Bulliers gonna bully...

Now, I am not trying to downplay tragedy, but why are there suddenly so many suicides from bullying? When I was younger, let's be honest: I was an overweight, socially awkward bookworm with bad hygiene. And I was bullied. Often. Lots of people I know were bullied. And yet, when I was a kid I never heard of anyone committing suicide because of bullying. Hell, it was even a part of who knows how many older movies and TV shows. People knew about it, they experienced it, they got over it, life went on. I mean, what happened here?

And personally, I think that the extreme measures being enacted now to try to stop bullying are likely to do as much harm as good. I was always taught that when it happens, either ignore them or stand up to them. Kick 'em in the nuts if you have to. It's what I always planned to teach any kids I had, the ability and willingness to defend themselves, along with the restraint to not injure. We were taught it was character-building. Personally, I think it strengthened us, prepared us for hardships later in life. Instead, now, the kids are coddled at best. Quite frankly, I don't think bullying will be stamped out entirely any more than I think war will. Some things are just part of some people's natures, and some people are just shits.

I support movements like the “It Gets Better Project”, etc. Things that help teach kids that these people won't always be around, and that there is a future. But let's be honest, bullying still exists when you hit adulthood. Employers will sometimes bully employees, threatening jobs. Sports fans bully rivals. Neighbors can bully neighbors. I was taught to stand up to them, stand up for myself and what I want. A more beneficial move might be to take the bullying victims and try to teach them martial arts or something of that nature. Most of these new policies and rules, though, seem like they're more likely to convince the kids that nothing like this will ever occur elsewhere, and even if it does, well...there's no need to be able to stand on your own and protect yourself, because someone else will do it for you.

Choice...

So, you hear a lot of the fundamentalists say that homosexuality is a choice. It has to be a choice, it can't just be the way some people are wired, and they can change their minds at any time. Next time you hear someone say that, I say you offer them this challenge:

Tell them to prove it. If it's a choice to be gay, to be turned on sexually by another man (or woman, but I usually hear this shit from men more often than women), then they can easily prove. Have them choose to watch gay porn, or another man masturbate. If they can choose to get aroused, get an erection...then yes, it must be a choice. If they can't bring themselves to get aroused by it, then obviously it's not a choice, it's just the way some people are.

Marriage

So, I couldn't help but hear some Waffle House customers talking the other night about how they basically couldn't believe gays were actually fighting for and wanting the right to marry. Because of something in the Bible, I don't know exactly where the conversation went after that, I did my best to tune out the morons.

First off, while I generally disagree with marriage for myself, I think anyone of legal age who wants to get married should be able to. And frankly, the law should stay out of it, because as far as legal marriage goes, it is simply a financial contract.

As for any argument that gay marriage is opposed in the Bible, let me state this quite clear: Marriage was not invented by the Bible, or by Christianity. Pretty much every culture on Earth has had something approximating it, where two people vow not to have sex with anyone outside of their arrangement and to share financial gains and hardships. When explorers set out from Europe and found various new cultures, these cultures already had something similar to marriage, and had never heard of Christianity or the Bible. Bible opposes gay marriage? Fine. Don't get married in that church. But that should have no bearing on whether the legal arrangement and contract should be able to be entered into under the law. Separation of church and state. I almost find it hard to believe that this is an issue at all. And then I remember: people are stupid. ;P