Bullies form attitudes from adults
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Editor,
The Rutger University student Tyler Clementi’s suicide has sparked a whole nation’s attention on “bullying.” Well, I submit that trying to address “bullying” is not the primary problem we have in this nation concerning this tragic event.
Yes, “bullying” is something all schools, churches, families, and whatever organization or group involved with teaching our youth should be addressing. But the primary issue, the root causes of “bullying” needs to be addressed, and it is getting swept under the rug.
Today, Oct. 5, on CNN’s Political Ticker was this report: “Senator Jim DeMint was speaking at a church rally in Spartanburg, SC, and said that openly gay individuals and single mothers who are involved in a sexual relationship should not be teaching.”
Now, whether it is Senator DeMint or any other adult ranting and raving about gay rights, sexual orientations, and DeMint’s almost too funny if it was not so serious, comment on single mothers involved in sexual relationships, the point is this: every time we adults spew forth such comments about ‘sexual orientations’ our children and youth are listening. They are learning from what we say; what we debate and argue about; what we write in the news media and what is constantly put forth by the “talking heads” on television.
And from what they learn, they now project it into their own environments with others their own age, and think, speak and act accordingly. And sometimes it results in the very actions which prompted Tyler Clementi to commit suicide.
We can attempt to curtail bullying until we are “blue in the face,” but until we, the American adults, decide to let “life style” issues be the private decision for each and every individual, and not make it a political, social, religious or public educational issue to be debated, acted upon and legislated, we will continue to have events such as the “bullying” of Tyler Clementi.
A “bully” has formed his or her attitudes from us, the adults, the mentors, the care-givers, the parents, the teachers and the religious leaders to whom they look up to with wondering eyes, open hearts and developing minds.
Bob McClellan
Polson
