Ahem,
easyt65
this cartoon is not what the students were advised to respond with
but to maintain the higher ground and not stoop to the same level as their baiters.
Agreed...this is what the Catholic Students were faced with / up against...and they handled it with calm and discipline. I applaud them.
Dear
easyt65 you remind me of something I read in
a Catholic bulletin called Bread and Roses.
It explained the REAL meaning of Turning the Other Cheek in the Bible.
Most people fear this means to act so passive as a doormat that you
not only don't engage in violent defense, but you "let it or enable it to keep going."
And that is INCORRECT.
In those days of slavery, slaves were a second class not considered human equals
so for citizens you slapped them righthanded which hit them on the LEFT cheek.
But for lowly slaves, they would be slapped BACKHANDED which hit them on the RIGHT cheek.
Jesus was saying if you are going to be reprimanded,
you demand to be addressed as an EQUAL peer, not as an inferior.
You turn and offer the LEFT check and ask to be addressed with equal respect
and standing as a citizen.
“Turning the Other Cheek”: Jesus’ Peaceful Plan to Challenge Injustice
In this case, the student group was in unfamiliar territory approached by two groups
they didn't know.
First they respected civil laws by which all people and groups have the right to assemble and exercise free speech
to petition, to protest, even shout and scream so long as it isn't disrupting the peace and causing disturbance,
such as death or bomb threats which are illegal, or calling 9/11 on a false report, etc.
They did not engage in any inciteful or disruptive behavior, so nothing can be blamed on them later.
Had they said or done anything, of course, that would be used or abused to argue it was a mutual fault on their part.
When the media stories started coming out,
they relied on their school authorities to answer and address this
as EQUAL institutions. Not as individuals being picked off one by one as the pack mentality tactic goes.
So that's what we have now.
We have people using MEDIA to try to address this.
And the people and groups who stand together on the right ground,
who are NOT trying to incite or blame but trying to RESOLVE the conflicts,
are the ones who will unite with others with the same motivation and will succeed.
Any of the other slapping around with negative insults and attacks
is not the point of this exercise and will run out of ammo at some point.
If there is going to be a REBUKE it is going to be on CIVIL grounds
as respectful equals and PARTNERS in a relationship.
So the students and school are attempting to keep this civilized.
Some of their supporting media ARE following and respecting this.
Some are not, and unfortunately using this to mudsling so we have
the whiny angry victims jumping in going back and forth, too.
That is unfortunate, but even though the fighters in the ring
or the players on the soccer field may be good sports and following
the rules of the game, the fans in the audience may not be so civilized with each other.
That's no reason to blame the players in the game.
If we want our leaders to win, we should reward and encourage
them to win by the rules, not use low blows to get back at each other.