I watched a U-Tube video today that had me in tears.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iSlok6muY0&feature=player_embedded
Think before you speak. So easy to say, so easy to forget. I watched it, and then decided to forward it to others. "Others" consisted of quite a diverse group. Of course there was my husband, but along with him were several co-workers. Some who may get why I would send it, others who probably thought.. "What the Hell?"
I even had a reply of "Why is the queen of sarcasm suddenly getting so sincere and sentimental?" The dirty secret is..... I was torn about sending it out. It was emotional to me, and choosing who to send it to... little do they know, but they were all chosen for a reason. Whether it was because I could see them using the video to teach someone else, they had small children they could teach, or whether it was because I had heard them use the word in the past.... all were chosen for a reason. I almost just kept it to myself and didn't want to use it, deal with it, talk about it..... Sometimes it's hard
I sent it to Bens teacher, to my old director who's wife is a teacher, It went to three states.
Is the idea of dropping the "R" word new? No. Lot's of movements out there, sign up and pledge, etc. but this teenager crying over the ideas others have of her brother was heartbreaking.
I see the world has changed since I was a teenager. I'm 44 now, and when I was in high school there were no inter-racial couples. I remember 1 gay classmate in a high school of thousands.
Today.... these things don't even seem to register to teens. It's so normal (at least in my area) There are several inter-racial couples, and I work with many teens, with a percentage being gay. None of this decides whether they are accepted. They don't seem to need to hide it anymore. And of course I think thank god. I can't imagine the gay classmates I had who were too ashamed of themselves to live a life, (these are my beliefs) that they were born to live. Life is so hard, and to have to fake huge chunks of your life.... exhausting.
Anyway, my hope is that people continue accepting differences. Where interacting and accepting someone that may have been considered a dork or "retarded" 25 years ago, there continues to be a push toward individuality, whatever that may be.
There will always be shitty people out there. That's a community, but at Ben's school I see kids from 6-12 who enjoy Ben, make an effort with Ben, and they'll never know how grateful to them I am.
