Thornton, Colorado, February 23, 2017. A heartwarming story broke of a teen inviting a peer with special needs to their school prom, replete with onlookers, flowers, and even serenading violins. It’s the kind of story we all love to hear. The two became friends as he volunteered in her gym class as a helper. His face glows with the esteem he has for her, in spite of her wheelchair. “Funny and smart,” are words he uses to describe the girl for whom he planned this elaborate prom-posal. It’s what every parent like me would dream of for their kids.
https://youtu.be/_aN3ZUDZkAA
Recalling how it used to be
I couldn’t help but watch this news report and think of how that sort of scenario would have played out in my generation. I attended high school longer ago than I care to admit. Still, I recall the piercingly cruel joke of one of my peers during a phy ed class where we were in a dreaded segment on square dancing.
During a pause where the students waited for the teacher to regroup, a fellow student got down on one knee and mockingly proposed to a girl with unspecified special needs, “Karen, will you marry me?” I can still see her, large head protruding, hairline receding, unnaturally bulging eyes, outdated clothes and noticeable body odor, all eyes on her as she uncomfortably looked around. The boys in the class let out an uproarious laugh as one brave, angry, female student yelled, “You are SO immature! Knock it off!” I felt like crying for the subject of this cruelty. It was the worst nightmare of any teen on the face of the earth.
