January 7, 2009

• Bully.

  
  

  I have always wondered why some people choose to become bullies.  Of course, being one that believes in the concept of original sin, I am more than aware that humans have a propensity to seethe rather than soothe and hurt rather than heal.  (Which explains why reality TV is still in existence.)  But choosing to torment another human being is usually reserved for the worst of the worst--individuals who either find joy in sadism or who are misanthropes in every sense of the word.  Lori Drew (pictured above in a photo taken from MSNBC, with her daughter, Sarah) was convicted of multiple misdemeanors stemming from her (along with her daughter and assistant) creation of a fake myspace account to "cyberbully" Megan Meier, who hung herself after being rejected by the faux love interest they created.  (Yes, the girl probably had her own issues, but while the girl put the noose around her own neck, Drew comment-kicked out the chair from underneath her.)
  
  Today I finally saw a picture of the two tormenters. My initial reaction? I immediately noted how fat and ugly the mother and daughter were.
  
  I was picked on a lot growing up.  None of it was physical, of course, because as an Asian boy who would eventually grow to 6'1" in the only state where Asian Americans are the majority, I was not an ethnic minority and I was also bigger than 95% of the population.  (That last part is not a statement of race, because I'm bigger than 95% of the population of every state.)  No.  My torment would be the teasing I would get over being overweight and smart.  When I think back to those who teased me, I remember not how perfect they were, but rather how flawed they were.  That one was ugly.  That one was dumb.  That one smelled like rotten tampons. That one (girl) had a thick moustache, thick enough to buy beer with.  I remember how flawed they were because in retrospect, they were more flawed than myself. The proof lies in the present, that I'm now an attending physician, well educated, well read (or rather was well read before medical school killed my reading list), have a nice job serving the community and won the lottery by marrying a wonderful girl who won't let me in the kitchen while they ended up not going to college and/or are probably on welfare or sick from diabetes and in one case dying young.  (Just being honest.)
  
  Not one of the people who bullied me were those who had the right to.  Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, the good book says.  Likewise, only those who have it all together plus a bag of chips really have the right to bully others.  People like Tom Brady, winner of multiple Super Bowls and the Gisele sweepstakes, or Tim Tebow, Heisman-winning quarterback of the Florida Gators.  But the funny thing is that guys like Tom Brady or Tim Tebow probably didn't pick on the weak and lame in high school because they didn't have to in order to find some meaning in their lives.
  
  Bullying, you see, has more to do with your own flaws than those of your victim.
  
  There is nothing to be gained by spraypainting a Picasso and neither is there any edification to be gained by smothering love with hate. Unfortunately, those who are lacking in life have yet to learn that and seek to fill the holes in their own hearts by digging ones in the hearts of others.
  
  So does that excuse the fat and ugly mother and daughter team of Lori and Sarah Drew for driving a young girl to commit suicide? Of course not. But perhaps more time as public enemy #1 will teach them that you cannot find fulfillment with hate, and perhaps the death of a young girl can do the same for us.

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  For those of you few in the know, yes, I am recycling because I'm lazy this week.   Have a great rest of the week, everyone!  Go Gators!  Beat Oklahoma!

  Edit:  How did a post get featured with 6 eprops and no recs?  I'll never understand this new system.
  

  • 6:07 am
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