[lit-ideas] Museums of Tolerance
- From: JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2006 17:50:38 EDT
We need a "Museum of Tolerance" in every major city in the U.S...... Has
anyone been to this place in LA? Know of similar places elsewhere?
Julie Krueger
_http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/_
(http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/)
Real life 'Crash' in L.A.
When I first heard about this story, I thought to myself, "No way can this
be true." These things simply don't happen. However, despite my natural
skepticism as a journalist, the true facts of this story couldn't be ignored.
It goes like this: In 1981, a 13-year-old gay runaway was savagely beaten in
a back alley in West Hollywood, California. The group behind the attack
specifically targeted homosexuals. After the attack, the victim's life would
never be the same. He was fearful of being in public places, even movie
theaters.
Fast forward to 2005. The victim is working at the Museum of Tolerance in
Los Angeles, a place dedicated to educating the public about hate. While
there,
he meets a former neo-Nazi skinhead who served time in prison for attacking
an Iranian couple he thought was Jewish. This man, however, has undergone a
personal transformation. He now realizes he was stupid for espousing racist
beliefs and acting on them.
Over lunch, the two start talking about their life experiences. They quickly
realize they'd met before. Yes, in that back alley in West Hollywood. After
all these years, the victim and the perpetrator speak face-to-face. However,
this time they're on the same side, both trying to accomplish a little bit of
good.
This story is about so many things -- forgiveness, redemption, love, hate --
all the emotions we as human beings are capable of having. That two people
could meet like this after 24 years and begin a friendship is astonishing.
I'd like to give a shout out to CNN Producer Stan Wilson for finding this
incredible story and pushing it through to air.
Posted By Dan Simon, CNN Correspondent: 10:48 AM
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