One high school, two years, four dead teenagers. Bullying. Is anyone paying attention to this?
Newt
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An exposition of the merits of retiring early to Florida from some less eccentric part of the world.
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Sadly, not only are few paying attention, there are too many that--I honestly believe--are glad it's happening. Most of those are "Christians," but it's not limited to just them. This isn't a new phenomenon either. About 20 years ago, as an organist, I played the funeral of a high school student (reportedly gay) who stood up in class and in front of his classmates and killed himself, shotting himself in his head. Who knows what disapproval he endured from family, teachers, classmates.
ReplyDeleteWhen Wal-mart sells overtly anti-gay books (see http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/10/wal-mart-selling-anti-gay-kids-book.html) aimed at kids, it should be clear that things aren't going to change anytime soon.
Newt, thanks for blogging on this topic. It's one that matters to me a lot.
Hilton
Thanks for the thoughtful comments, Hilton. I was with you right up to "it should be clear that things aren't going to change anytime soon." Things can and do change, but they do not change spontaneously.
ReplyDeleteAt one time it would not be surprising for an African-American schoolchild to be taunted for his skin color or for otherwise upstanding citizens to carry signs reading "Go back to Africa." It is no longer acceptable in civilized society to engage in racially or ethnically hateful speech and actions.
Bullying today of students on the basis of perceived gayness or any other characteristic is not different from race-baiting of the 1950's and 60's and should be equally rejected as reprehensible on its face.
Today there is a mean streak running through American discourse and insinuating itself in what bumper-sticker religious and conservative spokespeople call "American core values." The way to stop this is for good people - including good church people and good conservative people - to step up and say, "This is wrong." Even if it has to be one person at a time.
Newt