Thinking Some Things
My friend Wens wrote a good post about how people will go "I was sooo angry for you!" and then make something that wasn't their problem all about them. It made me think.
I've been seeing a lot of mention of bullying, of the homophobic type. I'm not a member of the LGBT community. But I have friends, know people, and had a family member who was a part of it. What hurts my friends, and family hurts me. I feel like they should live their lives the way they want. That they should be safe. LGBT lifestyles are not chosen. You don't wake up one morning and decide "Oh hey I want to be gay now." and then maybe 10 years later decide "well that was fun, back to being straight!" So people should not be bullied for something like your sexual orientation.
But I also feel that I should not preach about this because this issue isn't about my life. What gives me the right to be angry and stand up and do something about it when my life won't be affected directly by it? I don't want to be pretentious and I don't want to steal the focus from the people who actually must deal with this.
But I can be angry about bullying. We've all been picked on. I have. I've been called names and had pranks pulled on me because I was bigger than other girls. I was humiliated at school and by friends. I was even called a dyke because I cut my hair short.
And people killing themselves because of bullying is wrong. Bullying should be punished. It's not some phase. It's not something that you just have to live through and suffer (this is why Japan infuriates me so. Too much putting up with the bullshit society throws at you.). Let the bullies feel what it's like to feel like shit. Fine them. Imprison them. Make them do community service. They NEED to be punished. (And I've punched a few people for insulting me. I'd love to see all of them get a swift kick wear the sun don't shine and then told they're a piece of shit and should kill themselves. I'm a spiteful bitch when wronged.)
And you know, it pisses me off that people who are LGBT have to hide it. It's bad enough that so many American Jews hide their Judaism. Myself included. But it's been fucking ingrained into my people - keep your head down and your mouth shut and nobody will hurt you/kill you/rob you/destroy your life and faith.
And now Muslim Americans have to do the same thing for fear of hate crimes. This shit pisses me off. No one should live in fear, especially not in America. We need to work on our tolerance, and acceptance.
But I worry that I'm...doing what Wens warned against. Making the problem about you and not about the person it happened to.
But I do know I want to be involved with this. But how? I can't give real life advice to LGBT teens about the problems they're having. Sure, I could listen, but what can I say in return?
Anyway, here's an interesting post: http://rm.livejournal.com/1933522.html?style=mine
And this post: http://neo-prodigy.livejournal.com/866100.html
I want to help, but I want to know how. Any advice guys? Because I know this is the LGBT community's fight, but they could always use allies right? I mean the Civil Rights movement back in the '60's wasn't JUST African-Americans. Their friends - not all of which were black - stood by them and fought for them too. I'll gladly throw some punches at somebody who thinks they can get away with shaming or hurting my friends. I just need to know whose ass I need to kick.
I've been seeing a lot of mention of bullying, of the homophobic type. I'm not a member of the LGBT community. But I have friends, know people, and had a family member who was a part of it. What hurts my friends, and family hurts me. I feel like they should live their lives the way they want. That they should be safe. LGBT lifestyles are not chosen. You don't wake up one morning and decide "Oh hey I want to be gay now." and then maybe 10 years later decide "well that was fun, back to being straight!" So people should not be bullied for something like your sexual orientation.
But I also feel that I should not preach about this because this issue isn't about my life. What gives me the right to be angry and stand up and do something about it when my life won't be affected directly by it? I don't want to be pretentious and I don't want to steal the focus from the people who actually must deal with this.
But I can be angry about bullying. We've all been picked on. I have. I've been called names and had pranks pulled on me because I was bigger than other girls. I was humiliated at school and by friends. I was even called a dyke because I cut my hair short.
And people killing themselves because of bullying is wrong. Bullying should be punished. It's not some phase. It's not something that you just have to live through and suffer (this is why Japan infuriates me so. Too much putting up with the bullshit society throws at you.). Let the bullies feel what it's like to feel like shit. Fine them. Imprison them. Make them do community service. They NEED to be punished. (And I've punched a few people for insulting me. I'd love to see all of them get a swift kick wear the sun don't shine and then told they're a piece of shit and should kill themselves. I'm a spiteful bitch when wronged.)
And you know, it pisses me off that people who are LGBT have to hide it. It's bad enough that so many American Jews hide their Judaism. Myself included. But it's been fucking ingrained into my people - keep your head down and your mouth shut and nobody will hurt you/kill you/rob you/destroy your life and faith.
And now Muslim Americans have to do the same thing for fear of hate crimes. This shit pisses me off. No one should live in fear, especially not in America. We need to work on our tolerance, and acceptance.
But I worry that I'm...doing what Wens warned against. Making the problem about you and not about the person it happened to.
But I do know I want to be involved with this. But how? I can't give real life advice to LGBT teens about the problems they're having. Sure, I could listen, but what can I say in return?
Anyway, here's an interesting post: http://rm.livejournal.com/1933522.html?style=mine
And this post: http://neo-prodigy.livejournal.com/866100.html
I want to help, but I want to know how. Any advice guys? Because I know this is the LGBT community's fight, but they could always use allies right? I mean the Civil Rights movement back in the '60's wasn't JUST African-Americans. Their friends - not all of which were black - stood by them and fought for them too. I'll gladly throw some punches at somebody who thinks they can get away with shaming or hurting my friends. I just need to know whose ass I need to kick.