Gay-Straight Alliances at Military Academies

I originally wrote my blog about the Ohio State game today, but I kept thinking that I should address an article that I read this morning. I love Ohio State and all, but I think gay pride groups at military academies are a bit more important.


I never liked the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. I always felt like it should have been a “deal with it or leave the military” type of policy in which the people who couldn’t handle working beside a gay person were free to petition to leave. Some people argue that military members would have left in droves. I highly doubt that, but if it did happen, the military would have quickly created some easy “out” policy where people could be transferred to other units. It was wrong to make people hide who they were and I think it was a bit insulting to the military. The policy pretty much said, “hey, most of the people in our ranks are scared of gay people so we’re not going to force them to work with gay people and be uncomfortable.” If I was president, I would have said, “you are all soldiers, so man up and focus on defending our country.” Our military fights for our country and everyone in it; an unwillingness to fight beside someone because of their sexual orientation reveals an undesirable trait in a soldier. A good soldier should be able to put aside his personal biases and fight next to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, skin color, economic status or religion. All that should matter on the battlefield is that the person next to you has your back.

The “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” was silly. It allowed gays to serve in the military, but the moment they told someone, they could be dismissed from the military. I understand that there might have been morale issues, but ultimately, pressure should have been put on the units to find a way to figure things out. The repeal of the policy finally acknowledged that our military members are capable of sorting out their differences. You don’t have to love gay people in order to fight beside them. Hell, you don’t even have to support gay rights in America. All you have to do is do your job.

I read an article on variations of gay-straight alliances geared towards young cadets at military academies. One of the groups mentioned was the Spectrum Diversity Council, another group had a more direct name: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies Club. Whatever the name of the groups, I applaud each group and their members because having an open dialogue is one of the major components for creating brotherhoods.

Click here to read “Gay Pride Groups Appear at U.S. Military Academies.”

Where has my Law and Order SVU gone?

Look here NBC, I don’t appreciate this hiatus for Law and Order SVU. I miss my show so much that today I did the unthinkable: I went to the official Law and Order SVU website to look for information. I see that my show will be returning on April 11th. Let’s not do this again NBC. I was traumatized enough when the show was moved from Tuesdays at 10 to Wednesdays at 9 then Wednesdays at 10 then Wednesdays at 9 (for a few nights) now back to Wednesdays at 10. I’m not good with those type of changes. This season was already traumatic enough with the loss of Stabler, but I know that he’s gone and I’ve made my peace with that. Taking away new episodes of my show for over a month, without warning, seems like a cruel gesture. Why not just rip the bandage off of my Stabler wound? This hiatus has put me in to severe withdrawal. In the future, please announce long breaks in a format that I will see. I don’t watch many NBC shows, so my recommendation is to put it where the previews should be and say that the show will be back on April 11th. You may have done that recently, but I don’t watch the repeats so I missed it. I guess that’s all for now.


Status: Wondering why there seems to be very few shows worth watching this season.

Twin Transsexuals

Transsexuals have always intrigued me. While other people poke fun at transsexuals and make ignorant comments, I find myself wondering how it must feel to be trapped in the wrong body. I’m reminded of my gender studies class from college, in which I learned that gender is a social construct. I read a Yahoo article on two female twins in China who are living as males and preparing to have gender reassignment surgery. I read a few of the comments and wasn’t surprised to find ignorant comments referring to gender reassignment surgery as mutilation and denouncing the right of the twins to identify themselves as males. When I think mutilation, I think disfigurement. I don’t think surgical procedure. People have gender reassignment surgery so that their outside can reflect their inside.


It is so arrogant of people to presume that everyone either is like them or should be like them. If everyone was meant to be the same then we would be, but we aren’t. So many people have plastic surgery to fix their perceived “flaws” so maybe I should phrase it that way for ignorant people. Plastic surgery helps people feel better about themselves; gender reassignment surgery helps people be themselves.

Click here to read the Yahoo! Article.

Why is There a Race Controversy over the Hunger Games?

