Oh, joy.

[x_maker]

So I get a number of scholarship packages in the mail today. Hey, if anyone thought of applying for the "Hope For The Future" scholarship sponsored by the DuBerry Educational Fund, don't. Here's what came in the mail with the scholarship application.

Comments

[x-sanfuaiyaa.livejournal.com]

Actually, if the kid on the left were Japanese and not Chinese, I'd swear that he looks like this little prick who's the son of a family friend. His father is a mutant, and I believe he is too.

[x-polarisstar.livejournal.com]

Oh good God.

Makes you want to write back and say "Yeah, what's your point?"

[x-roulette.livejournal.com]

I just threw up in my mouth a little

[x-foliate.livejournal.com]

Well, now I've gone and shattered my teeth...

[x-wildchild.livejournal.com]

Christ on a fucking cracker. THIS SHIT is why my parents still send me questions about plastic surgery on my ears.

Fuck that noise. Fuck it in it's small minded EAR.

[x-crowdofone.livejournal.com]

Kinda clever propaganda job, though--subliminally you're cued to think one out of every four kids could be a mutant, and hell, even in Salem Center, counting us, I'd call that way high. But if you didn't know that, it'd be easy to start looking at any group of four kids and wondering.

I mean, sure, it's blatant manipulative fearmongery, but I thought that was a pretty smart touch by somebody. Always good to remember they aren't all dumbasses.

[x-blink.livejournal.com]

gimme the paperwork and I'll apply.

show them some hope for the future.

[x-cypher.livejournal.com]

That's it.

Who here's seen Sneakers?

[x-blink.livejournal.com]

oooh, we back in action?

[x-cypher.livejournal.com]

What, when were we out of business?

[x-blink.livejournal.com]

just 'cause we're in business doesn't mean we always have action.

I wanna make these fuckers HURT.

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

For exercising their right to free press?

I'm not going to advocate violence or crime just because of a bunch of bigots and their narrow-minded worldview.

You want to make them hurt - for what? For publishing a pamphlet? For holding a different opinion? Sure, it's the wrong one, but violence isn't going to be how we change their opinions.

Trust me, when you sit through a few speeches of "make them see the error of their ways through force" from the Master of Magnetism himself (although really, I think only Toad calls him that, it's not like you can put that on a business card) - you start finding flaws in the argument.

[x-blink.livejournal.com]

why do you instantly assume physical pain is the only kind of pain?

you can't argue with these people and I'm not going to waste the energy to try. and you can't hurt them with force because then you only fuel their arguement more and then make martyr's which is stupid and works against you.

and I'm not stupid.

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

No, what I'm saying is that you don't have the right to hurt them. At all. In any way. Not through smear tactics, not through vandalism, not through fear or anger or any way of returning their bigotry and hatred.

The only thing you we can do is prove them wrong. Yeah, there are a lot of people out there who are afraid of us. Fear is always born out of ignorance, so we go to the source. Remove that ignorance. Show them who and what we are, cure that ignorance and thus cure the fear. Or at least make some headway.

[x-blink.livejournal.com]

so wait...free speech only applies to other people? is that it? they can say whatever they want, no matter how much it hurts others, to further their propaganda and they're protected by the first ammendment, but I can't? fuck you too then.

I damn well have the RIGHT to say whatever I god damned well please about them. and words do hurt.

the other difference is that they are sending national mailers out to high school kids and I'm talking on a private school messageboard. slightly different scale.

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

Frankly - you have the right to say what you want. Here, it doesn't matter. I'm not saying you shouldn't vent. This pisses me off, too, that people actually think like this.

But if you're talking about "make them hurt" - that goes beyond free speech, into intent-to-harm. And no, I won't let you do that.

[x-blink.livejournal.com]

I live every day with the knowledge that what I do, what I say, what I wear, what I EAT in public can help or hurt mutant-human relations. sometimes, it's too much and I say screw it and wear what I want and do what I want and I wonder if I set mutant-humans relations back because of it. you can pass. you can put on jeans and a long sleeve shirt and no one would notice that you're missing an arm or a leg, they wouldn't know you're a mutant regardless.

WANTING to make someone hurt and actually going out and doing it are two different things. I want to do a hell of a lot of things that I will probably never do.

and you know what? sometimes, wanting isn't so bad. it's when it goes beyond venting and becomes an obsession. that's when it's a problem.

and just for my curiosity - how would you stop me?

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

You're right, you're a lot more visible than most of us are. And that puts a lot more responsibility on you, because people are going to associate the things you do with all of us. Is it fair? No, but that's the way it is.

And as for stopping you - you know, I guess I couldn't. I don't really think anyone could. Ability like yours, you could get away with darn near anything. Best I can do is try and convince you not to.

[x-blink.livejournal.com]

I didn't ask for this! none of us do, I think, but if someone had said to me "you're a mutant, choose your powers!" I certainly would never have said "oh, please make me purple! please!"

and that is what separates me from them. I know I can hurt them and get away with it and never get caught. I also know it's wrong and am too proud to sink down to their level. I have self respect.

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

I remember the plot of the movie vaguely.

I also think that you had perhaps better think very carefully about reenacting anything from that movie. You are not Robin Hood.

[x-cypher.livejournal.com]

Of course I'm not Robin Hood. I'd look silly in tights!