Public school kids: it is a shame that when mummy and daddy handed you that silver spoon to put in your gob that they didn't teach you to respect others!
I have been asked by a few people what the story behind it was and I haven't really said anything due to the anger that the situation actually caused. Now I've calmed down, I'm happy to mention why I got angry.
I went to meet my father at his workplace for a coffee, which is at YSJ uni, the way I walk to uni is via Bootham, which takes me past the delight that is St Peter's School. But the event which I am talking about happened on my way back home.
Upon nearing the school, I caught up with 4 female pupils who where following a middle age man who was walking with a prominent limp, and these young 'women' had been following him for a while, basically taking the piss out of the way that he walked. I overtook them and slowed down when I got near the man to see if he was ok, and he was crying his eyes out. He knew exactly what those girls were doing behind his back. I asked him if he was ok, he said no and asked if I would walk past the school with him. I said yes and walked part of the way home with him while he told me the reason that he had a limp. He had been born with a slightly shorter leg and couldn't help it. Once we got past the school and to a point our paths separated this man thanked me a lot for the kindness I had shown him.
These girls knew their actions where upsetting this man, yet continued to take the piss out of him. Just because they could.
If the man hadn't asked me to walk with him, I would have been straight into the school to tell them how disrespectful their 'privileged little brats where', but the man also asked me to let the issue drop because as far as he was concerned words would not help solve the issue.
But the question here is, why should we be afraid of speaking out against discrimination?
I'd also like to take a moment to thank my parents for teaching me manners and respect for others.
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