"The Least Of These"

I am not a proselytizing pseudo-right or left winger wanting to spread my particular brand of whatever is the cause of the day. I enjoy politics, the reading and listening part, and then only on Sundays. Otherwise I usually think you can keep it to yourself and we'll get along just fine. There are exceptions, of course. Mainly the late night discussions around the table at the BFE Community Center, or civil discourse amongst old friends. There you will find either open minds or polite listening. Usually both.

Most people don't give a flying rat's ass what you think, and no minds are ever changed. We tend to be what we are and that is usually about it. One exception is my father who was a lifelong Republican, an offspring of his dad, who was also a lifelong Republican. Herb toward the end of his life began voting Democratic. I don't think he was really proud of it, just a case of too much craziness on their part, I guess. Maybe with the advance of age he became wiser. I don't know.

My blood pressure doesn't rise over politics.  Politicians are generally slimy talkative things that speak untruths and will say anything to be liked. Nikita Kruschev said "Politicians are the same all over. They promise bridges even when there are no rivers." I don't talk about it much on this blog, and promise to keep it that way. If I ever write anything on Facebook it is never about politics. I don't get too worked up about much, I can see both sides, and, usually they are valid positions. OK, maybe I get worked up about concealed weapons, but otherwise I'm cool.

My adopted cause is anti-bullying. I hate bullies. I 'd wear a wristband if I could find one. Evidently wristbands about tsunami's and favorite rock bands are popular, but not about bullying.

I ran across this short blog entry about a recent event that happened in Seattle. Dan Savage, a gay radio host, spoke at a high school for future journalists, and several walked out when the subject of bullying and Christian heartlessness came up.

Be warned the language is strong, and there are "f" bombs. So if it is not your cup of tea, turn back now.

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“Name the teenager who committed suicide because of a profound shame at being, deep down, a Christian.  Go ahead.”

Thers on the ginned up and completely manufactured right wing outrage over Dan Savage’s remarks to a group of high school journalist wannabees.

Remarks that caused the good Christian kids in the audience to walk out of Savage’s address and to claim that what he was saying made them feel “bullied” and “persecuted”.

These fucking people bully gay kids to death — they call it “witnessing” — and yet words directed at the hypocrisy of Christians who hide behind the bible so they can ruin the lives of others they consider bullying and persecution?

If, during the course of your “Christian witnessing” you tell a young impressionable kid that they’re going to burn in hell for eternity because they like to suck cock, and they then go off and kill themselves, then you’ve; A} got their blood on your hands for fucking ever and; B} will hopefully burn in hell yourself.

There is a reason that the people who oppose the anti-bullying legislation that has been proposed around the country in response to gay suicides are ALL . . . . EACH AND EVERY FUCKING ONE OF THEM . . .  a member of the so-called “Christian” right.

These people are not Christians — because Christ taught a gospel of love.  Nothing but love. Love all the time and “for the least of these”.

What these people are is evil, plain and simple, and I have nothing but contempt for every single one of them and refuse to consider them to be part of my church until such time as they repent of their sins, beg forgiveness of God and the people whom they’ve hurt, rend their garments and wear sack-cloth in public.

Then, and only then, will I be happy to welcome them into the fold.

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I never bullied in high school, in fact, went out of my way to be nice to a couple of those who were.  I guess my size helped and, of course, I didn't go out of my way to be different, which seems to target kids. In my work at the Mary I saw the "least of them" fairly often and worked hard to show my empathy.  I'm not sure there are any studies relating being bullied and crime but I saw a lot of different kids who were likely targets. There was a counseling "ism" born out of Reality Therapy that went something like "Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the Comfortable."  

There are all kinds of bullies, of course.  Subtle, un-subtle, through actions, or words.  There is political bullying, religious bullying, sexual orientation bullying, cultural bullying, intellectual bullying, cyber-bullying, physical bullying, ageism, you name it.  But today, kids-on-kids, may be the most unkind.  Because the young can't see farther down life's path beyond next weekend, many feel a despair and loneliness that permeates everything.  They feel isolated, ashamed, and hopeless.  They then take their lives to stop the pain.  We are losing too many young people to the senseless crime of bullying.

I'm not telling any of you anything you don't already know, but if you encounter the "least of these" be nice,  and rail against the bastard bullies who through their actions drive many of our youth to misery and suicide.  If you see it, stop it.  If you hear it, stop it.  If you suspect it, stop it.  No more innocent lives.  No more pain.  No more hurt.