Pinky promise me!

Look, I was a bitch in high school, (I'm only a part-time bitch now) but I don't think I ever conceived of being THIS mean...

If you don't feel like clicking on the link I'll give you a quick run-down. Do you remember the girl Constance from Mississippi whose school canceled prom so she couldn't bring her same-sex date? Well the kids pulled some Roadrunner type antics and invited Constance and five other students they thought weren't "cool" enough to one prom and then EXIT STAGE LEFT, the rest of the school went to another secret prom elsewhere.

Does this make you angry like it did me? And also sad, confused, despaired, disappointed, and and and... Mostly reading about this stunned me though. And then I had questions. Why was there SO MUCH effort put into hurting someone else, SUCH hard work dedicated to an attempt to shame another person, so MANY thoughts about how to put others down to make themselves feel better?

I personally don't understand some people's fascination with who everyone else is kissing at night. Unless I am interested in holding hands and skipping with you down the street, I have no personal investment in if your significant other pees sitting or standing. You can snuggle the night away with whatever consenting adult you so choose, I judge my friends on the really important things- like whether or not you appreciate the finer points of Maury and if you'll judge me for my vodka habits. (PUB GOLF CHAMP 2009!)

So what to do about this? Cry and say "KIDS ARE MEAN" (my 6 year old brother called me fat the other day so YES THEY ARE) or feel bad for Constance (I get the feeling she doesn't need pity, she seems like a strong girl) No, have you ever heard the saying "Fight fire with fire"? Well don't do that- it's stupid. You'll start an inferno & burn down the entire forest- didn't that big bear teach you anything?

Use water or an extinguisher if you have one handy. If it's a grease fire they say smother it.

So I say we pretend this is a grease fire. And smother it. WITH KINDNESS.

Seriously though, take an extra second to think about this and let it light a fire (MAN I AM ON FIRE- last one I promise- WITH THE PUNS/SYMBOLISM TODAY) under your ass to think about how we treat other people this week. Because no matter what your feelings about homosexuality or tolerance or prom, we can all agree that this was cruel and sad. And most of all UNNECESSARY. I really love what The Bloggess (Who you should be reading- she is hilarious and I want to be her best friend- mostly because she hides in bathrooms with alcohol bottles and I already have to pee every 5 seconds so I think the arrangement would work out well.) has to say about this.

Particularly this part: A special note to every single person reading this who thinks that they are alone or different or forever broken…you are not. You are part of a special tribe that you just haven’t found yet and we need you. All the best people are broken. Keep fighting until you find your place. It does exist. I promise.

Now let's all pinky promise (I take these VERY seriously by the way so don't lie to me- even the virtual ones!) to smile at a stranger today or say something nice to someone we don't normally talk to.