Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Housekeeping, Bad Writer Behavior, and Bigotry

Just a few things in passing. First, I updated (after a couple of years of neglect, I think) my bloglist on the sidebar, so folks who are interested in what other people read now have an updated list of which blogs and cetera I'm subscribed to. If yours is there and I spelled your name wrong or something, please nudge me and I'll fix it.

Second, it seems there hasn't yet been enough negative, condemnatory publicity about authors who pitch fits on the internet, whining about critical commentary and getting all defensive about bad reviews on Amazon, so Rob Thurman is giving us more material. I think she's a great sport for sacrificing her professional reputation to give us an excellent negative example. Let's all give her a hand, shall we? Thanks to Writtenwyrdd for linking to this.

And third, I'm sure everyone's heard about Constance McMillen, the high school student in Mississippi who wanted to bring her girlfriend to the prom only to have the school cancel the event rather than let a couple of lesbians show up holding hands or something. Wow, overreacting much? The case went to court and the judge decided that the school was in the wrong, but (if I'm remembering correctly) refrained from ordering the school to hold the prom anyway because at the time there was a private prom being organized by parents and it was understood that Constance and her girlfriend would be welcome there. Well, someone decided that their town hadn't gotten enough bad press (maybe that's where Rob Thurman lives?) so Constance and her girlfriend, along with a few other students, were given time/place information for... a fake prom. No, seriously. They showed up at a country club to find seven people there, plus the principal and some teachers from their high school acting as chaperones, not that there was much to chaperone.

Two students with learning difficulties were among the seven people at the country club event, McMillen recalls. "They had the time of their lives," McMillen says. "That's the one good thing that come out of this, [these kids] didn't have to worry about people making fun of them [at their prom]."

The more I hear from this young woman, the more I like her. Unfortunately she lives in an area with more than its fair share of folks who indulge in master-level gluteal haberdashery. I mean, seriously, did they hold a meeting of the Cool People and decide which students were the unclean undesirables who'd be shunted to the fake event? I can just imagine their delight in realizing that by coming up with a plan to shuffle the lesbians off to the fake dance, they could do it to those other weird, uncool kids too! Score! :/

I'm sure Constance is counting the days until graduation. I hope she has a wonderful time in college and has an awesome life, because she absolutely deserves it for the way she's handled this whole outrageous situation with grace and dignity. And I hope the people -- students and parents and school staff alike -- who participated in turning what should've been a simple, fun prom into an ever-growing mound of hate and bigotry all get what they deserve as well.

Angie

8 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

It just amazes me that anyone gave a shit that she wanted to bring her girlfriend to the prom. Some folks just don't have enough to keep them busy, I guess.

Angie said...

Charles -- that's exactly it, I don't get why this ever had to be an issue. It's just so ridiculous. Didn't they have any test scores to fret over or drug dealers to chase off campus or something? :/

Angie

Suzan Harden said...

Wow. Everytime I think the human race can't stoop lower. . .

My husband constantly reminds me my expectations are way too high.

Angie said...

Suzan -- no kidding, right? [sigh] And something I just thought of is that with the principal and teachers at the fake prom to chaperone the seven undesirables who were shunted in that direction, that strongly suggests that they were in on it. O_O That's just incredible, especially considering all the bad press they've gotten already, to play along with such a despicable trick.

You know, if any of us had written this into a novel -- with not just a few nasty kids slamming some classmates who are different, but with parents and teachers and the school principal all going along with the cruelty -- we'd be snarked out of the industry. :/

Angie

Bernita said...

Another example of stunning ignorance. I am amazed like Charles.

Angie said...

Bernita -- I just have to shake my head. [nod] Imagine how absolutely terrified those people must be, that a teenage lesbian is that huge a threat to them. :(

Angie

writtenwyrdd said...

I'm more behind in my blog reading than I realised that I missed this!

My first thought upon reading the principal was there was the school staff were, many of them, in on the duplicity.

How shameful.

And what difference does it make to anyone else if two girls or two guys go to prom together? Sheesh.

Angie said...

WW -- My first thought upon reading the principal was there was the school staff were, many of them, in on the duplicity.

Yes, I agree. If that's true (and I have a hard time imagining a scenario where it's not) then it's despicable, and every one of them should be fired. :(

Angie