A New Level of Hate

As we all dissect the last debate and worry about the economy, the level of hate in this country just reached a new high.

Or should I say low.

In Illinois, an elementary school bus driver taunted a ten year-old boy, calling him "gay." He then, at the child's bus stop, encouraged other students to go beat him up.

The school has confirmed this, and is looking to also confirm that the driver himself got off the bus to join them.

That a 46 year-old man taunted a ten year old boy for any reason is horrible enough. But that he was in charge of children's safety and encouraged kids to beat the boy up?

There should be a special kind of jail for people like that. Since that's pretty much out of the question, how about a federal hate crimes bill?

As the economy continues to swirl it's way down the toilet, the levels of hate crimes -- all hate crimes -- will rise exponentially. They always do in times of economic distress.

This was a ten year-old child. Too young to be gay, straight or anything but a boy. What if he were Black and the driver had called him a "nigger" and told the kids to beat him up? Or Asian? Or Hispanic?

Where is the outcry? This happened last week and there has been no mainstream media news about it at all -- why? Because if it were about race? It would have made the news. If the child was handicapped? There would be cameras in this guys face asking hard questions.

There would be a lesson to learn. It would be clear that in our society that kind of behavior is not okay.

Instead we have reached a new level of hate.

Comments

[mateo87]

I grew up in that area, went to those schools. My folks have been wondering why I didn't come out until the age of 37 and it's always been difficult to explain why. Now they'll know.

By the way, you know your sexual orientation , or better yet-that you are different, much earlier than the age of 10, it's wired at birth.

[LeftRight]

But in spite of the fact that you know, at that age there really isn't any sexual orientation. I knew before that age that I was straight, but I wasn't interested in anything related to sex until a few years later.

[plebeianswillrevolt]

This blog kind of defines a one-sided story

[SaraWhitman]

one sided? well, where is the reporting? where is the news? where is the information?

and I would like to point out, it has been CONFIRMED that the man called him gay and told other kids to go after him.

that's not in dispute.

but I agree, what is the rest of the story?

[LeftRight]

Define one sided...... The school has confirmed that a 46 year old driver of a SCHOOL BUS called a ten year old gay, and at the least, encouraged students to beat up that 10 year old when they were not on the bus.

What other side is there? Was this 46 year old man worried that a 10 year old "gay" kid was going to do something to him??? Was he afraid that having to drive a "gay" 10 year old was going to turn him gay???? WHAT OTHER SIDE??????

[imfedup]

Too young to be gay? Do you think sexual orientation isn't determined until someone reaches puberty?

[SaraWhitman]

not necessarily but my experience with ten year olds, and I have a lot with three kids, is that while gender expression may be firmly entrenched, sexuality is not.

[imfedup]

I think if you would talk to the parents of gay men and women you would find that they knew when their children were very young which direction their sexual preference was headed.

[kobio]

I am completely disgusted right now.