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have not, nor do I plan to, read the Hunger Games. It might be a great book, but the concept doesn’t interest me. I will eventually see the movie because I want to see what all the hoopla is about, but I’m not in a rush so I may not see it until it comes to my local Red Box.


Yesterday, I saw several Twitter comments about racist reactions to Cinna, Thresh and Rue in the Hunger Games movie. Some people were genuinely outraged because of the actors who played the parts. Lenny Kravitz played Cinna. I don’t know how anyone could object to seeing him on screen, but whatever. I want to focus on the youngest person targeted by online ignorance. Rue was played by a black actress. I did a little research and found that the book describes Rue as having dark brown skin. I hate to burst people’s bubbles, but a black actress would definitely qualify as “dark brown.” I’m sorry that Rue wasn’t portrayed by a white actress. I guess we should say shame on the director and the casting agent for actually selecting someone who was dark brown. Why couldn’t they pick someone who was beige or tan? Well for starters, the character was described as dark brown and um, beige and tan are not dark brown. Of course there are other minority groups that contain members who could fill the shoes of a “dark brown” character, but they picked a black actress. Get over it!

It infuriates me that people are so ignorant. It’s bad enough that people were disgusted by the fact that Rue was black, but it became worse when racial epithets were used. I wish people would wake up and accept the fact that we are living in a multicultural society. We have to find a way to respect each other. Judgment of a movie shouldn’t be based on the race of a character. Movies should be evaluated based on the acting, the plot, the filming, etc. Brandy and Whitney Houston’s version of Cinderella might not have had the best acting or the best story, but I loved the movie because of the message that it sent. The movie had a hodgepodge of different races playing family members and Brandy played Cinderella, which was a far cry from the blonde hair blue eyed Cinderella of the past. It was a movie that said: it doesn’t matter how you look because we are all people. The racist tweets about the Hunger Games definitely point to a few people who missed the memo.

Unmarried Straight Couples are the Same as Married Straight Couples? Really?

Some stories make me shake my head. A gay couple with a daughter can’t get a family discount to a local pool and sports club, but “a heterosexual couple, regardless of whether they’re married” could get the family discount. Wait. Come again. I read it a second time just to be sure that I had read it correctly. If Russ Jacobs (the guy over the pool) had said that the gay couple couldn’t get the family discount to because they weren’t a heterosexual married couple, I would have disagreed with him, but I would have been able to dismiss it as our different beliefs. Jacobs went on to say that the decision was based on economics and that if he extended the family discount to the gay couple then he would have to extend the discount to grandparents, cousins, etc. To that I say: He can’t be serious! If it was about economics, then he would limit the family discount to married heterosexual couples because opening the discount to unmarried heterosexual couples cuts in to his profit. The general message that he is sending is: If you’re straight, you get a discount. If you’re gay, you have to pay more. I propose that Jacobs stop giving the discount to unmarried couples. I’d still say he was wrong to exclude gay couples but at least then I could follow his logic.


Click here to read the article.

Maybe He Isn’t Racist

I didn’t think I would ever do this, but I feel compelled to say something on George Zimmerman’s behalf. His actions do not make him a racist. Make no mistakes, I think Zimmerman was wrong to get out of his car and confront Trayvon. I don’t care if Zimmerman attacked Trayvon or if Trayvon attacked Zimmerman, for me, the case revolves around Zimmerman leaving the safety of his car in order to confront Trayvon. Zimmerman was wrong. Point blank. Period. But that doesn’t mean that Zimmerman was or is a racist.


Did Zimmerman take one look at Trayvon and judge him? Of course he did. Zimmerman judged him according to the stereotype of what a criminal looks like because we all know that in America, only minorities commit crimes. Yes, I’m being facetious, but the news, most newspapers, and the prison rate would make anyone think that minorities are the biggest criminals in America. If we’re being honest with ourselves then we know that minorities are the most watched and hardest punished in terms of the criminal justice system.

