RESIST

Someone had a go at me about PC, when they clearly didn't really understand what the term means. I wrote the following in reply:

I spent the first 16 years of my life being molested, raped, beaten, bullied at school. I spent much of my adult years being hounded by homophobes, being locked up in mental hospitals by homophobes, being beaten up, forced out my home. (Incidentally many of them have ideas such as the ones you just expressed.)

So just because someone has different view from you, do not assume they have had a good life or see life thru rose tinted glasses. I know how dark life can be and yet I still do not condemn or hate. I know where that leads.

Children who are not respected have no respect for others. Children who are not loved have no love for themselves and hence none for others. (I was lucky-there was always a neighbour, a teacher, who showed me love and respect and later a man who loved me for me and has done for 28 years.)

PC is little to do with what you are referring to. It is about treating people with respect, which your email suggests you know little about as you disrespected me and the others who read it let alone the people you despise. PC is about not using names like n*gger, p*ky, w*g, p*of, qu*er, invalid, cripple, etc. It is about treating women and children as equal and of equal value, people who are different in background, race, colour etc

It is those people who eschew these values that cause the problems we have in society. Yes, some children behave badly. It is hardly surprising. I see children being treated badly daily.

As someone with physical disability, a wheelchair and walking stick user, I know only too well that disrespect and downright cruel and ignorant behaviour is not the province of the young. In fact most of it comes form people very much older and the old.

You are of course right that your mother ought not to have to tolerate what she does. Your attitude will do nothing to help the problem, it just feeds it.

Thinking is difficult but it behoves those of us who can to do so rather than just to lash out simplistically, for to do so just adds unneeded fuel to the fire.

I do understand the anger evident in your post. I understand anger very well. I also understand that to think and act in an anger fuelled manner is not helpful and ultimately would make me no different than those who harmed me.

Everyone can rationalise their behaviour. EVERYONE. Saying we acted badly in retaliation is not a logical or acceptable justification for own behaviour.

Condemn behaviour and ideas by all means but never the person. When we do condemn the person we are just as amoral as we think they are. NONE of us sees the whole picture, and none of us has the required knowledge to make such an assertion ( that a person is such as to be condemned.)

Physical violence only breeds resentment and fear and leads to the very thing we are trying to prevent. History shows this to be true.