Warning: This is going to be kind of a personal vent session. I am having trouble understanding why we teach classes to women on “How to Avoid Being Raped,” instead of teaching classes like “Don’t Be a Raping A-Hole.” We teach classes to our children on how to avoid bullying, how to handle bullying, without teaching classes on “You Cannot Treat People Like That!” We are still, in effect, placing the blame on the victims, instead of the perpetrators of the crime.
This makes no sense to me, at all. We have to punish people who hurt other people, until enough people are taught to love themselves and each other, these problems will continue. People who bully another person until that person kills themselves to get away from it should be charged with murder. People who are bullied should not have to switch schools, the people who perform the bullying should be kicked out of that school. That is justice.
Don’t even get me started on spousal or child abuse, I lived through it once, as did my children, never going back. Why else would someone as amazing as me still be single after 10 years? Fear. Fear of being hurt again. It is no one’s job, or business, to hurt me. If I want to hurt myself I will buy a box of cookies or a pint of ice cream. You cannot hurt other people and get away with it. Do not let the laxity of current laws lull you, they will change, and I hope they can be retroactive when they do.
I think anyone who truly loves themselves would not be able to harm another person like this. That is not how it works. So self-love, I think, is a good place to start. When I was in high school psychology my teacher, Mr. Delzer, (he is an awesome man, and astounding teacher!) told us that our rights end where our neighbor’s nose begins, that has always stuck with me. Why is that so hard? If your way of life is hurting someone else YOU are the one that needs to change, I don’t mean if someone wants you to stop being gay, because that is your nose and your business, I mean if you are a bullying and/or raping monster criminal.
We have so many young people in today’s culture that think that gang rape, date rape, and bullying someone literally to death is okay, because that is what we want to do. Wrong! How did we raise such horrible people? If you are hurting someone’s feelings that is, at least, a moral crime. If you are hurting someone else’s body it is definitely a crime. It’s not cute, it’s not funny, it is an A-Hole thing to do.
When we start treating our criminals like criminals, things will begin to change. When we teach children to truly love themselves and their fellow creatures, things will change. People who have love do not act like that, it is totally out of character. Love, peace, and hugs…