What are your true feelings? I took a racial bias test when I was in college. It was an Implicit Association Test, I thought that I wasn’t biased and the results reflected that I wasn’t, but I doubt if the results would be the same today.

Click here to take the test for yourself.

Dear Geraldo: Hoodies Have Gone the Way of Sagging

Hi Geraldo,

I know you’ll probably never read this, but I wanted to write you a letter about your comment regarding the influence of Trayvon’s hoodie. You’re right and wrong at the same time. You’re right, that our society is overly fearful of black men in hoodies, but you’re wrong about the “gangsta” part. I am a teacher. Even though hoodies are technically banned at my school except for special days, there is still a constant battle with the students; male, female, black, white and other. Hoodies are as much a part of their wardrobe as pants. I can’t speak for young people, but I would wager to bet that most young people don’t look twice at a person in a hoodie. It’s normal. I, however, was raised during the era of hoodies being associated with criminals and so it took me a while before I would even wear a hoodie in public. I was paranoid the first few times because I thought people would look at me and see a black person in a hoodie and instantly be afraid. I was surprised when I noticed little change in the behaviors of people around me. I also follow certain hoodie rules of etiquette. If I am wearing a hoodie in public, I immediately take off the hood when I enter any building. I don’t want people to see me and assume that I am up to no good but that is my personal bias from years of seeing news stories about hoodies associated with illegal activity. Trayvon, however, was not inside. Trayvon was walking outside, therefore wearing a hoodie shouldn’t have been suspicious and it was raining so having his hood up should have been expected.

I have students in my school building who try to walk around with their hoods up. I think hoods are for outside use, not inside use, but my students seem to think that hoods are appropriate whenever. Thus leading me to the point of this letter: hoodies have gone the way of sagging. I am not a fan of sagging. I think pants should be pulled up and fit properly. Like hoodies, sagging used to be associated with criminals, but now, sagging has become a part of the culture. It irritates me when I see a young person with their pants dropping off their butt. If I’m at work, I tell the student to pull their pants up, but if I’m in public, I keep my mouth shut. My point is that older generations and some members of my generation have preconceived notions about hoodies and sagging pants, but our notions do not apply to this new generation. Hoodies and sagging pants are the norm. There is nothing stylistically “gangsta” about a teen wearing a hoodie, because unfortunately, hoodies have followed behind sagging pants and crossed over in to the mainstream.

Etch A Sketch Madness

I remember the Etch-a-Sketch. I never drew anything amazing and I did get frustrated on more than one occasion, but I still had fun with the Etch-a-Sketch. I was never that good with the Etch-a-Sketch. I tried, but I had and still have the artistic ability of a rat.

In other news: high school students are reading books that are written at the fifth grade level. I would be outraged if that wasn’t the norm. Most newspaper articles are written at the sixth grade level. Some articles are below the sixth grade level, some are above. Whatever the case, newspapers aren’t written at a challenging level. The article claimed that students weren’t being adequately prepared for college level reading. This isn’t something new. A lot of students aren’t adequately prepared for college.

Status: Ready to enjoy my Friday.

She Walked off a Pier While Texting

I know it’s wrong to laugh at other people, but sometimes I can’t help it. A lady walked off a pier while texting. That’s funny. I laughed harder when I heard that she was with her husband and her son. If she was going to be irresponsible and text while walking on a pier that didn’t have railing then her husband should have been looking out for her. Why didn’t he notice that she was getting awfully close to the edge? I can’t blame him for the incident, because it was clearly her fault, but sometimes you have to look out for the stupid people around you. I’m glad that she wasn’t hurt.

