4 thoughts on “dear customer who stuck up for his little brother”

  1. I agree completely. So, so sweet. That big brother is more of a man and an adult than his father ever was or ever will be. That father ought to be ashamed of himself for behaving in such a horrible way. I am glad that the little brother at least has his big brother there to love him and protect him like he should be loved and protected, but I am sad and I fear for what life will continue to be like for that poor little boy and his brother having to continue to live with such a horrible person for a “father”. That big brother is more of a “father” than his own father will ever be.

    And I love the video store clerk’s reaction too. Good for them all for standing up to this boor of a man who calls himself a “father”, and I hope he does learn a lesson or is at least shamed when and if this story goes viral. Sadly, though, I doubt that he will ever be ashamed of his own conduct towards his sons. And if this is the way that he treats his sons, by threatening to hit them and by being threatening and abusive towards them, imagine how he must be treating the mother of these two boys. I hate to think what the home life in that house must be like…and what it must be like for those two little boys on a daily basis, having to put up with all that.

    Because if that so-called father acted like this once, it can’t possibly be the first time he has acted like that, and it cannot possibly be the first time he has been abusive towards his family. Men who act like this and who feel a need to somehow prove and assert their masculinity and dominance over all others and who feel the need to act all macho and puffed up and anti-feminine and anti-gay in actuality themselves probably have their own suppressed feminine tendencies and feel that their masculinity and manliness in the eyes of the world would be under threat if it ever came out to anyone or if they ever let any weakness show in any way, because they even see weakness itself as a feminine attribute.

    Men like this are the bigots, racists, child-abusers, homophobes, and wife-beaters of the world, who cannot ever come to terms with the fact that manliness doesn’t have to be just macho, beer, guns, cigarettes, and bravado, but that it has many other sides as well, and that men can be sensitive and like things that are traditionally considered to be feminine and still be just as much of a man as anyone else. After all, every woman likes the universally desired “kind, sensitive type” of man, doesn’t she?

    Sorry this was such a long response here, but this brought out a lot of thoughts in me. Again, I apologize, and if you don’t want to post such a lengthy response, I will understand.

    Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful story with all of us. I am so glad that I am subscribed to your blog!

    Reply

    • Scriptor…thank you for sharing your thoughts. You have given voice to the concerns that so many of us share about children who grow up in homes where there is little tolerance for being different. I took great hope from this story, however. One of the things that I’ve taken notice of in my own life and in observing the world at large is that we are increasingly forming “families” with and looking out for the well-being of people to whom we are not related. The store clerk made the younger brother her family when she took the time to speak words of encouragement to him. I think we are all so much more aware of bullying and intolerance, and I believe that, on the whole, we are more willing to step forward and act in a similar manner when we see the need.

      These three family members, however different, are teachers for each other. While the younger brother is experiencing intolerance from his father, he is at the same time being shown love and tolerance from his brother, which will be his shield against despair. He may be experiencing darkness, but he is also being shown the light. The older brother is modeling courage and strength for both his father and his brother. The younger brother is shining a light on the father’s own prejudices and insecurities. For me, there is still hope that the father’s heart may be touched…after all, he is only modeling what was modeled for him (what must his childhood have been like?). The older brother has discovered, at a very early age, an inner strength that he might not have touched into if not for the need to protect and defend his little brother against his father. They are all being presented with issues that speak to a very deep place in their souls.

      I had a friend (sadly, he passed away from complications due to AIDS) who grew up with a similar father. He was well into adulthood before he found acceptance from his father, but it did happen. So I know that healing and change can happen, even in situations that seem utterly hopeless. And it is this that I hold to…that there is hope, even when it seems most improbable.

      Reply

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