citation needed sir)
"While 45 of the 50 States have either a State constitutional amendment or a statute that preserves the current definition of marriage, left-wing activist judges and officials at the local levels have struck down State laws protecting marriage." (that would be because civil rights are a judicial issue, not a legislative one.)
These quotes found here: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_boehner.html
Sarah Palin
"Palin said she's not out to judge anyone and has good friends who are gay, but that she supported the 1998 constitutional amendment [defining marriage between a man and a women]. Elected officials can't defy the court when it comes to how rights are applied, she said, but she would support a ballot question that would deny benefits to homosexual couples. "I believe that honoring the family structure is that important," Palin said." Source: Anchorage Daily News, 2006
Rick Warren, the pastor who gave the inauguration prayer for President Obama
Just go here.
http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2008/12/rick-warrens-controversial-com.html
Yes I know this makes me a bad person.
Look for me to update about NaNo soon.
But right now I'm so pissed I'm about to pop.
I've not posted any links or had any quippy one-liners for this whole rash of suicides due to bullying in public schools. Mostly, it's because... well at first, I held a pretty damn unpopular viewpoint. And I still do... but we'll get to my change of heart in a minute.
I was picked on as a kid, mercilessly. There was virtually no escape from it unless I was just by myself... I never fit in be it at church, or dance classes, or school or anywhere where there was more than about 2 or 3 kids my age. My utter hatred of children stems largely from these experiences. My parents wouldn't help... and teachers were useless (they always tell you to go find a teacher or adult... but it never helps.)
But newsflash... even when I was feeling my worst. Realizing that I would never be the person that my parents wanted. Maybe I'd never have friends that I could actually relax around without feeling paranoid. I'd probably never have a normal social life because I was constantly ill-at-ease around people my own age.
I never actually killed myself. Or even seriously considered it.
So I have a hard time having sympathy for a kid who kills themselves over bullying.
Lets face it. Bullying is a part of life, and it was certainly part of mine. And I know for a fact that you can have all the warm fuzzy counseling sessions with the victims, and all the rules in the world against it, but nothing will stop mean little shits from being just that. But you'd kill yourself over someone calling you fat, or skinny or short or tall or whatever? KILL YOURSELF? And forms of depression and whatnot aside... that always just seemed super lame to me.
And especially when it was internet drama. I mean really... It's the fucking internet. You need a thick skin to make it through public school... but to survive on the internet you better bring armor plating. Or just stay away from 4chan and forums in general.
Now hold it. I know everyone and their dog is about to jump on my case, (and I do stand by my above statements for regular bullying, sans actual medical depression) but this whole rash of suicides of gay kids because they're being picked on for being gay is different. And I'll tell you why it's different.
Because this is religiously and politically sanctioned ridicule and demeaning of gay people.
I'll say it again: Religiously and politically sanctioned.
I dare anyone to dispute me. Come out come out wherever you are.
Gay people are viewed as being second class by a large enough section of the populace to have their own political party. As being something other than human even. And these people are not fringers. I'll put links at the bottom of this note where prominent religious and political figures who take part in the government on a very visible level demean gay people, and do not support their basic human rights.
Now I ask you this: how is a child, discovering who they are and what they will be in this world, supposed to have a healthy self image when they know people like them are hated by a large sect of their country?
This isn't the same as mean little shits being mean little shits. There's no fixing that.
But there is fixing children growing up in a family where they're taught that gay people are the deviant, evil, disease spreading spawns of Satan. And I am not being metaphorical. This is not hyperbole. That is literally preached word for fucking word in countless churches across this country every Sunday. And I know many of you reading this note go to those churches and hold those beliefs. You know who you are. What did you think was going to happen?
And I will be quite frank. The blood of these children is on the hands of ANYONE who willingly sits in a church that preaches hatred towards gay people and does not challenge this message. And it is doubly on the hands of anyone who taught the bullies of these kids to hate gay people.
Yes... I've said the word 'hate' many times. And it is true.
Why else would you limit their rights, downplay their suffering, and turn a blind eye to the inequalities if not because you hate them?
And we could remedy this in our schools... but anytime anyone breaks out the tolerance messages about gay people in school, the whole world blows up in a panic because heaven forbid we teach your kids how to be tolerant and kind individuals since you seem to be unable to summon the maturity to treat people who are different from you and hold different beliefs like they're still human beings. But I know for a fact, it's because you believe they're not. Again... What did you think was going to happen when your kid, stewed in years of intolerance, met someone who was different from them?
And on a different note on the other side of this... I'm frankly not a huge fan of this whole "It gets better" campaign.
What... so we should just tell them chin up... your life sucks and you're viewed as second class and always will be, because we can't get the stones in this country to tell the religious right to fuck off?
Fuck that with a rusty spoon.
No one's life should suck because they're gay... or anything else for that matter. Instead of the "It gets better" campaign... how about a "Your invisible homophobic deity can fuck right off" campaign? Because just letting these people get away with murder, literally, just because it's for a religious reason is bullshit. When are we, as a country going to stop pandering to religious reason as the only reasoning for laws and culture in this country. When? Because I'm ready for it to stop yesterday.
Here's your links. I'm going to go eat some peanut butter and calm down.
Go wash your hands, Lady Macbeth.
John Boehner, House Minority Leader
"And that is why marriage and family law has emphasized the importance of marriage as the foundation of family, addressing the needs of children in the most positive way." (and what... gay people are like acid that just eats away at a proper family... unlike say... affairs.)
"Protecting the institution of marriage safeguards, I believe, the American family." (yes... the gay mafia is coming.)
"Studies show that children best flourish when one mom and one dad are there to raise them." (citation needed sir)
"While 45 of the 50 States have either a State constitutional amendment or a statute that preserves the current definition of marriage, left-wing activist judges and officials at the local levels have struck down State laws protecting marriage." (that would be because civil rights are a judicial issue, not a legislative one.)
These quotes found here: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_boehner.html
Sarah Palin
"Palin said she's not out to judge anyone and has good friends who are gay, but that she supported the 1998 constitutional amendment [defining marriage between a man and a women]. Elected officials can't defy the court when it comes to how rights are applied, she said, but she would support a ballot question that would deny benefits to homosexual couples. "I believe that honoring the family structure is that important," Palin said." Source: Anchorage Daily News, 2006
Rick Warren, the pastor who gave the inauguration prayer for President Obama
Just go here.
http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2008/12/rick-warrens-controversial-com.html