TW, virtual season, episode 7

Virtual Season, episode 7: The Hunt
by beesandbrews and such_heights

sundries, mostly about bullying

During Passover, the Vatican has compared the tone of the outrage currently being directed at the pope and the Catholic church over the various sexual abuse scandals to the persecution of Jews. NOT ON.

The FAA finally moves towards doing the right thing and relaxes some of its archaic rules about pilots and antidepressants. This includes an amnesty policy for pilots who are currently taking anti-depressants and lying about it for fear of losing their license.

The Pentagon has just realized that doing research on repealing DADT violates DADT.

The Superintendent of Schools where a girl hanged herself after being systemically bullied blames the victim over here on CNN. Apparently, you see, the dead girl was "a very private person." When people are insulting you at all hours of the day (at school, in the town, on your cell phone, on the Internet) and telling you that you are worthless and deserve to die and telling everyone else you're a druggie slut whore that deserves to die, you know what? You don't go for help. Because you only know one thing: it doesn't exist.

A New York Times article seems to indicate that bullying at the school is a systemic problem, and people knew about it in this particular case. Additionally, a girl who spoke up on the news about what happened to the girl who killed herself was then subsequently bullied herself; not that that was anything new either, apparently.

Meanwhile, an op-ed addresses the "Myth of Mean Girls," which is worth reading for the degree that it reminds us that there's not been a sudden increase in violence and harassment among girls due to the Internet or whatever else we're blaming this week. However, what the piece misses, to my mind, is the idea that just because the problem isn't new, doesn't mean the problem doesn't deserve attention.

I went to all all girl's school, and because of that you cannot convince me that brutality amongst women is the exception to the rule. Why would it be, when we are told at every turn that the only way to stand up is to knock someone else down and that our entire existence should be devoted to competing for scarce resources (men, beauty, love) without which we are nothing. I know all about mean girls. So is it possible the only reason I didn't kill myself as a teen is that once I was home they largely couldn't get to me and so I at least got a few hours off each day? Yeah, it's damn possible, but I also stole money out of my mother's purse each night, in case I had to run away; it wasn't like I believed one day things would get better.

Bullying, to my mind, has always been about the enforcement of supposed norms and of superficial order. Adults overlook it because it's "just one of those things" or because they went through it too or because they were bullies themselves (or still are). A certain level of bullying is even arguably convenient for disciplinarians -- let the kids keep each other in line, who cares if ti's like Lord of the Flies. I mean, let's face it, adults bully and encourage the bullying of children all the time. What we do to queer kids in this culture is just one example.

I finished the werewolf story. Apparently when given the slightest opportunity, whether I mean to or not, I write horror filtered through farce. I don't know if it's good or if it will suit, but it's in. I'm grateful.

now it can be told

You know that thing I believe where sometimes it's only the future that explains the stuff that's happened in the past? And you know how I have this thing where my entire life tends to be governed by a really peculiar and relentless sort of serendipity?

Okay, so, get this:

So despite thinking there was just a very slim change of this happening (I know I've made vague noise about it to a few of you) it's now pretty much a done deal that Patty's next bit of international academic travel means she's going to be spending 10 or so weeks in Cardiff this fall.

Yeah, what are the odds of that, right?

We cannot stop laughing (and everything we find in random books about Cardiff, I'm like, "I think I used that in a story"), and we're going to have to learn how to pronounce things and OH GOD, I really need a winter coat that's not Jack's.

Also, to totally round this out for Torchtasticness -- Patty'll be in India for about the same period of time in early 2011, and I can visit her there too if we can make $$ and time work. Fandom, say it with me: Cardiff, Switzerland, India. This is my life.