Wrong is wrong and Right is right

I can’t believe all of the ignorant comments that I have read about the Trayvon Martin shooting. If you want to know why people are outraged then read the facts of the case. People on both sides are trying to fan the flames by focusing on other things such as what Zimmerman might have said. I say, we don’t even need to go there. Zimmerman followed Trayvon after a dispatcher told him that he didn’t need to do that. Instead of waiting for the police, he got out of his car and confronted Trayvon. There goes self-defense and any illusion of invoking the “stand your ground” law. Zimmerman was the aggressor. That’s it. Argument over. We can debate Zimmerman’s intentions all night, but I don’t care about his intentions. I’ll give him the benefit and say maybe it was an accident, but being an accident does not preclude the option of a legal consequence. People go to jail for accidents all the time. Zimmerman’s actions directly resulted in Trayvon’s death. The public shouldn’t have to beg the local police department to do their job and enforce the law. Accident or not, an innocent boy is dead because Zimmerman failed to act responsibly. There is more than enough evidence to charge Zimmerman with something, so charge him and let him take a plea deal or take it to court.



I wrote a poem about race:


Simply American

Let’s forget for a second that you and I have different complexions
Let’s pretend like we don’t see color or pick up subtle inflections
I will call you my brother because we are a part of the human race
And you will look me in my eyes when you look at my face
You will respect my right to live in a land my ancestors helped build
And you won’t question why I’m in the house instead of the field
We will fight and argue like all families do
But when push comes to shove, I will be right beside you
And one day we will see with our own eyes
That I am an American, no hyphen, no other A to capitalize.

Trayvon Martin: Son, Brother, Friend...Victim

Most people have at least heard the basics of the Trayvon Martin story. I want to present the story from a different perspective. Let’s take race out of the equation for a moment. Let’s say this was an incident between Joe Blow and John Doe.


Joe Blow is a grown man and John Doe is a 17 year-old kid. Joe has decided to protect his community by being a neighborhood watchman. He has a deep commitment to his role in the local community and he takes his job so seriously that some people call him overzealous. He has made it his mission that nothing happens under his watch. One night, Joe Blow and John Doe cross paths. Joe spots John walking in the dark. Joe thinks John looks suspicious so Joe follows John. Joe calls the police to inform them of the suspicious person. The dispatcher tells Joe to stop following John, but Joe ignores the warnings. John begins running, either because he wants to get out of the light rain or because he has realized that someone is following him. Whatever the case, Joe leaves the safety of his vehicle and goes to confront John. Joe isn’t afraid because he knows that he is armed. John is afraid because he doesn’t know why the person who was following him is suddenly trying to stop him and ask him questions. Somehow a fight starts, maybe Joe starts it with his aggressive behavior or maybe John starts it because he thinks his life is in danger. Either way, the end result is the same. Joe shoots 17 year-old John and John dies.

Fact: John would have made it home alive if Joe did not get out of his car.


In an alternate universe:


Let’s say Joe didn’t kill John. Let’s say instead, Joe hit John and fractured his jaw. Joe claims self defense and no charges are filed. John’s family decides to take their case to small claims court and at least make Joe pay John’s medical bills. Here is how the court room drama would unfold.


John would tell his side of the story and the judge would turn to Joe and ask Joe what happened. Joe would lead by saying that he acted in self defense. The judge would then ask a few key questions.


Judge: Was John running towards your car?
Joe: No.
Judge: What direction was he running in?
Joe: Um.
Judge: Was he running away from your car?
Joe: It appeared that he was trying to make a getaway.
Judge: I didn’t ask if he was trying to make a getaway. I asked if he was running away from your car. If he was running away from you then why did you get out of your car?
Joe: He was getting away.
Judge: He was getting away with what? Walking down the street? You didn’t know this kid. You didn’t see where he was coming from. You followed him and you got of your vehicle and confronted him. How do you expect me to call that self-defense when you were clearly the aggressor?
Joe: I felt threatened.
Judge: So threatened that you decided to get out of your car and confront this young man even after the dispatcher told you that you didn’t need to follow him? Sir your actions were not self-defense. I’m ruling that you pay this young man’s medical bills and you’re fortunate that this situation didn’t turn out worse because this could have been a tragedy. You could have killed him or he could have killed you.


I’m not saying throw the book at George Zimmerman. As many people have stated, we still don’t know the facts of the case and unfortunately, Trayvon will never be able to tell his side of the story. I don’t know what Zimmerman’s intentions were that night, but I do know that he behaved recklessly and an innocent young boy is dead because of Zimmerman’s actions. There has to be a consequence.

