Eleventh Challenge Piece
As a many of you may know, recently Colonel Russel Williams has been accused of the murder of both Jessica Lloyd and Corporal Marie France Comeau. In addition, he has been charged with two separate accounts of breaking and entering, forcible confinement and sexual assault. Colenel Williams was the commander of CFB Trenton and was a man who had a considerably good reputation, he was an Olympic torch bearer and he recently helped with relief efforts for Haiti. He was a man who was respected, trusted, and admired by many.
Consequently, recent events have caused quite a stir among both military personnel and civilians alike. Of course, Colonel Williams’ actions were appalling, and the fact that he manipulated his good reputation and the trust people had in him was awful. I am in no way defending his actions. However, I have heard of how some people are grouping their opinion of the military based on the actions of one man. I find that this is both ridiculous and immature. To think that one person reflects any group they’re a part of is backwards-thinking.
I have heard of people spitting on military personnel, and I find these actions inexcusable. Military officers deserve respect; they do a world of good for a lot of people, especially the people of Canada. I have never found war itself to be a good thing; in fact I find it an immature way to “solve” conflicts. However, the military does a lot of other good things. And they are people who deserve the respect, especially from the citizens of the country they serve.
To base opinions of a group of people based on the actions of one is backwards and old-fashioned. People like Colonel Williams, who are willing to abuse their power and do such terrible things exist in all professions and in all walks of life. Teachers, priests, coaches, business people, rich people, poor people, it doesn’t matter where a person works. People will sexually assault people and kill people, no matter where they happen to get your money from. You don’t see people spitting on every priest, teacher, or John Doe they see on the street. Honestly, a mentality of grouping people with a stereotype based on one is the mentality that supports racists, sexists, ageists, and other people with biases.
My condolences go out to the families and friends of the victims of such terrible crimes. For those who have been shocked by the actions of Colonel Williams, his fellow officers, family and friends, I hope that you will be able to make it through these unfortunate events and find support in each other. Also, my support goes out to the military officers, I hope you know that there are many people who still respect you and know that you cannot be represented by one bad officer. And to those of you who have been basing your opinions of the military based on Colonel Williams, and those of you who have been spitting on the officers, I hope that you take a moment and actually think before you continue to act in such an immature fashion. I hope that people can move on from these terrible crimes.