Rights :: essays research papers

One would think that the story of Matthew Shepard would bring people together over a tragic event. On the contrary, Matthew Shepards death seemed to pull the nation apart, due to peoples conflicting points of view. Should Matthews heartbreaking death be seen as any other(a) killing, or should everyone take it upon himself or herself to be responsible for what happened to Matthew? When reading the article Blood on our Hands, I conceptualise that the writer had a hard position about his argument. Phil Martin states that everyone should take responsibility for Matthews death because people everywhere reject the unfamiliar and label others without thinking about the consequences of their actions. I believe that he is correct that we in the United States do not take the time to understand people who are different than we are. Being in a minority group as a young Jewish woman, I can empathize with the writer when he talks about being risky with self-sanctimonious religious leaders. Wh en religious officials speak out about courageouss, Jews, Muslims or any other minority they need to realize that people may take their speech communication and apply them. How can anyone be shocked about the death of a gay man, when it is being taught that gay people are not deserving of god?Nobodys cause is more important than anyone elses. Everyone should educate themselves about the differences we face in America. Understanding is the key component to making change happen. If gay activists stood for the equality of women, and if women activists would stand for the equality of African Americans, then everyone would stand for something. They would stand for the equality of all Americans in this country.The problem with this theory of mine is that people mechanically put the blame on others and points the finger the other way. In Matthew Shepard What is the Big Deal? Colby Carter uses personal attacks at gays to bolster his opinion. He states that protestors at a snappy March i n New York waved signs reading, Where is your rage? in response to the death of Matthew. I think the writer takes the word rage out of context because he insists that gay protestors were using violence to solve the problem. I see people waving signs that display the same message outside of abortion clinics. Anyone can be angry about something they believe in strongly without having someone jumping to the conclusion that they are violent.