Stop Using the Death of an Icon to Bully People
RBG deserves better from both “sides” and so do we.
A couple of days ago, my peaceful morning ritual of sipping my steaming coffee while reading the news was interrupted by screaming from outside my house. At first, I tried to ignore the shrieks, recognizing that they were coming from kids across the road waiting for the bus.
Kids will be kids, they’re loud. Okay. As the screams continued I heard a distinct tone of panic in them. Something was wrong. I hurried out of my house, barefoot but coffee in hand, to see what was happening.
One child, middle-school aged, was hollering for another child, high-school-aged, to “give me back my bookbag” because “I neeeeed it”. I watched for a moment, perhaps I didn't need to intercede. As I saw the older child stalk toward the younger, I took action. I crossed the road quickly and spoke loudly, “Are you okay?” “ Do you need help?”
The incident resolved with the older child returning the bookbag, the younger child insisting she was okay, and me watching from my front step until the bus arrived. The younger girl sat in a window seat on the side of the bus facing my house, she smiled and waved as they pulled away. I smiled and waved back, giving a little nod and a look that I hope said, “I’ll help if you ever need it.”…
