No doubt I'm going to sound like an old person (because, well, I am!), but it does seem like parents nowadays are so afraid of damaging their kids in any way that they become leery, if not downright allergic, of behavioral corrections. Which may contribute to what you experienced here.
I'm sorry you and your son had to go through this -- times like these, you can't help but wonder if the melting pot of this country of ours is worth it. :(
Thank you, Sung! You always offer food for thought. I do know that initially, most of my friends and neighbors wrote this incident off as something minor, and said the Boy Scouts shouldn't be kicked out or anything severe for what they did. And it was illuminating to me. Because they had never experienced racism themselves, they couldn't imagine how damaging it could be, especially when your child is one of the victims. But over time, they began to understand things they hadn't before. In some ways, I was their only exposure to a minority (or at least one who was vocal about negative experiences). Now, they're more vigilant than I am and want to punish anyone who looks at me cross-eyed. 😂
Awareness is so important - no matter if it was yesterday or 20 years ago or if you're a child or adult. Recently a client made references to suicide in his show that gave an audience member concern as she had direct experience with it. She respectfully wrote to us and shared her concern. And he immediately replied acknowledging her pain and vowing to do better. Further, we invited her to another show but with a different format so that if she was interested in sharing her story and providing some education, she could. In some situations, 'not' responding can be a strategy, but it is never the answer and it definitely doesn't exclude one from the issue of accountablity. Thank you for sharing!
No doubt I'm going to sound like an old person (because, well, I am!), but it does seem like parents nowadays are so afraid of damaging their kids in any way that they become leery, if not downright allergic, of behavioral corrections. Which may contribute to what you experienced here.
I'm sorry you and your son had to go through this -- times like these, you can't help but wonder if the melting pot of this country of ours is worth it. :(
Thank you, Sung! You always offer food for thought. I do know that initially, most of my friends and neighbors wrote this incident off as something minor, and said the Boy Scouts shouldn't be kicked out or anything severe for what they did. And it was illuminating to me. Because they had never experienced racism themselves, they couldn't imagine how damaging it could be, especially when your child is one of the victims. But over time, they began to understand things they hadn't before. In some ways, I was their only exposure to a minority (or at least one who was vocal about negative experiences). Now, they're more vigilant than I am and want to punish anyone who looks at me cross-eyed. 😂
Awareness is so important - no matter if it was yesterday or 20 years ago or if you're a child or adult. Recently a client made references to suicide in his show that gave an audience member concern as she had direct experience with it. She respectfully wrote to us and shared her concern. And he immediately replied acknowledging her pain and vowing to do better. Further, we invited her to another show but with a different format so that if she was interested in sharing her story and providing some education, she could. In some situations, 'not' responding can be a strategy, but it is never the answer and it definitely doesn't exclude one from the issue of accountablity. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much, Molly.