And yet...
The internet is an objective provider of information. Teachers bully autistic 5-year-olds and are not held accountable. People in positions of authority electroshock mentally retarded teens like it's the 1950's. (links to both of those videos below)
I am...outraged. Frustrated. Helpless. I feel like I can't do anything, but I know I must. I absolutely must. How can I possibly justify my existence if I do not try to help someone in a position less powerful than mine? How can I even breathe normally when I am aware that yes, even in the land of the free and the home of the brave, there are those who do not have the power to act freely and there are cowards who prey upon these victims of society? How can I live with myself if I don't try, by some small and seemingly inconsequential act, to aide the abandoned?
I am ashamed to have to ask myself, "Does this really happen? Do people still do these things to one another? What kind of barbaric animal does this?" and I'm even more ashamed when I realize the apathy of people who stand in the room, next to the screaming and crying kid, and do absolutely nothing.
And then the shame takes a backseat to the fear: the fear that these people actually think they're doing good or helping these children; the fear that their bosses take no notice of the situation until it is brought before a court and only then is minimal restitution paid, mostly because everyone just wants it to disappear; the fear that these types of situations are hidden from the public because districts and corporations pay to have it withheld or because networks think it will hurt their ratings.
And after fear comes anger. I am angry at the specific individuals who bully others. I am angry at humanity for not rising to the occasion of these thoughtless acts of deprecation. And I am angry at the bastards who comment on the youtube videos, either by saying the kids deserved their treatment or, at the other extreme, saying the individuals responsible should be dragged out into the street and lynched. That does not help matters, dillinger9999.
And now, I am determined. I want to get the message out that yes, these things do happen but no, we do not have to let them. Now, I want to empower the world into stepping in when someone is being beaten down. I want to empower the world into stepping in when someone looks like they have been beaten down. I want to empower the world to empower the world. This cannot continue, for the sake of humanity. A race of supposedly advanced beings, the Homo sapiens, needs to be advanced in every respect, technology, conservation, production, and morals. We cannot degrade our own species because then we are only holding each other back. I realize we can't love everybody. I realize it is very nearly impossible to even like everybody. But we don't have to like somebody, we just have to respect them.
These videos inspired my post. Some of the content is hard to watch or hear, so do so at your own risk.
