We already have a thread about Keaton Jones, the bullied middle schooler receiving tons of support from actors and athletes for speaking out and asking honestly just why it is that people bully others?
Unfortunately, however, it turns out Keaton's mother appears to be a Confederate loyalist. I saw a few people get warnings for bringing this up in the other thread. I think that's unfortunate because, whether those users did a good job communicating it or not, this fact is entirely pertinent to the discussion. We should absolutely be discussing that Ms. Jones holds this position because she's one of the chief people responsible for giving at least a basic shape to her son's morals and values.
Now, I understand quite well bullying is a serious issue in our culture. As a black kid with a visibly obvious disability on top of it who attended majority-white schools growing up, I know quite well what it's like to be bullied and even othered in more subtle ways. It's always good to discuss this issue, but if we're ever going to move past it, we need to be looking at the more specific facets of society that enable bullying to begin with as well. The dividing lines in our society based on so many things including gender, sexuality, and yes, race. For Ms. Jones to seek sympathy for her son while holding the views she seems to is deeply hypocritical. It's not fair to Keaton or anyone else who can relate to his experience. It's not an honest conversation and if that's not what we're going to push for, there's really no discussion happening at all.
Unfortunately, however, it turns out Keaton's mother appears to be a Confederate loyalist. I saw a few people get warnings for bringing this up in the other thread. I think that's unfortunate because, whether those users did a good job communicating it or not, this fact is entirely pertinent to the discussion. We should absolutely be discussing that Ms. Jones holds this position because she's one of the chief people responsible for giving at least a basic shape to her son's morals and values.
Now, I understand quite well bullying is a serious issue in our culture. As a black kid with a visibly obvious disability on top of it who attended majority-white schools growing up, I know quite well what it's like to be bullied and even othered in more subtle ways. It's always good to discuss this issue, but if we're ever going to move past it, we need to be looking at the more specific facets of society that enable bullying to begin with as well. The dividing lines in our society based on so many things including gender, sexuality, and yes, race. For Ms. Jones to seek sympathy for her son while holding the views she seems to is deeply hypocritical. It's not fair to Keaton or anyone else who can relate to his experience. It's not an honest conversation and if that's not what we're going to push for, there's really no discussion happening at all.
