Support for Grayson 2014-03-26

[kingklash]

This is why aliens never visit.

[sheik]

I suppose it was inevitable that, in a socialist school model, the "teaching professionals" would opt out of the burden of "in loco parentis" and let the little heathens run wild.
The difficulties involved in teaching critical thinking, no matter how integral to establishing an informed electorate it might be, were abandoned long ago for the same reasons...laziness and cowardice.

[Dave]

Also, "rainbow" as a cultural symbol has much wider usage than just its adoption by the LGBT community. Consider the Rainbow Coalition here in the US, and Nelson Mandela's reference to the post-apartheid South Africa as a "rainbow nation".

Broadly speaking, "rainbow" can symbolize "social justice" and "acceptance of diversity"... both of which are things which are kinda at the opposite end of the spectrum from the sort of small-minded bullying that Grayson suffered.

Go, Rainbow Dash!

[Opus the Poet]

On the south outskirts of Amarillo, there is a public art piece called "Ozymandias on the Plains." Some folks have taken it upon themselves to give the sculpture athletic socks, supposedly to keep it warm during the cool West Texas nights. I propose we give the sculpture rainbow socks in support of Grayson.

Works for me! After all it's just "maintaining" the appearance of the statue right?

[Fairportfan]

On the south outskirts of Amarillo, there is a public art piece called "Ozymandias on the Plains." Some folks have taken it upon themselves to give the sculpture athletic socks, supposedly to keep it warm during the cool West Texas nights. I propose we give the sculpture rainbow socks in support of Grayson.

...or just to piss some people who need it off.

[Mark N]

I suppose it was inevitable that, in a socialist school model, the "teaching professionals" would opt out of the burden of "in loco parentis" and let the little heathens run wild.
The difficulties involved in teaching critical thinking, no matter how integral to establishing an informed electorate it might be, were abandoned long ago for the same reasons...laziness and cowardice.

I hate to say this but the burden of "in loco parentis" was taken from the educators by the parents long ago (many schools have been sued for trying to do what had to be done) and the parents never took back the fact that they ware responsible for the discipline of their child. That and the fact that many states have made it a crime to discipline your child with anything stronger than a time out is also a factor in my opinion (yes I am aware that opinions are like A-Holes and I most likely will be seen as one as well ).

[Mark N]

1. WHY is there a multi-colored pic on the support page?

This. Sali is cosplaying.

As I have gotten several messages of people asking me about the multi colored banner, and confused people asking why the gay community has anything to do with this,.... Are you all THAT fucking stupid?! Grayson's favorite character is Rainbow Dash. She has a fucking rainbow colored main! Do the math!

Grayson wasn't just called names. He was beaten up too. That counts as bullying in my book.

As one of the people that understood the reason of the image and the character it is of I have to say great job.

[scantrontb]

On the south outskirts of Amarillo, there is a public art piece called "Ozymandias on the Plains." Some folks have taken it upon themselves to give the sculpture athletic socks, supposedly to keep it warm during the cool West Texas nights. I propose we give the sculpture rainbow socks in support of Grayson.

...or just to piss some people who need it off.

and then be prepared to get your socks sued off of you by the artist that sculpted it (and/or those that put the socks on in the first place) for "defacing" it with "graffiti"... either way it's a no-win situation.

[jwhouk]

Scantrontb: This is the same state that houses the Cadillac Ranch, which is regularly defaced and cleaned every several months.

[Jabberwonky]

I think my avatar shows who's side I'm on.

There's a Nyan Thup lunchbox?

[AmriloJim]

Scantrontb: This is the same state that houses the Cadillac Ranch, which is regularly defaced and cleaned every several months.

Same city and backer that commissioned both projects! The socks have been there for several years.

[AmriloJim]

Oh, Mike... glad you caught the subtle dig.

[shadowinthelight]

And today I realized I called Atsali being a MLP:FiM fan last year.

[Catawampus]

when did bullying jump to the level of "kill yourself"? I grew up in the 70's and 80's and we picked on each other but it never went to that level. . .

It always has been that way. It was just less widely visible, due to people and communities being being more isolated from each other and to society's reaction being a tendency to just cover it over and pretend it wasn't happening. Now, though, individuals are much more interconnected; with a few taps on a keyboard, anybody can communicate every little detail of their existence to millions of people across the globe.

"sticks and stones may hurts me, but words never will..."

Tell that to the countless children over the millennia who grew up emotionally abused, or the spouses who have suffered verbal abuse, or the social outcast groups who have had to endure being constantly taunted and insulted and harassed. That's one of those half-truth (at best) statements that's just supposed to make a kid feel better, like "you can be anything you want to when you grow up". Words can leave injuries that go deeper and last longer than simply being punched and kicked can do, and those injuries are often much, much more difficult to notice and treat.

If certain specific people have managed to go through life without having been hurt by words, then that's great for them. But this isn't about those people. This is about a little kid who was hurt by hateful words and actions, and by extension all of the others who have been as well. Not every little boy can be a macho stoic.

Kids are cruel, they do not have the innate moral lessons or boundaries that adults *should* have.

Which is why the adults need to step up and be sure to enforce those boundaries so that the kids can learn them. When those in charge simply shrug and say, "Well, that's the way kids are, he needs to just grow a back-bone" or whatever, then they're teaching that harassment and bullying is normal and that it's the victim's fault if they get hurt.

As I have gotten several messages of people asking me about the multi colored banner, and confused people asking why the gay community has anything to do with this,.... Are you all THAT fucking stupid?! Grayson's favorite character is Rainbow Dash. She has a fucking rainbow colored main! Do the math!

I was confused by the people who were confused. I know basically nothing at all about the My Little Pony franchise. Not the storyline, not the setting, not the characters, none of that. When I saw the picture with all of the rainbow patterns, my thoughts were simply along the lines that it was My Little Pony and that lots of bright colours were what are to be expected with that sort of thing.

Then somebody started going on about the LGBT community and how there was no sign that this kid had any connection to them, and I started wondering if I had missed something. I am, after all, the guy who took years to make the connection as to why Skittles candies were so often associated with Pride events, and who when given a rainbow lapel pin by a guy simply thought of it as a pretty little decoration and didn't realise for a long time that the guy was trying to raise awareness for a cause.

It's nice to know that my initial reaction was essentially the right one, and that I'm not being totally clueless once again. . .

On the south outskirts of Amarillo, there is a public art piece called "Ozymandias on the Plains." Some folks have taken it upon themselves to give the sculpture athletic socks, supposedly to keep it warm during the cool West Texas nights. I propose we give the sculpture rainbow socks in support of Grayson.

And perhaps some papier-mâché hooves?

Wait, do the ponies in that show even have proper hooves? *checks Google* Huh, it looks like they have more along the lines of elephant feet. Or Castela feet. I wonder how she would fit in to the My Little Pony universe (My Little Whatsit?).

This is why aliens never visit.

That and the roaming fees on their cell phones. Plus the parking is terrible.