Laramie Project Reaction
Rachel Chollett The Laramie Project
Laramie, WY, is a modest town which became ignominious overnight in the fall of 1998, when Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was found tied to a fence after being callously beaten and left to die, setting off a nationwide dispute about homophobia and hate crimes. My reaction to this moment in time initially is horror and shock that people did and do these unspeakable acts to their fellow human. However, I can also appreciate the many different views that were portrayed in the film.
Without knowing any of the details of this crime, it’s easy to become very upset over the animosity that one would need to feel in order to follow through with the atrocious operation committed by the two boys. It riddles me that neither one of the offenders thought to stop. Maybe they did but didn’t know how. How were they able to return home with no reverberation to return and check on the offended? They must have been paralyzed with fear or maybe they had no concern at all. When trying to relate to people guilty of crimes that personally I couldn’t commit, I catch myself relieving the thought by conceptualizing myself hugging the condemned. I harbor that love can heal all things and all people. I truly do believe that no one wants to feel that kind of angry; that, in fact, we all want to love and be loved.
Having said this, I should also mention that I come from a very religious background. Like most of the “small town” folk portrayed in the movie, my family is known to quote the bible when it comes to subjects such as this one. Even if they didn’t mention any verses, my related would tell you that they were not raised to believe in such lifestyles. I don’t blame it on them being “bad” people, because I know them to be extremely loving and nurturing humans, I believe it to come down to being a product of your raising. Fifty years ago, people were not taught to have their own beliefs; rather, to listen to your mother and father and
Laramie, WY, is a modest town which became ignominious overnight in the fall of 1998, when Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was found tied to a fence after being callously beaten and left to die, setting off a nationwide dispute about homophobia and hate crimes. My reaction to this moment in time initially is horror and shock that people did and do these unspeakable acts to their fellow human. However, I can also appreciate the many different views that were portrayed in the film.
Without knowing any of the details of this crime, it’s easy to become very upset over the animosity that one would need to feel in order to follow through with the atrocious operation committed by the two boys. It riddles me that neither one of the offenders thought to stop. Maybe they did but didn’t know how. How were they able to return home with no reverberation to return and check on the offended? They must have been paralyzed with fear or maybe they had no concern at all. When trying to relate to people guilty of crimes that personally I couldn’t commit, I catch myself relieving the thought by conceptualizing myself hugging the condemned. I harbor that love can heal all things and all people. I truly do believe that no one wants to feel that kind of angry; that, in fact, we all want to love and be loved.
Having said this, I should also mention that I come from a very religious background. Like most of the “small town” folk portrayed in the movie, my family is known to quote the bible when it comes to subjects such as this one. Even if they didn’t mention any verses, my related would tell you that they were not raised to believe in such lifestyles. I don’t blame it on them being “bad” people, because I know them to be extremely loving and nurturing humans, I believe it to come down to being a product of your raising. Fifty years ago, people were not taught to have their own beliefs; rather, to listen to your mother and father and