An article about the case: Outrage Builds Over Trayvon Martin Shooting After Release of Police Tapes.

Status: Wondering what things I could get away with, but too afraid to test the boundaries.

If Santorum was Vegan...

I’m all for respecting other people’s beliefs, but I draw the line at people like Santorum. Santorum is the type of person who believes in shoving his beliefs down your throat and I’ve never been a fan of oral rape. He’s the type of person who doesn’t appreciate the fact that people are different and we’ll never all be on the same page.  I enjoy bacon and eggs, but I respect vegans. People should be free to eat what they want to eat. A vegan’s choice to avoid anything that comes from an animal is a personal choice. I would never try to slip something in to a vegan’s food. If they want meat then they will have to come to that decision on their own and reach for the meat or the glass of cow milk or the gluten based Teddy Grahams. I’m not going to sabotage them or compromise their beliefs. If I have a party and I know a vegan is attending, I’ll make sure I have a vegan option and if I go to their party, I won’t complain if they only have vegan food. At the same time, I couldn’t be good friends with a vegan who constantly talked down about people who ate animal products.

If Santorum was vegan, he’s the type of person who would try to use his power to force schools to switch to a vegan menu. He’d charge ridiculous fees on meat and any other product that came from animals. He’d do his best to make it as difficult as possible for non-vegans to have access to the foods that they love. Santorum wouldn’t respect the rights of taxpaying law abiding citizens. As some of my friends would say, “Do you and let me do me.” Unless I’m breaking the law, you need to step back and let me live my life. Telling me what I can eat, when I can eat it and how I should eat it is only going to make me a “yes man” and the world doesn’t need yes men, the world needs independent thinkers. Yes men say “sure, war sounds good” instead of “well, let’s make sure it’s the right decision.” Yes men say “sure I’ll kill those people” instead of “well, what did they do?”  Yes men don’t think for themselves and as Malcolm X said, “A man who stands for nothing, will fall for anything.” America is the country that it is because independent thinkers dared to push for progress. I fully support Santorum’s right to believe whatever he wants to believe, but I find it highly offensive and disrespectful that Santorum does not extend the same courtesy to me. America is supposed to be a place where people are free to express their different beliefs and everyone is entitled to life, liberty and the (legal) pursuit of happiness.  Someone really needs to send a memo to Santorum and his constituents because they seem to be under the impression that only one type of person is allowed in America. Unfortunately for them, my friends and I are here to stay, so we need to agree to disagree and leave it at that.

Status: Still in disbelief that so many people support Santorum.

Immortals Movie Review

I saw Immortals last night. I heard a lot of horrible things about Immortals, so I had prepared myself for the worst. I saw it and it wasn’t as insufferable as people said it would be. I’m not saying it was a great movie, but it definitely wasn’t awful. It was okay. Maybe my extremely low expectations for the movie made it impossible for the movie to be a letdown. In all fairness, my opinion was either going to stay the same or improve. The special effects were good. I wasn’t a fan of the lighting or the filming, but I understand the look they were going for so I’m trying not to judge. The movie had lots of well built men. I confess that I was distracted a few times. I can't give Immortals a thumb up because it wasn’t good, but I won’t give it a thump down because it wasn’t horrible so I’ll give Immortals a thumb to the side.

Can We Say Power Trip?

I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around the details of this Florida case. If the police tell you to stand down and you don’t, aren’t you at least guilty of something? Can’t we call it failure to comply? According to the unofficial versions of the story, the police told him to stop following the kid and stay in his car. After his conversation with the police, he continued to follow the kid and then he got out of his car and confronted the kid. I don’t understand how anyone can say that it was self-defense. This guy was clearly in the wrong. I watch enough Judge Mathis to know that.

Dear John Paul and Suitors: I Hate How Much I Love You

I once had an obsession with the character of John Paul from Hollyoaks. He has moved on, but it seems I still haven’t. Just one clip can get me hooked again. It’s pathetic really, but here I go again.

