Although we love to view the world in absolutes, things are seldom black and white. Heroes have skeletons in their closets and assholes secretly donate money to the ASPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan. Okay, maybe not.
But the point is that the world is a complex place, full of moral ambiguity, double standards and mixed feelings.
So we have taken it upon ourselves to bring back the epic binary of good versus bad, right versus wrong, and virtuous versus evil.
We humbly present you Asshole and Hero of the week.
Via: Yahoo News
Asshole(s): Leelah Alcorn’s parents
If you’re a Tumblr user like me, you’ve undoubtedly come across the heartbreaking story of a transgender teen committing suicide. She published a suicide note on Tumblr explaining why she would “never be happy” and blaming her parents for not supporting her decision to transition.
Leelah stepped onto a busy street in Ohio and was struck and killed by an oncoming car on December 28.
This week, her very Christian parents took to burying their child and part of that meant removing her suicide note from the blog.
You’ve already been unsupportive in her life by not acknowledging her desire to transition; you’ve already been unsupportive in her death by burying her in a suit and with her birth name “Joshua.”
Was it really necessary to continue that unsupportive streak because you couldn’t deal with the fact that your child felt like she was meant to be someone else? What if her struggles could have helped others dealing with the same issues?
I cannot imagine the heartache this family is going through with losing their child, but I don’t think removing her last words to the world and to you is a way to get you through that grief.
Via: Bleeding Cool
Hero: Stuart Scott
For those that don’t watch “SportsCenter” while eating their breakfast, Stuart Scott was a longtime anchor of ESPN.
He died Sunday morning at the age of 49, after battling with cancer.
Stuart Scott will no doubt be remembered for his great contributions to sports coverage and of course by the many catchphrases he coined along the way. “Boo-yah” will forever be uttered with great reverence for the man who popularized the term.
But Stuart Scott was more than a man with great catchphrases; he was a fighter. His battle with cancer had been a long one having been diagnosed with the disease in 2007.
This past July, Scott was awarded the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance because of his seven-year fight with the disease. His words were inspirational, saying that “When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”
Stuart Scott was a hero, in every sense of the word. He showed us every day how to see sports a little differently. His long battle with cancer was inspirational, and even though the disease won out in the end, Scott’s legacy will live on forever.
Feature photo courtesy of: Shining Stuff
