Meanness. Next to arrogance, it's my least-favorite character trait, and there seems to be a lot of it going around right now. I'm not talking about epic meanness of the war and hate-crime sort. I'm talking about garden-variety, opportunistic meanness.
I was laughed at as a kid. The last-chosen-for-kickball poster-child, I was chunky and buck-toothed. My name rhymes with both "smelly" and "jelly belly," and I was creative and smart (read: weird and nerdish). I've grown into a bit of quirky adult with a deep fear of rejection, so admittedly I'm extra-sensitive to mean. In fact, I've been accused of not having a sense of humor. (I have a sense of humor. I just don't think tacking "I'm just joking!" to the end of a jab at my looks or age is funny.)
All that said, let me ask you this: Why is Charlie Sheen's trainwreck entertaining? Can we honestly not see his humanity? Given the right circumstances, how broken could you be?
Another question: How can our schools successfully run anti-bullying campaigns while grown adults make fun of Rebecca Black at the dinner table? I can't imagine what's going through her 13-year-old head--her HEART--right now. *I* couldn't stand up under the mockery.
I don't know . . . maybe I really don't have a sense of humor. Am I being too goody-goody? Is it ridiculous of me to think compassion is wasted on no one? What do you say?
Friday, April 08, 2011
Charlie and Rebecca
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3 comments:
I absolutely love reading everything you write. I can't wait to buy your first book!
I was at a school last week when one of the teachers made a little boy stand in front of the whole cafeteria and humiliated him. We have anti-bullying campaigns, and then teachers bully the kids! So sad. And no, your sense of humor is in tact. Being purposefully mean to another person is never funny.
Thank You, Kelley :)
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