Yikes

[cjsmith]

I have recently faced the idea that there may be people I have met and liked who honestly believe that attacking the innocent and the powerless, especially girls or young women, is a good way to get things done.

I do not know if I am misunderstanding the person in question. It seems likely. I could be taking things too literally, a common failing of mine.* I could be misunderstanding in some other way. But even supposing this one is a misunderstanding, I've now faced the idea, and it's not at all pleasant.

Maybe I was in the Army too long. (I honestly believe the vast majority of US soldiers hold this value as strongly as I do.) You don't DO shit like that. You don't even THINK about THREATENING to do shit like that.

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* If I'm starting to get ticked off, it could be nothing more serious than my belief that what you say is what you mean. A useful tactic might be to remind both of us of this pattern. Humans are neither robots nor computers, and I forget that too often.

Comments

[airporter.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on this; I grew up one of them (in a house of men, I was the 90 pound weakling) and I've gained an absolute disrespect bordering on uncivil displays for anyone who'd pick the wings off butterflies.

I'm rigid enough about it that I can't contemplate such situations without an angry response; occasionally, that makes it difficult to consider the thoughts of others that might seem to excuse or balance the scales. Learning to accept that the circumstances are fluid is a key.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm prone to the belief that human beings would be a lot more decent to others if everyone had to spend some time as the 90 pound weakling.