Very sick

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
Mark Twain

Hi Liz,

At one time or another, nearly everyone on this list would have sounded "very sick". It's when the person first realizes that they are facing hate- and fear-mongering disinformation from a thousand sources that condemn the person in a hundred ways -- none of which in most cases apply.

It's not necessarily the person posting who's really sick: It's the prejudice they encounter in the current system.
People react to prejudice in pretty much the same way: a deep sense of helplessness and rage.

Frankly, it's far better than the rage finds a voice. If it doesn't find a voice, the rage may consume the person. In most cases, they become self destructive, then in time, painfully cynical.

They become cynical about relationships, the other sex, and the sense of betrayal -- then fear -- simply becomes a daily anxiety that never releases their mind. In most cases, they strike out at themselves in some way.
In a very rare case, they strike out against others where they see a representative of the prejudice. Those stories make the news.

The people who suffer in silent anxiety and depression for years don't bleed where you can see it. They just suffer.
These are the people who come to distrust others and their government.

Before you condemn one of these men or women for what they say in anger, fear, and anxiety, remember this: In time, they may become the finest people you will ever know because they have had their deepest beliefs and feelings tested.

Should you condemn them for the ugly things they say in such a state of mind? Yes. There is no reason to condone such ideas; and they have to move out of that black hole. Just remember they are human; and you aren't seeing the best of them.
Yet.

(Myself, a response on fathers4equality)