Some of the underlying themes are the same between the John Paul and Craig relationship and the John Paul and Kieron relationship. I tried not to watch a lot of the old clips, but, like Father Kieron, I wasn’t strong enough to resist temptation. It has been a long few hours. I refreshed my memory of why Niall was such a sexy screwed up psycho. I wonder what happened with him. I stopped watching after John Paul and Craig rode off in to the sunset. I hate to say it, but I think I love John Paul and Craig as much as I love John Paul and Kieron. Each relationship was special in its own way. I’m sharing two clips. The first is my absolute favorite Hollyoaks scene ever! It’s when Craig confessed his feelings for John Paul aka McDean Day. I always get emotional when I watch that scene. My goodness, those boys do know how to tug on my heart. Geez! I’m sure I’ve shared the clip before and I will undoubtedly share it again because it is simply that amazing. I’m also contrasting it with the John Paul and Kieron equivalent.


John Paul and Craig facing their feelings:

John Paul et Craig
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John Paul and Kieron facing their feelings:




Status: Swooning.

Million Dollar Bracket

The NCAA Tournament is about to begin. I always lose yet I keep picking teams. I have officially abandoned my dream of winning $1 million on Yahoo! I have decided to earn my million the old fashioned way: marry a rich man. I’m kidding. I plan on working hard and giving my blood, sweat and tears to my writing and my other ventures. I figure I’ll appreciate it more. Of course, that’s assuming I reach my goal.

Since I’m on the topic of basketball, I guess I’ll talk about my Cavs. My Cavs have been showing some backbone lately. I hope they keep it up. I want them to surprise everyone and get the 8^th spot in the playoffs. I know that’s a long shot, but it’s attainable if they believe in themselves and keep playing hard.

Status: In a basketball state of mind.

Lost Love

I randomly thought about Roman and Deniz today. I miss them. I don’t know why they had to kill off Roman’s character (besides the fact that Dennis was leaving the show). The actors who portrayed Roman and Deniz had great chemistry and they were so sweet and loving sometimes that it almost felt real. Of course I can say the same thing about Christian and Oliver, my other German obsession, but I’m focusing on Deniz and Roman right now. It broke my heart when they were apart, but I never doubted that they would find their way back to each other, because they had that epic soap opera love. I’m talking Reva and Josh from Guiding Light kind of love or Carly and Jack from As the World Turns. As dysfunctional as soap opera love can be, there’s something about having that one person who as Carly would say, “is your true north.” I thought the compass thing with Carly and Jack was corny, but I’ve seen it in a few different love stories now and I guess even I have softened to the symbolism of the compass. You’re never lost if you know what direction home is in. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be a straight path. There will definitely be unexpected curves and maybe a few surprise mountains but one day, you’ll climb a mountain and you’ll look down and see the one place you want to be.


I found this video on YouTube and I found it bittersweet, so I’m sharing it.

Status: Waiting for someone to give me a compass. Lol.

Today's Bullies

I’d like to take a moment and discuss bullying again. I’ve read several comments from people stating that they were bullied when they were younger and it really isn’t that big of a deal. I think people should speak for themselves. Some people can be bullied and emerge relatively unscathed where as others can be bullied and be scarred for the rest of their lives. People are different, because of that simple fact it is possible for people to react differently to the same stimuli. I’d also like to point out that the bullying experienced by my generation is nothing compared to the bullying of this generation. Sure some things haven’t changed, such as taunting people, physically harassing them and pretty much tormenting them when they were at school or on the school bus, but lots of other things have. Social media has given way to a whole new level of harassment. Not only can bullies beat you up, but they can now record it and share it with any and every one they want to share it with. They can document your harassment or humiliation and use it to torment you again and again. They can create fake Facebook pages that are dedicated to ripping you apart one comment at a time. They can hide their numbers and send vicious text messages to your phone. They can change their names and become your friend or your follower online, just to use that information against you. Not only does this current generation have too much time on its hands, but it has too much technology at its fingertips. In the old days, home was a safe place, but now, unless you’re going to stay away from the computer and your cell phone, bullying invades every part of your life, even your house. Anyone who says the bullying of today is the same as the bullying that occurred twenty years ago, is obviously not familiar with cyberbullying. The core actions of the bully are the same, and much of the physical abuse is the same, but now there is a pervasive and sometimes relentless barrage of mental abuse that is delivered by technology. Today’s bullies can only be compared to yesterday’s bullies if yesterday’s bullies were on steroids and were able to hide their identities at will.

