The MSSD Incident

So some of you may have already heard about the MSSD incident where 7 students attacked another student and marked him with KKK and Nazi symbols. For those of you that don't know here is a CNN.com newslink:
The MSSD Incident

What bothers me most about this incident is not just the racist attitudes and hate crimes, but the fact there seems to be a double standard going on here through out the deaf community.

It is bad enough that people put down deafies just because we can't hear. Often I found myself labelled as deaf and dumb as a child and throughout my school years. When hearing people offend us we stand together as a strong group and say enough is enough.

It is bad enough that in the general world population people will commit crimes against another person just because they are black, gay, a woman, or if their religious beliefs are different.

But in the deaf community, I see double standards. We share our stories about being put down and shoved around by the hearing world, but amongst ourselves we find that we oppose Deaf homosexuals, Deaf blacks, Deaf women, and Deafies whose religious beliefs may be different from our own.

It is not right to be put down, and it is not right to put down others, but it is mind boggling to me when I see someone who's been put down so much, start to put down others. To me, it shows a lack of character. There's no need to go to a lower level to make yourself feel better. Surely one can rise above that and say to themselves, " I am not stooping the level of namecalling and hate crimes ". Sometimes the bigger person is the one that ignores the bullies and moves on with their lives and helps others deal with their issues in a healthy manner.

As for the student I hope he is OK, and I hope the other 7 have realized their mistake, use it as a learning moment in their lives and realize that everyone is the same, no one is better than anyone.