Look for the Helpers

So some stuff happened.

Some rotten people said some rotten things. I'm not even going to dignify them by using their real names. They don't deserve any recognition.

But just for a quick summary....

The Tale of the Enchanted Pizza Rolls Or
The story of Mr. Big Pants
and Ms. Angry Ruffle Pockets

    Once upon a time there was a land called Kennewickville. In this land was a king who surrounded himself with counselors. One of those counselors was a man named Mr. Big Pants. Now Mr. Big Pants thought he was pretty important, and he thought he was pretty funny. In fact he thought he was so important and so funny that he could say whatever he wanted, even if it was mean and not actually that funny, AND he thought people should laugh like it was a hilarious joke.

Pants possibly near as large as the pants
mentioned in this tale. 

       One day Mr. Big Pants told a joke about the people in the nearby land of Yakimaville.  Nobody thought it was funny. In fact it made a lot of people mad.  The people in Kennewickville had a lot of friends in Yakimaville, and they didn't think it was right at all for someone like Mr. Big Pants to be making fun of them.  The people of Kennewickville started talking about asking Mr. Big Pants to resign, and even asking the king of Kennewickville to banish him. Mr. Big Pants didn't like this one bit. In fact, just to show how sure he was of himself he started telling even more mean jokes about even more people.

   Meanwhile the people of  Pascoland had heard about the mean jokes Mr. Big Pants was telling. They didn't think they were funny one little bit. But the people of Pascoland were glad, since Mr. Big Pants didn't live in their kingdom. They really didn't like that kind of talk happening in their land.  

 One night the citizens of Pascoland were having a meeting to discuss the needs of the children of Pascoland. Lots of people were talking and sharing ideas about the good things that could be done. But then one woman got up and shared an idea that confused everyone. Her name was Ms. Angry Ruffle Pockets. Ms. Angry Ruffle Pockets was VERY angry at Mr. Big Pants. She thought the school board should help the children of Pascoland by telling Mr. Big Pants to stop being so mean to the children of Pascoland. Now, everyone was surprised by this idea, since they didn't know Mr. Big Pants had even said anything to the kids of Pascoland. That's when things got interesting.

Oooohhhh! So ruffly!
You'd think they would
make the owner happier... 

    It turns out Mr. Big Pants did say something mean about some of the kids of Pascoland, but it was said on a private Facebook page so no one knew about it. No one knew about it that is until Ms. Angry Ruffle Pockets started sharing the post all over Facebook. People in Pascoland really started getting mad at Mr. Big Pants for being mean. People also started getting mad at Ms. Angry Ruffle Pockets for repeating Mr. Big Pants mean words all over the place. 

Well, lots of people wanted to help the children of Pascoland stand up against the mean words of Mr. Big Pants.  Some suggested the kingdom no longer trade with anyone in Kennewickville as long as Mr. Big Pants was still there. Others made formal statement condemning Mr. Big Pants' words. People started talking in general about how mean words can hurt and scare children. People talked in general about how people need to be sensitive and kind to others. People can actually be pretty cool some times, you know.

The news said the kids of Pascoland were saying What?
Yeah, that didn't happen.

Then the news got involved. Unfortunately, they led people to believe that lots of kids all over Pascoland were crying because other kids were copying people like Mr. Big Pants and saying mean things to each other at school. This wasn't actually the case. In the end a lot of people had hurt and angry feelings, and Mr. Big Pants became the most famous person in Kennewickville, Pascoland, and all the surrounding kingdoms.  Mr. Big Pants still thinks he is really important, and the people of Pascoland have spent a whole lot of time worrying about somebody who doesn't even live in their kingdom.

As I've watched the events of the past two weeks unfold, I have been very sad to see so many of my friends angry and deeply hurt. I've wondered what I could do to help.  Would standing up against Mr. Big Pants be helpful? Or would it just give him the attention that he is so desperately seeking?

While pondering what to do, I was reminded of a quote by my hero,  Mr. Rogers.

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."

I would like to take Mr. Roger's advice and point out just a few of the helpers in this situation.

Our KIDS

At the community meeting where this topic was first brought to light as it relates to Pasco's kids, a principal there stated that children had come to school crying because they were concerned their families were going to be deported. They apparently either overheard things about immigration law enforcement either from their parents or from the news that scared them. The principal said that other students were comforting and encouraging the children to help them not to be afraid. Unlike what the news reported, students were not at all trying to hurt one another. They were trying their best to help.

Our TEACHERS

At the same meeting, a teacher confirmed that many students come to school scared and confused about issues surrounding racism and prejudice. She told of how she has regular conversations with her students about what racism looks and sounds like, the importance of tolerance, and how they can stand up for themselves while still treating others with respect.

Our SCHOOL BOARD

Although the school board as a whole chose not to fulfill one community member's request to formally go on record denouncing the words of "Mr. Big Pants," at least one board member did personally make a public and formal statement encouraging everyone to reach out to one another in respect, humility, and love.

These are the helpers. These are the people that matter. Not the Mr. Big Pants of the world. As my friend TayTay always says, "Haters gonna Hate."

Don't you even let Mr. Big Pants tell you what you gonna do.
You just go and be amazing like I totes know you can.

In Pasco we love. Every child. Every day.

That is why I love Pasco.