Birth of an 'ism

There was a child.

He was a demon child. Filed with spite and cruelty the boy wreaked havoc on any who dared tread in his path. He had no sympathy, no morality, no kindness. Hatred and anger, lust and greed were all that beat within the putrid confines of his festering heart.

The child's parents knew of his evil, but they blithely ignored it, or downplayed its consequences
"He is improving, look at all the progress he's made," they would say when noting how he moved from maiming human babies to only torturing small animals. They would blame his violent streak on the video games and movies that dominated the media landscape, noting that their baby boy was only a product of his time.

The other children on the street feared the boy.

He did not respect their humanity. They were objects to him, only fit to be manipulated, used or destroyed. If they had something he wanted, he took it. If they lacked something he had, he sneered at their lack.

Yet, the boy's parents remained oblivious. They refused to consider that anything serious was wrong with their little man. Even when they acknowledged his most heinous flaws, they excused them and chastised others for being so negative. They claimed he was the victim of a smear campaign, and that it was no longer safe for a good, honest boy to grow up in America.

Amazingly, they called on every other parent in the neighborhood to solve their son's problems even as they undermined those efforts.

When the other children fought back, they were accused of torturing the little tyrant, and told to practice forgiveness. When other parents scolded him, they were reminded that their own children were not perfect so they needed to be less critical.

The boy's parents said that his problems were too large for them to handle alone, yet any solutions not proposed by them were immediately met with disdain. It was if the parents wanted workers, not partners in their fight to change their son.

Over the years, relations between the boy's parents and everyone else devolved. Common ground was scarce. It seemed that the boy's evil fed and sustained him, and in some ways provided comfort and succor to his parents. They benefited from the money the boy generated through his heinous actions, they basked in the sense of pride they felt when he accomplished great deeds through nefarious means

After a time, the boy's parents were no longer concerned about reigning the boy in, in fact they brushed off most attempts to discuss his actions. He was their son, for better or for worse, and nothing would ever change that fact.

Nothing at all.



Share