"One Town's War on Gay Teens"

After reading the Rolling Stone article “One Town’s War on Gay Teens” I had a pit in my stomach and rage brewing inside of me.  It breaks my heart to know so many kids were so miserable in their lives that they would chose to end it at such an early age. I pity the ignorance of people in this town and similar ones all over the world who practice this intolerance. This issue becomes even more tangled due to the fact that most of the intolerance for GLBTQ people is tied into their religion. You cannot tell people to stop practicing their religion and you can’t tell people that their religion is wrong. This only promotes more intolerance. In this specific situation I place blame on a few parties of people, the board of education, students, parents, and the church. All of these parties contributed to nine suicides in just three years.  

When the school board was addressed by the issue and took no action the children lost hope and found self-hatred. When their parents treated the problem lightly or ignored it completely the children lost their security. When the students tormented the GLBTQ students they confirmed all of the horrible things that those students already felt about themselves. When the Church made the GLBTQ students believe that “Homosexuality is a form of mental illness caused by family dysfunction, childhood trauma and exposer to pornography.” They lost their self worth. The school did not allow an alliance club for these students. They felt like they had no one and never would. It was to unbearable living the way they were, so they took their lives.

This article makes this town out to be the center of all evil. The sad reality is that this can happen absolutely anywhere. Bullying is a current nationwide epidemic. Until the problem is resolved unfortunately suicides will continue. I believe a suicide could easily occur at my highschool, but I am confident when I say that I know drastic measures would be taken to deter this option and prevent the desperation. I think that this town went very wrong when nothing changed after the first suicide.  They made it seem like it was okay for GLBTQ students to do this because they had something wrong with them.

Segregated Church?

I live in Deerfield Illinois. We are criticized often for our lack of diversity. The overwhelming majority is white and Jewish.  There are few members of minority groups represented in our schools and town.  Being that I am also Jewish living in this town I know very little about what happens in churches here or anywhere in our nation. While browsing through the race related articles we were presented with I was alarmed by this one article from CNN. The article is titled “Why Many Americans Prefer their Sundays segregated.”  I was curious about this concept and the reactions people had to this idea. As far as my knowledge goes the Christian faith is observed by many races and ethnicities. I know that church is a place for worship. At church I know that Christians pray, ask forgiveness for their sins, learn, teach, and have many programs. It startles me that a place for worship, where all people have the same beliefs, is often segregated by the members. They are all Christians, they are all going for the same propose, why do they prefer to be segregated by race? I had to read this article to understand. The article stated “Some blacks as well as whites prefer segregated Sundays, religious scholars and members of interracial churches say. Americans may be poised to nominate a black man to run for president, but it's segregation as usual in U.S. churches, according to the scholars. Only about 5 percent of the nation's churches are racially integrated, and half of them are in the process of becoming all-black or all-white, says Curtiss Paul DeYoung, co-author of "United by Faith," a book that examines interracial churches in the United States.” Why do both parties prefer segregation in a world progressively working on integration and equal opportunities? “They say integrated churches are rare because attending one is like tiptoeing through a racial minefield. Just like in society, racial tensions in the church can erupt over everything from sharing power to interracial dating.” What is the tension composed of? Aren’t they all attending church because they have the same beliefs? Religion is such a predominant role in our individual selves. How can people with such a strong spiritual connection feel tension among one another when observing their religion? Wasn’t it the white Europeans and early Americans that forced Christianity on the black African population? Why would they influence them to follow the same religion if they didn’t wish to share it with them? The author investigated “DeYoung says he encountered many blacks who said they wanted a racial timeout on Sunday."They would say, 'I need a place of refuge,'" he says. "They said, 'I need to come to a place on Sunday morning where I don't experience racism.' ". Why did they feel the scrutiny of racism at church? Advocates for integrated churches shared my curiosity and criticism “But interracial church advocates say the church was never meant to be segregated. They point to the New Testament description of the first Christian church as an ethnic stew -- it deliberately broke social divisions by uniting groups that were traditionally hostile to one another, they say.” Although I do not practice the catholic faith I do believe that stand for respect, understanding and love. The majority population of the U.S. is catholic. I believe that this tension in integrated churches cripples our progress towards acceptance, equality, and integration. If church can be enjoyed by all, equal for all, and free of racial tension and segregation I believe the entire nation would benefit in a positive way. For anyone who is reading this do you think that church should be forced to integrate and learn to appreciate and like it? Or do you believe people should practice their religion in whichever way is most comfortable for them? I am conflicted by this question because religion is a personal choice, is it right for anyone to judge how people interoperate or practice it?

Odd Girl Speaks Out : 1

For my second semester outside reading book I selected Odd Girl Speaks Out , by Rachel Simmons. This book is a reflection on bullying. It is composed of individual stories of being bullied, letters from bullying victims, and advice for handling and recognizing bullying. This book interested me because cyber bullying is a prevalent issue in our current society. It has been receiving lots of media attention. It has been the topic of discussion in the media, topic of news reports, themes for television shows and movies, and a nationwide campaign. Lady Gaga, a well-respected and famous artist has been the poster child against bullying in all forms. This topic is being addressed all around me but it is also extremely relatable to me. Being a girl in high school allows one to observe bullying, be bullied, or even bully others. This is something that I am faced with every day. I chose this book to increase my knowledge of bullying, such as why and how it happens. I would also like to take away knowledge of how to handle bullying situations after completing or while reading the book.

                The first chapter “Why is it my fault that I don’t want to be her friend?” addresses the problem girls have with moving on and growing apart. Girls have a stigma for creating bffs, best friends forever.  Girls are expected and often create incredibly close relationships with other girls. The author compares these bff relationships to a romantic relationship because both are composed with deep friendship, lots of time together, trust, and a fondness for one another. She explains how break ups in romantic relationships are normal and acceptable in our culture. They are difficult to deal with, but people don’t question that they happen. Simmons believes that these break ups are composed of the same variables as friends growing apart or moving on, but our society does not accept it the same way. “Yet best friends can be just as close as a romantic couple, and we have no idea how to confront changes in the relationship, or to break up. No one prepares us for it, tells us how to do it, or what is expected. No one says it’s okay, or not. As a result, people call it bullying. Others are outraged that they’re being called bullies. Adults take their cues from the girls but don’t know much more.”(30)  I had never heard this point of view but I really believe that it is right on the dot.

This idea raises many questions with me. Why do we feel guilt for moving on? Why don’t we accept growing apart as a justification? Why isn’t it understandable like couples break ups? What  role does gender play in this issue? Why is bullying connected to this issue? Should it be?