Write a letter (two pages or so) to a “straw man,” someone who is not a friend or family member, but who was a significant figure in your life as a child or young person. This should be, for example, an elementary school teacher, a soccer coach, a piano teacher, etc.—someone associated with a specific period in your life, a period long enough ago that you would not have a clear sense of events occurring beyond your neighborhood or region. Addressing your writing to an adult who would have had the social consciousness then that you have now will help you to maintain a mature perspective as you explore the memory.
In the letter, recount a specific personal event that had a notable impact on your life alone, and which occurred while you were, say, that teacher’s student. Incorporate references to what we’ll call a “global” event that made headlines in the newspapers at the time. Try to find a headline(s) as close to the date of the experience, as well as you can recall, as possible. If you cannot determine the exact date through your memory or others, approximate as best you can. In essence your letter is an attempt to connect your childhood experience to a larger social and historical consciousness you may not have had as a child.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Professor.
Good day. I hope life has treated you as well as it can be. I am now 28 years old. The last time we seen each other was 16 years ago. A life has passed since down and gathering does not sound like an option anymore.
I am now a boring engineer seated in front of a computer all day and all nights. I am also married with a healthy three-year-old son. In this past year’s life has changed a lot. It was obvious that you were gay at the time or at least you have a type of vibe that feels gay.
As in many times you were sculling us, for actions, non-actions, and undiscipline matters. It was okey and fun. The moment that I start realizing things were serious is when you were talking about: “and what?” “It does not matter if someone is gay.”
You were sculling us regarding to understand that someone sexual preferences did not matter, and you were right. The year of 2005, 2006 and 2007 were highly violent years. As a 11-year-old boy I did not get it. Someone was killed a few blocks away of school, in movies and tv death is very common. Well, as a matter-of-fact death was not common in the Early 2000s Monterrey. The 90s were safe and nice. Now, I understand the harsh situation that you have with us. It really did not matter if we were learning math, Spanish or shit. The actual matter was the fight for a proper growth environment provide to the children that you have at the time. Now that I am adult is less seeing but the situations that you should have face regarding the gay discrimination has all the sense of the world now.
Being happy or at least open to the world it should have been a difficult task for someone like you, and the dilemma of how to provide a strong but fair education, should have been something that morale was complicated.
I imagine that in the morning when you were driving to the work or while you were preparing yourself for the classes, watching or hearing the news regarding that someone from the gay community was killed, abused or even worse. I am not sure how you feel at those specific moments, but I know that when you see the faces of a bunch of young people.
The decision was clear. It was necessary to explain that love preferences, were not an insult, were not something wrong, neither bad, was something that each person decides, something like choosing a colour.
It had been words and a teaching that has been with me for the rest of my life. I am thankful because I believe if I had not meet you, I might be a man blind my misbeliefs. 2007 was hard on all. All the sudden deaths, the stop of the night life and start to learn on how to protect ourselves.
Thank you for everything Mister Roberto. I hope you have a great life.
No comments:
Post a Comment