hott (Brandt Hott) (12/16/89)
>From article <10047@zodiac.ADS.COM>, by charleen@deimos.ADS.COM (Charleen Bunjiovianna): > The whole point? What point? They were killed because Lepine was > mentally ill. I hate to disappoint you, but there is no point. Oh but how often we try to write off the crimes of death as being caused by those stricken with mental illness. And what is this thing we refer to as mental illness? Is it to be described as a mind state which causes a person to take the lives of others? So we should feel sorrow for Lepin since an uncontrollable state of mind caused him to take the lives of those so young and innocent? Just as much sorrow we should feel for Hitler and those who made the decision to drop the atomic bomb on the civilians of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Or how about those such peoples who support animal abuse and factory farming? How about the heads of corporations who invest in slavery stricken south africa and support the destruction of the tropical rainforests? How about those who slaughter elephants for ivory and those who buy the ivory, the fur coats, the animal tested cosmetics? How about those who rape womyn and beat their children and dwell in child pornography? How about those people who support atomic weapons of massive death? The factories which dump major pollutants into the environment that end up causing cancer - killing people, killing animals, killing the earth? Perhaps Lepin was no more insane than anyone. Perhaps he was frustrated with his existence and tried to place the blame elsewhere just as so many others. In a world so full of hate and self denial the innocent are always the ones to be blamed/hurt. Lepin hated his life and he needed a reason. He looked to society and society pointed him to the womyn. Indeed we live in a society whose predominant religion has as a part of its doctrine a belief that the womyn is repsonsible for bringing evil into the world. Since platonic existance the womyn has been thought inferior. Man has always been threatened by the womyn though the reasons have always been unjustified and deeply rooted in male dominated history. As long as the people of this society continually try to persecute others for their own problems such things as the Montreal Massacre will continue to have the possibility of happening. As long as we refuse to stand up for each other and let it be known that everyone has just as much right to live as everyone else such things will happen. Our society provides a platform for such devastating events to occur. What Lepin did was not out of the norm of how womyn have been treated since the beginning of recorded history. He may have been insane but the society in which he lived is just as much to blame for his actions. As long as we be silent and let people look upon others as less than human the pain will continue. People need to let themselves be heard and educate those who support prejudice/hatred agaisnt others. It must start with the children. They need to be brought up with the basic belief that everyone has the same intrisic dignity and worth as everyone else. The school education system at K-12 level needs to include the womyn, especially in history. Books need to be re-written such that references to he,him,his that are meant to be genderless also include womyn {s/he,her/him,her/his,people,them}. For example Eli Whitney did not invent the cotton gin, rather a womyn did. Such errors need to be corrected. Feminism needs to reach everyone to the point that they understand everyone in this world is in it together and everyone has the right to live a life without having unjustified harm pain inflicted upon them by others. May the Montreal tragedy be the spark for a human rights movement more powerful than this world has ever known... May we stop waiting for our popularity role playing governmental braindead leaders to lead and become ourselves leaders. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- //Brandt Hott//////////////////Tired yet? Its only the beginning.... //Diagnostics Engineer////////I have no reason for being me I just am //Solbourne Computer Inc./////////////////////// //////\\\\\ //email: hott@Solbourne.Com //Hmmm..............///////\\\\\\\ //boulder!zeppo!hott////////////////////////////////////////////////// --------------------------------------------------------------------------