Dear Pope: MYOB

I don’t understand why the Pope is coming out against the legalization of gay marriage in America. The Vatican must sense a shift on the horizon. People are beginning to realize that two legal adults should have the right to marry. I’ve seen comments from people quoting the Bible to support their anti-gay messages. I’m not even going to comment on that except to say that the majority of the references to “homosexuality” were not in the oldest known version of the Bible. I won’t go there though; instead, I will point out that most people do not adhere to the literal word of the Bible. The 98% of American Catholic women who have used contraception can attest to that. We are all sinners, so let’s stop judging each other and let’s focus on getting along because sin is not hierarchical. Sin is sin, period.

Too Sick to Blog...Almost

I am getting sick. I can feel it building inside my body and waiting to bring me down with icky feelings. My throat has been sore the past two mornings and today was the worse so far. I am extremely tired and food doesn’t taste right. I love food, so that’s a real downer. I took zicam already and I’m going to continue to take it until I feel better. Now I am going to take a nap.


Status: Wishing I felt better.

I Support the Bully Project

I’ve been hearing a lot about the bully project lately. I can’t believe that bully has been rated R and now people have to petition to get a PG-13 rating for the movie. I haven’t seen the movie, but if it’s about what I think it’s about then these kids today need to see it. I’m not worried about the foul language or strong themes. Any high school student, whether in public, parochial or private school has heard and perhaps said far worse than whatever is in the video. When I was growing up, I wouldn’t dare curse in front of an adult, but I have students yelling curse words up and down the hallways at my school. I have overheard graphic conversations about everything from drugs to sex. These kids know no shame. I have to demand the respect I deserve. I have to almost raise my hand and shout “Hey, there’s an adult within earshot of you and I don’t want to hear that.”


I have had to take class time and explain to my students that the “teasing” they are doing has crossed the line in my classroom and that bullying is not tolerated in my room. The main problem is that the students don’t know when to stop and some of them are so out of it that they don’t know when they have crossed the line. There are others who do know and who are malicious, but I haven’t witnessed that personally and I think part of the reason is because I try to nip situations in the bud as soon as I either figure out what’s going on or overhear something. I have drawn the principal’s attention to several students who I deem as bullies because I don’t want to be that teacher who just assumes that everything is a joke. People have feelings and I know that some students laugh in order to hide the hurt.

Check out the bully project for yourself.

Status: Wondering why some offensive movies about sex, drugs and sometimes violence have PG-13 ratings, but a movie about the harsh reality of bullying has to petition for a PG-13 rating.

Odd Poetry

I took a figurative chill pill today. I feel more relaxed than I did yesterday because I’m practicing mind over matter. I am better than the life I live and the person I pretend to be. I tried a crazy style for a poem yesterday because I like to funnel my anger in to a creative outlet.

Lit

I’m lit and about to blaze…

A trail.

You set me up and I fell…

A trap.

You played and I listened…

A tune.

You spoke and I gave in…

A trick.

You led and I followed…

A tone.

You were perfect on paper…

A type.

But you're gone and I’m angry…

A truth.

Grrr...

