Day 228: Angry

What has made you angry this week?

Daughter: "I am a capitalist."

Stupid ... Kid: "Capitalists are all a piece of shit."  Pause.  "No offense."

Yep, this is what made me angry this past week.  When did it become okay to speak this way?  I would blame it on the age, but adults are not better and often worse.  I know I don't feel safe speaking my political truths to most people.  Now my daughter doesn't feel safe in this class.  She missed the field trip.

A couple of points here.  When "no offense" has to be added to such a derogatory statement,  it should not have been said in the first place.  Now, I know, I have said pretty rude things in the past.  Ninety-nine percent of the time, I say it to people who know me.  I never said it in a school setting or to people I barely know.  And I have had to eat my words and apologize.

Will this kid apologize?  Heavens no.  He has already claimed he didn't say it quite like that.  He didn't mean to hurt Madelle's feelings.  Of course, I wish Madelle could turn this around and not let it bother her.  She is working on that.  But this is a form of bullying.  This is the second time it has happened in the school setting.  I know, it has happened to all of us at some point.  Again, I wish Madelle wasn't so sensitive.  We are working on it.  I guess all of this wouldn't bother me so much except that this whole bullying thing is everywhere at every age.  It has become an epidemic.  Our hands are tied unless there is concrete evidence in writing or on some electronic devise.

Yes, I am going to say it.  I miss the days when kids could take care of kids like this and punch them.  No, I never started a fight in school.  But I ended a couple of them.  And most people in my school knew that if they got as mouthy as they are today, someone was going to give them a new attitude.  Back in the day, kids had control over their environment.  If someone was a bully, they could deal with it.  Now, the good kid sticking up for themselves has no way to fix the situation.  I don't wonder why we have school shootings or suicide.  People are ugly mean and get away with it until a person feels there is nothing left to do.  Come on people, treat each other decently.

And please, don't get me started on parenting techniques.  Many times, I have thought I raised my kids wrong.  I should have let them become Lord of the Flies, entitled types instead of mannerly, empathic, and nice, courteous human beings.

Okay, off my soapbox for the moment.