Go full speed ahead

Dave over at Chewing the Fat, on his award winning blog, writes a poignant letter to Ben Stiller about the ways using the "r word" hurts. Here's part of it:

Years ago, Mr. Stiller, I met a man with Down Syndrome who was in his late 30's. I met with him because he would no longer leave his house. He abandoned his work (yes, he held a job), he abandoned his friends (yes, he had friends), he abandoned everything he loved and enjoyed in the community. Why? Because he had decided that the world was a cruel place. That he no longer wanted to walk the mean streets. That he never wanted to be called a 'tard again. He had had enough. He would stay in and stay safe.

He writes about being in a food court and overhearing young people using the phrase going "full retard" for the first time, a phrase "commercialized" by Tropic Thunder. A for profit phrase. Oh- and yes - school is starting in a few weeks and the phrase will be in full gear.

I am weary this morning , having struggled last night to fix a technology glitch. Three hours of working with a stick in my mouth on the phone with tech guys hitting buttons etc. Ugh.

But, weary or not, I firmly believe that no matter what we face we need to not back off from negative words or behavior. Lighting a candle is a much better choice, although sometimes harder. The answer is not to hide but to go "full speed ahead".

Damn those torpedoes.

All I can say to those involved with Tropic Thunder is that you're either part of the problem or part of the solution.