I do my best to choose my words carefully, but today was a real challenge. I had to mentally regroup a few times just to keep from telling people off about their grotesque behaviors. I try not to make a big deal about things, but it seems like kindness and common sense have been traded in for rudeness and buffoonery. I treat everyone with respect, even people who I don’t really like, yet I find that few people return the favor. If I intentionally disrespect someone, I can guarantee that they had it coming. I don’t have any issues standing up for myself or the people I love. I understand the power of words and I usually try to use my words for good, but I’m getting tempted to show a few people what words can do. I’m going to have to stoop down to their level just to help them understand that my kindness is not a weakness, it’s a privilege and I can revoke it at any time.


Status: Glad today is almost over and thinking about going to bed early so that I can recharge.

The Greater Cleveland Aquarium

Yesterday was the busiest day that I have had in a really long time. I was all over downtown Cleveland. That’s news because I rarely ever go downtown. My downtown adventure began at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about so my sister and I went to check it out.

Now here’s the part where I complain. The waiting area is poorly designed. They had two or three chairs that they were using to guide people as to where to turn. Some people bought their tickets online and they still had to wait in the same long ass line that I had to wait in. I thought that was unfair, especially since I had personally witnessed some people who had pre-purchased tickets being allowed to go directly in to the aquarium. Either way though, if you buy your tickets early, you shouldn’t have to wait with those of us who didn’t. Once we made it through the waiting room, the people with pre-purchased tickets were allowed to go directly in and the rest of us had to get on a much smaller line and buy our tickets. The smaller line took about five minutes. In other words, after waiting for over an hour, the people with pre-purchased tickets who were standing in front of me were able to enter the aquarium a whopping five minutes before me. Wow! I bet they felt really great about doing the smart thing and purchasing their tickets before they came. I mean it really made a difference! I think they were mistreated, but who am I. In brighter news, one of the people manning the waiting room was this super cute guy. I didn’t say anything to him, but he was definitely good eye candy and he made my wait bearable. It was fun to secretly watch him. Then he caught me and smiled at me and I had to do everything in my power to stop watching him. I like making up stories about people, so I made up one about him. He’s either married or a playboy because he has that look of either a good husband or a good time. I couldn’t decide which one and I wasn’t brave enough to say anything to him or to ask his coworkers about him.

The aquarium itself was rather small. The water in the shark tank was murky but there was a ten percent discount because of that, so I didn’t think I had the right to complain. I enjoyed seeing the different fish and coral and other aquatic animals, but a part of me felt bad for them. I know this is going to make me sound like a bleeding heart and I’m not. Part of me was struck by the realization that the animals are living in captivity. Most of the tanks weren’t that big and I wondered how I would feel if I had to stay in a confined space while people walked by and bad parents failed to stop their children from running around or tapping on the glass even though the rules specifically said do not tap on the glass and supervise your children.

Overall, I’m glad I went, but I have no plans to do it again anytime soon.

Leave the Kids Alone

I’m a teacher and I don’t understand how teachers view their students as sexual objects. I consider my students my kids. It’s questionable when a professor dates a student, but at least that’s at the college level. A teacher dating a high school student or middle school student or elementary student is icky and I don’t think it should be referred to as dating. Call it what it is: abuse. People want to point to Mary Kate Letourneau and Vili, but that is the exception. If you meet your “soulmate” and your soulmate is underage then you need to wait and completely leave them alone. You need to stay away from them and do all that you can to never be alone with them. You need to think of all the horrible things that can happen to you if you act on your twisted thoughts. I understand that it’s easy for me to say these things because I am not attracted to babies. Babies are cute, but there isn’t an attraction. And by babies, I mean anyone 24 and younger. Now that I think about it, I’m probably the person in the minority on this one. Our country enjoys salivating over underage celebrities and counting down until that celebrity reaches 18. I, on the other hand, am one of those annoying people who doesn’t like the way teens have been sexualized.  

Status: Wishing people would leave the kids alone.

The Onion Takes on Santorum

I usually don’t post things from the Onion, but one of my friends shared a video with me that I want to share. I’m not sharing it because I thought it was really funny. I’m sharing it because I watched it from the beginning to the end. It seems like a bit much to me, but hey, what do I know about comedy? And I guess it’s fitting since Santorum is a bit much.


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