I hesitate to write this because some people could very well be offended by it, and that is absolutely not my intention. But, I do want to get it off my chest.
Over the past several weeks, I've seen quite a few things related to bullying: Unity Day, an entire day devoted to anti-bullying, a discussion about bullying in a group for disabled youth and adults, an article about conservative author and columnist Ann Coulter's use of the term "standard retard" to describe the man with cerebral palsy Donald Trump mocked during a rally and most recently, a story about a boy with cerebral palsy who attended a Trump event to advocate for better treatment of people with disabilities.
Well, last night I was genuinely appalled to learn that a great number of bullies, including some of the ones mentioned above, got a great deal of power.
I'm not going to get political. To each their own and so on. And I know that being from a different country, I have no real say in events. However, as someone who has experienced bullying first-hand and has both written and spoken about anti-bullying, I will say that, on a human level, the events of last night disturb me.
What worries me is the thought that those now-influential people have the power and ability to act on the crazy and ignorant things they've been speaking about for the past several months. Things that could alienate and do harm to many people. They also have a platform with which to insult and push around even greater numbers of people.
Again, I'm respectful of people's personal beliefs, and what's done is unfortunately done, but this kind of stuff needs to stop! We need to stop making excuses, get past petty grudges and differences, and show these people, and others just like them, that misogyny, racism, and other forms of discrimination are not acceptable. Otherwise, all the anti-bullying, advocacy, and messages of hope and equality will mean nothing.
And with that, this rant is over.
Cheers
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