There Is Too Much Pain and Suffering

I can hardly see my computer screen for the tears.  Suffering seems rampant; needless suffering caused by inexcusable actions by an increasing number of people. 

I have just finished reading the entire 12-page letter written by the victim of the outrageous rape committed by Brock Turner, the Stanford University student, who felt privilege entitled him to brutalize a woman without penalty.  In my opinion, every male student entering any college should be required to read this letter and be tested on its contents.  Perhaps female students would be well served to do the same.  No, it will not stop the abuses, but it may bring a greater degree of sensitivity to what happens when alcohol enters the equation.  And, no, every rape is not the result of alcohol abuse.

For me, the anger I feel about the context of privilege versus victim makes me want to scream along with the victim of Brock Turner.  (Every time I type his name it seems an extra letter accidentally gets appropriately added:  Brock Turdner.)

To the pain and suffering all have experienced in this ordeal, we then add the ridiculous six-month sentence handed down by Judge Aaron Persky!  Certainly, one must not cause permanent damage to a star swimming athlete’s future.  After all, as Brock’s father so succinctly noted:  “That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.”

Even one of the juror’s, a person who recently became a US citizen after living in this country for 30 years, wrote the judge regarding the relative light sentence compared to the severity of the crime.

There is too much pain and suffering.

And this is but one of the terrible events we are facing in what seems like a daily assault on our senses.  I do not need to list them here.  We all know what they are.  When are we going to “re-civilize” our society?  It is not enough for outrage to last a day or two.  We must return to teaching responsibility and being responsible.  The personification of “privilege” as a right will never be right.  We must respect and honor the dignity of EVERY PERSON.  Women are not sex objects to be fondled and raped because a male feels privileged to do so.  Minorities, of all types, are human beings to be respected for their beliefs and cultural practices.  I could go on and on with what we all know are the attitudes that we must recover and express if we are to remain human.

There is too much pain and suffering!

Please!  Please help to heal our hearts, minds and souls.

Social(ly Responsible) Networks

Several years ago I wrote an article expressing my feelings about social networks, specifically in response to a MySpace posting. It was my first look into MySpace and I had just stumbled upon a particularly hurtful entry that the writer did not know how to make private so it was on the network for all to see. It was a personal family matter, yet here it was for anyone to see, even the people it was about, but whom the writer had not intended them to see.

Time heals all wounds we are told and time allowed this event to fade and for hurts to be forgotten, at least for the time being. Since that first adventure I have cared little to explore the various social networks. Like most everyone with a computer, I am registered on several, but I am dismayed by the continuing tragedies hidden among the contributors, the deeply hurt young people and others unable to cope with the insults, humiliation and hateful intent. Lives are literally lost as a result.

I understand that there is also much positive content that truly provides support, fun, knowledge and many other useful forms of connection. It is, by far, the predominant content. I simply would hope that we could show some level of respect for one another and ownership of our contribution in all mediums of relationship. Personal insult and accusations may best be resolved face to face rather than in the anonymity of the dark spaces of the Internet. If one cannot deal with that, maybe it is best to forget it altogether!

After posting the article written earlier, I decided to withdraw it because it really was a personal experience. The fact that it recently came up for me did not make it necessary to share the details again.