A quick lesson in bigotry and tolerance

[x_maker]

While not every adult using this journal system is part of the educational staff, I felt a few recent comments deserved looking over.

First, assume you came across a message with this basic content:

Mutants are scum. Every one of them. We don't need them, and the moment one steps out of line we have every right to visit physical violence and assault on them, and be applauded for it. After all, just because a few are bad, that's obviously reflective of the whole.

Most of you - being reasonably rational and intelligent people - would dismiss this as a raving lunatic racist, akin to your average Friends of Humanity protestor or internet troll.

But replace the term "Mutants" with "Humans". Imagine someone - let's say someone on this journal system - was espousing hatred and violence towards humans. After all, there's a lot of them out there who hate us, right? And they discriminate against us in ways both obvious and subtle. So that must mean it's okay to hate all of them, right?

Wrong.

It's wrong, and every single one of us with a functioning brain stem knows it.

Further distillation: replace the subject with, say, "Men".

Oh, then it becomes a valid complaint? Something to be ignored or waved off? No. It's bigotry and hatred all the same. There's a line between valid emotional venting and outright hate speech, and lately it's not only been crossed, but crossed in a manner akin to the Germany/Belgium border in 1914.

To the students: A lot of you have had direct interaction with jerks, and discrimination, and abuse, and hatred. But you haven't turned around and become that kind of hate-fueled monster yourself. That kind of self-control and enlightenment is to be commended. For whatever stumbling blocks you all might encounter as individuals, none of you have become the kind of reactive bigots that give humanity a reason to hate and fear mutants.

To Jennie: You, however, have achieved EPIC FAIL at common decency and rational thought. Maybe the common denominator in all your failed relationships is you.

Comments

[x-scorpion.livejournal.com]

Well, you do have to realize most women are incurably insane.

[x-cypher.livejournal.com]

In the case of my girlfriend, actually sort of accurate. ;-)

[x-scorpion.livejournal.com]

Ha. Well, at least you know ahead of time. Smart boy. ;)

[x-roulette.livejournal.com]

Aw, did widdle boo-boo's feewings get hurt by mean nasty Jennie? Poor baby.

[x-scorpion.livejournal.com]

Well, you were pretty harsh. You did demonstrate though why I personally will never date women.

[x-roulette.livejournal.com]

I was hurt and pissed off, sweetie. I have these things, called emotions that Forge doesn't quite understand. It doesn't mean I'm going to run around with a carving knife and cut off every one that I see.

[x-scorpion.livejournal.com]

What if we gave you that carving knife yesterday? Like say, right after you found out?

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

Not at all, given that I'm an awesome boyfriend who treats his girlfriend with decency and respect. So obviously your little screed wouldn't include me.

What bothers me is that someone who used to at least be within some very liberal stretching of the definition of intelligent and coherent being reduced to a gibbering lunatic that makes Nimrod look reasonable in comparison.

[x-roulette.livejournal.com]

Awwww. Go get yourself a cookie and pat yourself on the head, it'll be all right. It's clear you just don't understand complex things such as interpersonal human relationships. Don't strain yourself.

[x-nothungry.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. I don't really belong in this conversation, and I know I'm probably the last person Mr. Forge wants on his side during this argument, but here goes:

Ms. Stavros, I don't know you. I'm new here, and reaching out isn't my best forte, but if Mr. Forge came on here and vented about how a girl he liked was with another guy behind his back and he booted her between the legs, I think your reaction would be fairly similar to his is angeredness (just from what I've read here and on other posts, mind you) and dismissing what he's said with, uh, flippancy? Is that a word? Well, that thing. It just goes to prove his point.

"When children have their feelings hurt, they break their own toys. Adults move past it." I think Mr. McCoy said that once. Anyways, Just my two cents.

[x-dominion.livejournal.com]

Hello children.

Just a friendly reminder. Attacking anyone, no matter how much you feel you've been provoked, is a one way ticket to an assault charge that you will be convicted of. Please bear this in mind and exercise the self-control that the school does its best to try and instill in all of us. Remember, revenge might be sweet, but a criminal record is forever.

This concludes my mandatory police outreach to the community. If you have any questions about exciting careers in law enforcement, you can find me at Harry's yelling at the baseball on television.

-- Inspector G. Kane

[x-scorpion.livejournal.com]

Aww, I suppose that puts a damper in my punching plans, doesn't it?

And here I thought diamonds were forever.

[x-dominion.livejournal.com]

Pretty much, yeah, unless you like the idea of our local mutantphobic police force getting the chance to toss you in the lock up.

Diamonds can be pawned, records... not so much.

In celebration of your mature realisation, I'm happy to offer to buy you wings in response.

[x-scorpion.livejournal.com]

I'd say they'd have to catch me first, but then I'd be in deep shit if they actually managed it. How dare all my action movies be wrong about criminal records and police competence!

Oooo, wings. They'd better be the spiciest wings in the world. I would like to taste these "wings" of "spice."

[x-roulette.livejournal.com]

Yeah yeah yeah. Jennie's a bad person. In other completely shocking news, the earth is round, water is wet and the sky is blue.

[x-nothungry.livejournal.com]

Honestly, Ms. Stavros, I get it. There are a few people who have done things that made me, well, they won't forget how I felt about it. Doesn't make you a bad person. All I was saying was that don't paint all men with the same brush, even in anger. It's a fast track to a sad and alone place.

I know this: I'm from Texas. Sad and Alone are, uh, kinda of our chief exports.

[x-roulette.livejournal.com]

Your name's Fred, right?

Don't mind me, Fred. It's a well-accepted fact that I am a bitch. These past couple months I thought that I could have something nice. But people like me don't get to have nice things. People around here like to remind me of that from time to time.

[x-dominion.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, it's not about you. Advocating people attack other people because they're angry and trying to defend that is generally not an acceptable form of conflict resolution, no matter what some quack told you.

You can either deal with it, or duck it in favour of your own personal martyrdom.

[x-roulette.livejournal.com]

and reading comprehension fail for the Mountie. Check out where I clarified that my therapist told me there were healthier ways of dealing with anger.

[x-cypher.livejournal.com]

Well, a criminal record is forever, unless you do a crapton of favors for a Russian spy who keeps holding it over your head, and then eventually he wipes the slate clean.

...maybe that's just Yana.

[xp_daytripper]

You forget what we had to do on that last job to get that slate wiped clean. Including 'Yana.

[x-foliate.livejournal.com]

Oh, chickpea.

Want to make ice cream with liquid nitrogen?

[x-forge.livejournal.com]

am at finenneninginginagains w/ angie and doug and manda and jubilee and a drink with umbrellas. angie stole phone but hahaha i stole back.

[x-foliate.livejournal.com]

Ah, alright. Have fun.

[x-blink.livejournal.com]

When did you have a full frontal lobotomy?