When I first heard about Columbine (about 12 hours after the event) I felt an indescribable sense of relief. Finally, we're going to address the problem of bullying in a serious manner. I really thought that no one could continue defending bullies and blaming victims without destroying their own credibility.
I was wrong.
Within days the forces of denial began screaming what a callous public most wanted to hear. These forces continued their bullying-wasn't-the-problem crescendo for ten years until Dave Cullen published his best seller, "Columbine." Cullen also chose to tell the public what it wanted to hear:
The two killers were crazy.
Bullying was not a significant factor.
There are no systemic problems in either our school system, our society's deification of violent athletes, or the lunatic asylum known as the institution of family.
Go back to sleep. All is well.
And the denial continues to this day, helping to ensure that our society's production of homicidal personalities continues unabated.
In a March 1, 2012 article Emily Bazelon writes about Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation. Two aspects of the article stood out immediately.
FIRST: In the tenth paragraph Bazelon says, "I winced when she talked about how the Columbine school shooters were bullied, since that’s a myth long busted."
Poor Emily. People continue mentioning the uncomfortable truth no matter how hard you and others work to cover it up. Bullying at Columbine was not a myth and almost certainly continues to this day. There is bullying at every high school, including Columbine and victims (including those who live in constant fear of it without experiencing very much of it) who are already damaged are most likely to become suicidal, homicidal, or both.
SECOND: There was no mention of the role modeling of parents who raise their children to be bullies.
To both of you...the fact that someone manages to reproduce does not make them a competent parent. Raising a bully is like defecating in the village well. All those who can't find another water source are unavoidably familiarized with the taste of your family's character. Show a little bravery and start talking about the parents of bullies.
i have to ask....why the celebrity obsession on both your blogs, when you're a great writer?
ReplyDeleteI'm not a "great writer." I'm merely articulate.
ReplyDeleteI have no "celebrity obsession." Celebrities attract a lot of attention and they often say and do strange things. Lady Gaga claims to have been bullied and is creating the appearance of wanting to address the problem. The problem is that she either has no idea how to address the problem or like most other Americans she simply isn't ready to admit that bad parents are usually the source of the bully's behavior.
Remember:
Bullies are like human feces. They emerge from the orifice of family character and they are welcomed with open arms by their peers in the cesspool of community character.
She deserves points for at least trying.
DeleteAlso, she does have a pretty hot ass.
If she was some fat, ugly chick, most Ameritards wouldn't take her as seriously.
I think it was John Stossel who coined the term "lookism." He aired a report about the effect that physical appearance has on how individuals are treated by employers, juries, and other venues. Not surprisingly, physically attractive people were hired more often, even when the other, less good looking candidates were less qualified and juries tended to grant acquittals to good looking people more often.
ReplyDeleteHer heart is in the right place, but she's inhibited by our culture's taboo against criticizing the sacred institution of family, even when the parents are obvious assholes.