SATURDAY THOUGHTS: CYBERBULLYING

Yes, yes. I saw it...Yes, yes. I wanted to jump... both feet...Hey. I'm a mom! WHAT?

I think there must be a new game sweeping the nation called, "How Insensitive Can YOU Be?"
I saw the arrogant, self-righteous, sarcastic, shady, misguided, unwarranted cyber-bullying that was masquerading as helpful advice. 

It got attention, alright, but it surely wasn't the kind the poster bargained for! Maybe she thought it would score some points with her employer, or impress her friends. If what she wanted was for everyone to know her name, she definitely succeeded--if you can call being reprimanded by strangers a success. 

At what point did she think this was a good idea? What was the trigger? What was the thought process? 

Hate does that, though. It makes one believe that something profoundly hurtful and stupid is wonderfully helpful and brilliant. 

As she was typing, the little Christian angel that should have been shouting wildly from her shoulder, "Hey!!!Nooooo! Step away from the computer!!! Abort! ABORT!", was obviously in a post-Thanksgiving dinner, high carb, high fat, tryptophan-induced coma.

I wonder if she forgot, or wasn't aware that cyber-bullying is covered in the District of Columbia's anti bullying laws?

God bless the Obama girls. They're not even my daughters, but really, lady? Do people really want to tangle with a mama bear? 

Wise folk, even if they think you're a punk, know better than to set their evil sights on a child! 

If people bear resentment, or just don't like or respect you, they tend to see your loved ones and children as fair game; erase their humanity, ignore their innocence, demonize them, diminish their accomplishments, ignore their track records, and simply fail to care what impact their words or behavior will have.

It's amazing. When people can't rattle YOU, and drag YOU into their nets, they hastily go after those closest to you, hoping that you WILL wile out just so they can say, "I told you so". They must give their own deep-seated hatred an excuse to exist and thrive. The Obamas didn't have to part their lips in reply, or type a single alphabet of a message. The irate Citizens of the Internet did it for them...and we all know how irate those Facebookians and Twitterians can get. To say that they can be ruthless and unrelenting is an understatement.

Dealing with bullies and difficult people is where the Jesus in me really has to stand up, kick into high gear, and push me out of the way. I thank the dear Lord for his sacrifice, 'cause I SURELY wouldn't want to miss Heaven on an "I Hate Bullies" technicality. I had to learn that bullies operate purely from a place of insecurity, envy, ignorance, and weakness. People who are hurting, really DO hurt others in an effort to make themselves feel superior in some way. It takes someone who isn't intimidated, spineless, or afraid to cry "Foul!", to bravely point out a bully's gross errors in judgment and highly inappropriate actions.
It took a while for me to get it--to stop quietly excusing myself from situations where bullies seemed to reign; to stop running; to stop being afraid of making waves, and confront. Peace and harmony mean so much to me, and I hate when it's threatened. I know I'm a bit of a sponge. I hate to see other people being picked on. There's nothing funny or harmless about bullying. It's worse when adults target children. Why do people have to start stuff where stuff doesn't have to be? I had to learn, not to excuse or trivialize the behavior. I had to learn to genuinely pray for, and forgive the many bullies I have encountered-- and not wish that a farmhouse would land on top of them....and explode...and roll down a mountain...into a lake of fire...filled with fire-retardant piranhas.

I hope the young...wait...MEDIA SPECIALIST? Say it ain't so!!! Wow...Anyway, I hope she has learned a very valuable lesson. I hope that her aim, from now on, is The High Road, and closer scrutiny of her OWN actions (considering her job, which would be so tragic to lose in this fickle economic climate). The actions of two very impressive young ladies, who have clearly been nurtured in a manner in which we can all be proud, should no longer be her concern--not publicly anyway. Perhaps it was good for her to expose her true colors and subsequently have a long conversation with God. Maybe she was led to read the book of James, specifically, chapter 3.

I hope that those who advised her to apologize (and scrub her social networking pages) made a genuine impression. I'm hopeful. There's some indication that she has had some home training, and I hope Washington's political climate doesn't strip her of it completely. She has to know, after this weekend, anyway, that there are some bandwagons one shouldn't hop aboard. All she managed to do is shine a boomeranging spotlight on the jolly, drunken, irresponsible antics of two other daughters--who, too, should have been off limits. Fancy that...and we had forgotten all about them.
See? The devil will make you kick your own people in the behind and brand yourself a hypocrite.

P.S. The first daughters don't need any outside help in the style and class department. Their mom clearly has a handle on that.