Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
In a shocking display of the growing intolerance in our so-called “tolerant” society, the grandmother of an autistic boy received an anonymous letter from a neighbor suggesting that the family either move or euthanize the child and “take whatever non retarded body parts he possesses and donate them to science.”
CityNews.com is reporting that the letter was delivered anonymously to Brenda Millson, the grandmother of 13 year-old Max Begley from New Castle, Ontario. The letter begins by calling the family selfish for allowing Max to play outside.
“You selfishly put your kid outside everyday and let him be a [sic] nothing but a nuisance and a problem to everyone else with that noise polluting whaling [sic] he constantly makes!!!” the letter says. “That noise he makes when he is outside is DREADFUL!!!!!!!!!! It scares the hell out of my normal children!!!!!!!”
The letter goes on to call the boy a “hindrance to everyone and will always be that way,” then takes the parents to task for letting the boy live.
“ . . . (N)o employer will hire him, no normal girl is going to marry/love him and you are not going to live forever . . . Personally, they should take whatever non retarded body parts he possesses and donate them to science,” the letter said. “What the hell else good is he to anyone!!!”
The letter ends by demanding that the family “do the right thing and either move or euthanize” Max.
The letter was so hateful and callous, “I was shaking when I was reading it,” Millson told CityNews. “It’s awful words…terrible. You don’t know why somebody would ever do such a thing.”
Neighbors are outraged and vow to discover the identity of the person behind the letter.
Police have been contacted and the family is open to pressing charges.
Judging by the comments left on the CityNews website about the episode, the surrounding community is equally furious.
A woman named “Allison” wrote: “As the mom of a boy with special needs, this was disturbing to see, but unfortunately people don’t realize that its more common than they think. My son endured the bullying by this teacher . . . for 8 months and we were on 2 news programs…. I hope that as a result of this people will be more loving and understanding of our special people when they cross their path. . . . It’s about rallying around this beautiful boy Max and his family, and pushing hate to the side and uniting. As I said, its common, and after what Jordan endured, we created a Facebook site to raise awareness about the bullying of those with special needs…”
Another commenter, Helene Hamilton, wrote: “If the anonymous (cowardly) writer of this letter, who has so little control and is clearly so capable of hate and intolerance, thinks for one second that her ‘normal’ children have a good chance of growing up normal under her influence, the world is likely to teach her several tough lessons in the future. She exhibits the worst of humanity and I feel sorry for any child raised in a home filled with such animosity.”
The full text of the letter can be read here.
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