Violence is the son of hate, hate the daughter of fear.
The human response to the unknown, anything different, is
far too often fear. Fear is a powerful emotion, but it exists beyond the
control of its host who is left weak and crippled by its occupation. This state
of being is unwelcomed by all, so it is quickly traded for anger and hatred.
These are also very powerful emotions. Unlike fear, though, they offer the
illusion of strength and confidence to their owners who, desperate to sustain
their delusions, channel their hatred into violence.
Gloria Naylor’s “The Two” describes one such act of violence
born of hatred. Tess and Lorraine, the newest residents of Brewster Place, were
nice girls “who mind[ed] their business and never [had] a harsh word to say ‘bout
nobody” (Naylor 811). However, upon discovering they were lesbians, the
community began to ostracize the pair. The people feared that women “sinning
against the Lord” (Naylor 811) in such a way would corrupt their neighborhood
and their children. Lorraine would lose her job as a teacher if the school
discovered her secret. When Tess stooped to clean the scraped knee of a tearful
child, the girl’s mother yelled, “What are you doing to her?” (Naylor 822). Fear
soon gave way to accusations, name-calling, and threats. Ultimately, Lorraine
was caught alone in an alley by several young men “with an erection to validate”
(Naylor 830). She was brutally raped and mentally destroyed.
Naylor’s work is fiction, but the horror she describes is
not. David Kote, like Tess and Lorraine, lived differently than those around
him. He was open about his homosexuality and championed the equal rights
movement for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals in Uganda where same-sex relationships
are illegal. Officials in Uganda believe that eradicating homosexuality “will
be good for [their] society” (Damon 2:45). A 2010 tabloid banner captured the
fear and loathing many Ugandans feel toward gays:
David’s picture was one of the 100 referred to by the
article’s title. After its publication in October 2010, David’s fellow
villagers threatened to burn his home. Even his mother said “[she] would
condemn him, [she] would hate him” (Damon 0:27). Just three months later, David
was beaten to death with a hammer.
The stories of Lorraine and David are strikingly similar.
Both were shunned and persecuted by people hiding behind a mask of religion.
Despite such cruel treatment, each refused to deny their sexuality. In the end,
they were both attacked; one lost his life, the other lost her sanity.
No comments:
Post a Comment