Now Hear This: Sue me — it’s the American way
Hurt feelings could be worth big bucks. Had your self-esteem damaged lately? Then SUE somebody for goodness sakes.
This is America! This country, an already dangerous place to live, is getting more hostile by the day. We’re turning on each other by the hour. Be ever on guard people the enemy lurking could be your neighbor, a co-worker, a teacher, policeman ? ANYBODY!
Self-esteem, (low self-esteem) already one of human-kinds major personal issues, is being preyed upon from all corners. Battering another’s self-worth, always morally wrong, is now subject to the courtroom.
In this months issue of Reader’s Digest, Tucker Carlson’s article titled, “That’s Outrageous” tells the story of four seventh-graders at Ridgefield Academy in Connecticut who broke into their school with a stolen key, and ransacked the place. They took food from the cafeteria, stole from the band room, and threw eggs at a school bus.
The next day, the boys bragged about their nighttime adventure into breaking and entering. After several days of deliberation the youngsters were expelled.
Did the school press charges? No! Were the parents grateful? Not all. The parents of one of the boys were so outraged at the treatment of their son, claiming he had been “harassed” and “defamed,” they sued, seeking monetary damages for treatment that caused their son “feelings of unworthiness” and left his “self-worth impugned.”
How about that! Is this a great country or what!
Next thing you know they’ll ban holidays because they make some people unhappy. Too late. They already have. Carlson’s article states Valentine’s Day has already been banned by some schools because of sensitive emotions. Mother’s day ? gone from one day school in Manhattan, because not everyone has a mother at home. In that case we better forget Father’s Day too.
The Reader’s Digest story reported that several years ago in the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance argued that many traditional children’s games such as dodge ball, kickball, musical chairs (I always hated that one) red rover, and tag are competitive, exclusionary, and therefore bad for a child’s, you guessed it, self-esteem.
OK, you get the picture. I don’t suppose there’s any incident in modern-day America that potentially couldn’t make somebody feel uncomfortable. Maybe I better look into that “legal insurance” a friend was telling me about the other day.
Right here I was going to try and be funny recounting some of the all-time great hurt feelings- such as Cinderella, any day in the dentist chair, when you scold your dog, and he immediately lies down with his head between his paws looking up at you with those beautiful brown eyes as if to say, “I’m really sorry.” (How do you feel now?) But I ran across something from an unknown author of an unknown source I need to share with you.
Question! Are you a bucket-filler or a dipper? This is the story of a bucket only it’s invisible. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves and others.
When things are going well we’re happy. Our bucket is full. It can be filled by a million things. If someone compliments you on how nice you look, or a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up.
But let’s remember this is a story about a bucket and a dipper. Everybody has a dipper and they can get their dipper in your bucket. This too can be accomplished in numerous ways. If somebody says unkind things to you that person has just dipped in your bucket
Some people have holes in their buckets. They constantly are trying to get their dipper in your bucket. Life’s drama is therefore often played out between the bucket and the dipper. Now, comes the secret. When you fill another’s bucket it does not take anything out of yours. The level in our bucket only gets higher. On the other hand when we dip into another bucket we do not fill our own. Rather the level in our bucket goes down.
Low self-esteem? Bucket needs filling. Hurt feelings? Somebody’s dipping in your bucket. Let us resolve then to put aside our dippers and touch someone’s life so their bucket will be filled.
(Hope Hines is a sports reporter for Channel 5 who has recently started writing a general-interest column.)