 by Melissa Harris-Perry |
COMMENTARY
The Internet is a brutal place. Shielded by digital anonymity, bullies are emboldened to unleash cruelty that shames, hurts and silences their victims. That seemed to be what was happening when a young man posted a photo of Ohio State University sophomore Balpreet Kaur in the 'funny' section of social news website Reddit.com.
The caption read, "I'm not sure what to conclude from this." Kaur is a Sikh woman. Her appearance is unusual because she has facial hair that she chooses not to remove. She did not know this photo was taken. She did not know it was posted on the Internet. She did not know that strangers were ridiculing her appearance.
When she found out, this was her response:
"I'm a baptized Sikh woman with facial hair. Yes, I realize that my gender is often confused and I look different than most women. However, baptized Sikhs believe in the sacredness of this body... By transcending societal views of beauty, I believe that I can focus more on my actions."
No anger. No vitriol. No name calling. With that thoughtful, brave, and breathtakingly graceful response, Kaur altered the all too familiar storyline of Internet cruelty and personal shaming. And she transformed her would-be enemy into her ally.
The young man who posted the photo responded by admitting that his original post was "ignorant." He took action against that ignorance by reading up on the Sikh faith and reaching out to Kaur personally. After reflection he says, "It makes a whole lot of sense to work on having a legacy and not worrying about what you look like."
This story reminds us of so many things we desperately need to remember as we move into the final month of of election season. No matter how many times you hear the words battleground state, we are not at war with one another. Our neighbors are not our enemies. Even when the actions of political candidates communicate that it is okay to dehumanize and mock each other. It isn't.
Although everybody will be looking to land the best one-liner in the debates, what really matters in a democracy is taking the time to listen to each other and to learn something.
Thank you Balpreet Kaur for the reminders.
Leave a Comment:
I find it very interesting that nobody has commented here. Perhaps people are reflecting and doing some introspection as to how THEY would have responded, how THEY would have reacted. I admire this woman for responding the way she did, and even more, in a way, I admire the young man who had the grace to reflect and reach an understanding.
Powerful indeed -- their words said it all.
Very nice story. An eloquent response by the young lady and equally respectful response by the young man. I especially like the fact that he made the effort to at least research the facts and realized his error. Have seen so many of these posts that the offending party just leaves it out there and doesn't have the respect to respond personally to the person they are offending.
melissa harris perry is easily the freshest smartest voice on all of television. what a
great story. I am so glad that young man came to his senses,,,,and also the courage it
takes to back down, back off, to give up the need to be RIGHT. t
there is nothing so shallow as judgement inspired by appearance.
m missy
Thank you for airing this segment, Professor Harris-Perry. We can all learn to be more kind and understanding online and in real life.
Thank you Professor Harris-Perry for running this segment. We can all be more kind, compassionate and caring online and in real life.
This is a great example of bravery and empathy leading to understanding and peace. Wouldn't it be great if we could all be that brave. Thank you Professor Harris-Perry for sharing such a beautiful story.
Remember the "GOLDEN RULE & the 10 Commandments." Now, if only our politicians would understand that people are people & we all want peace....When women take over the world, I hope we practice what we preach.
We have all grown a little bit from your wisdom Balpreet Kaur. It is a teachable Moment. Actions based on ignorance, hatred, and avarice poison the soul. But turning poison into medicine, makes all of us evolve. Dialogue like this tells us that our legacies of ignorance, hatred, and avarice, can improve. If this is an example of the dynamics of youth in this time period, we are truly blessed in America. You made the moment significant for our world, professor. Thank you.
Bearded women and nerd ladies. Is this what MSNBC has been reduced to? My religion requires me to braid my pubic hair. Why isn't Professor Harris Perry doing an expose? The circus freaks' contempt and anger is clearly demonstrated in her anti-social behavior and masked by her glossy-eyed cult convictions. Does anybody doubt that she'll be voting for Obama?
Cult convictions, voting for Obama? Your oviously a racist Normand you Noob, go back to worshipping Hitler and hopefully you will die one day like him, Lots of Love mmmmmmmmmm.......
oh yeh sry for ticking your comment that was a mistake hahahahaha!