It was one of those feel-good stories that have popped up day after day since the May 22 Joplin Tornado.
The United Arab Emirates embassy pledged half a million dollars to the Joplin Schools for the One-to-One program, which is designed to give every high school student a laptop for the 2011-2012 school year.
That pledge is backed by an additional pledge of another half million if other donors can match the original amount.
The following passage was included in the school district news release:
"The entire world was touched by the devastation caused in Joplin by the May 22 tornado. Given the scale of the disaster, including the destruction of the community's only high school, we felt it was important to provide assistance," said Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the U.S. "The One-to-One initiative is a truly innovative idea that will not only give current students the tools they need to start the school year, but position future Joplin Schools students on the cutting-edge of learning."Joplin Schools and the UAE Embassy anticipate this grant as the start of a longer-term partnership between the two organizations. JS and the Embassy hope to work together to develop programming that will deepen cultural understating and awareness between the U.S. and the UAE.
At least $500,000 and probably $1.5 million being used for the benefit of students whose lives have been forever changed by the cataclysmic forces of nature.
Who could argue with such an outpouring of humanity? Who could argue with the evidence of the effect Joplin has had on the world?
Sadly, some of those who are arguing come from within Joplin. They lurk on the comment sections of blogs, including mine, and the local newspaper.
Deep torrents of bigotry are unleashed in these comments, almost always by people who hide behind the cloak of anonymity.
The first reaction on my blog, The Turner Report, was what I expected when I printed the school district's news release on the gift:
The same country that brought us the 9-11 hijackers!
Another one wrote:
Did Joplin Schools sell their souls?
Those are the ones that I allowed to remain on my blog. I do not intend to become a surrogate for the type of hatred that runs rampant among certain elements in our society. Other comments, which contained profanity and anti-Muslim slurs were removed immediately.
The Joplin Globe apparently took a different approach. Its story on the gift, on the homepage of its website, has been scrubbed of all comments.
I don't pretend to speak for the Joplin School District, Joplin High School or this city. As an educator, my job is to make sure that students get past blind hatred and prejudice and learn to reason. There are times when I wonder if I am swimming against an overwhelming tide.
It is difficult to promote reason when our culture is dominated by conversations in which those who can shout the loudest and have the catchiest soundbites are prized more than those with the ability to discuss an issue using the force of reason.
Our culture is a recipe designed to pull us apart, not bring us together.
But I have watched over these past two-and-a-half months as the most horrific event in Joplin's history has brought together not only the people of Joplin, but the people of the world.
The basic tenets of love, decency, and generosity are not limited to one country, one religion or one color.
When someone reaches out with a helping hand, we should never respond with slurs and undisguised hatred.
The correct response to the gift of the United Arab Emirates, the one which has been overwhelmingly provided by those in Joplin who do not hide their venom behind fake names or "Anonymous" is "thank you."
Follow Randy Turner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rturner229
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Thanks, Randy.
And Thank You, UAE.
The world is full of good people. It's sad that some people are blinded by their own fear and ignorance, but as time progresses, we see the hold of that ignorance lessening in so many ways (compared general levels of bigotry and vitriol to what they were, even a few decades ago, in the U.S., and in many other parts of the world).
Muslims are just the current target. It's never really about the target, though, but about the incorrect ideas clouding the minds of the "targeters".
The world is full of good people -- and a lot more of us are filled with basic goodwill for all as our default attitude, than are like the small, loud and always-temporary handful who are "otherwise" -- as the generous gift from the UAE demonstrates.
My son said, "Mom, 99% of people read your article and they either share it, or simply become informed and move on, but there is a community of 'trolls' who live under Internet articles; they want you to think they represent everyone—they don't. Forget about them, Mom."
I think he may be right. (Don't you love it when you learn a life lesson from your own children?)
It's likely most people in Joplin were happy to read your article about this initiative and know the city will benefit from the outreach in many ways.
Those who are "anonymous" are probably living anonymous lives under a bridge...trip-trap, trip-trap, trip-trap!
I agree. Plus, if anyone reads the "historical archive" after comments are closed, they'll see reasonable articles, with reasonable comments from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and a few loudly incorrect bigots.
Personally, I feel that "total picture" speaks for itself. Bigotry and ignorance have no power; there's figurative smoke, and an unpleasant smell for a moment or two, but then they're gone -- and decent-hearted regular people from a walks of life, all religions and no religion, and places, etc., continue as we always have -- just doing our best to live good lives.
Personally, it's my view and experience that most people see through bigotry, and don't sympathize with it. The only people who are likely to be influenced by an ignorant set of comments are those who are predisposed to think in that same incorrect way.
Even many who make such comments feel the inherent wrongness in them, I'm guessings (much like losing one's temper, it may feel "good" for a minute, even when the sense that it shouldn't be indulged is present at the same time).
And thanks once again for your willingness to keep blogging in spite of the vitriol you have to deal with; many of us appreciate that -- and your positive expressions are likely much farther reaching than you know -- as positive expressions always are.
While there will be anonymous (and I am sure not so anonymous) comments made, this is a real opportunity for the Joplin schools to focus on learning how to be more accepting. You can do it, my community had to learn it in the early 90's when we had a large group of Hispanics move into my town, Noel. While being far from perfect (and having to go through a lot of upheaval) I can honestly say my town is much more accepting of different races and religions than I would have ever thought possible.
Keep moving forward.