Tarred with the Same Brush
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382104)
Rockingham, Australia
January 30, 2016 9:24pm CST
I went to our writing group meeting last Friday. We had a workshop with a visiting author on writing a murder mystery for a Dinner in July event which is on the local agenda. The 20 to 30 minute skit will be the entertainment between the main course and sweets. There was a lot of interesting brainstorming of ideas. The skit will probably be a spoof on Midsomer Murders. We were discussing the various standard characters which might be used – the local vicar, the village idiot, a lord of the manor type, etc.
Digressing for a moment, one hot topic in Australian newspapers is the ongoing investigations into allegations of paedophilia especially involving those in the church. This led to one of our members revealing that her husband, a minister, will not wear his dog-collar down the street for fear of being labelled a paedophile. I would have thought this was over-reacting a bit but it's very sad in any case. People can be very quick to brand everyone with the same brush, can't they?
21 people like this
20 responses
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
31 Jan 16
Yeah.... your right @jaboUk. It seems you can't just kill one person .... there's bodies popping up all over the place...
4 people like this
@IreneVincent (15960)
• United States
31 Jan 16
I wish I could join a writing group again. I was the secretary of West Virginia Writers for two years when I lived there and I was also involved with another group called WRAP. (Writers, Readers, Authors, Poets) I enjoyed it very much but have not been able to get involved with a group here in Virginia yet. I looked on line, but didn't really find anything that I thought was worthwhile.
4 people like this
@zebra2222 (5268)
• United States
31 Jan 16
Some people act too quickly in making judgments of others.
3 people like this
@Missmwngi (12915)
• Nairobi, Kenya
31 Jan 16
They should not but too bad they do,thats the kind of world we live in
3 people like this
@marguicha (230350)
• Chile
1 Feb 16
I agree with you that people are too quick to brand others.
Your characters for the murder stories reminded me of the Agatha Christie´s books I read long time ago.
2 people like this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
31 Jan 16
It's a shame that that still happens people tarring everyone with the same brush...., it happens in lots of different areas.... but like you I think that is an over reaction.... unless he has already been hassled by someone....
2 people like this
@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
31 Jan 16
I was very surprised by my friend saying this. I would not have thought that people would judge so quickly unless someone has already made unkind remarks - as you say. There is plenty of suspicion against Muslims too but they don't all suddenly stop wearing the hijab.
2 people like this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
31 Jan 16
@JudyEv that's true...., without wishing to appear ignorant..do you have many Muslims in Australia ??
2 people like this
@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
31 Jan 16
@sueznewz2 We have 1/2 a million (2%) Muslims in Australia and Islam is the 4th largest religious group. I guess these figures are taken from the census. Many people would put 'no religion' I think in the census. There seems to be a lot, particularly in some areas in the cities. Most just want a peaceful life like the rest of us. It is the others that are a worry. 
3 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40847)
• Laguna Woods, California
1 Feb 16
Your murder mystery skit sounds like a lot of fun. My husband and I have gone to a couple of them and enjoyed them very much. I agree about people painting everyone with the same brush. It is a type of prejudice, isn't it?
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
31 Jan 16
Yes, very true. It is sad that so many monsters go into certain professions. But they do so because they have easy access to their victims.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
1 Feb 16
@JudyEv Coaches, clergy, scout troops, education. All are full of potential victims.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
1 Feb 16
@ElizabethWallace It astounds me that the perpetrators can be so charismatic. Somehow I tend to think they should all be sleazy on the outside as well as the inside.
2 people like this
@paigea (36143)
• Canada
31 Jan 16
Oh, my husband is like that. He just thinks all catholic priest are preying on little boys. I can't make him stop talking like that. He will admit that is incorrect when pinned down but then he will make some dumb comment. And this reminds me of a title I read on the side of my page here. Should petafiles be able to serve a sentence and get out of jail. Just goes with your other post.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
31 Jan 16
People like your husband speak without thinking sometimes (or even with thinking). Although abuse in the Catholic church system might have been the first to be uncovered, in Australia all churches are involved - also men in school boarding-houses, scouts, boys' groups, surf clubs, etc. I was very saddened to learn it had happened within the Salvation Army. For some reason I thought they would have been above such behaviour.
2 people like this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
31 Jan 16
I'll talk about the writing class as I'm interested in mysteries and would join if I was in Australia- yes- you have to have the chief of police and then the sidekick too and make the murder over money or an affair--lol! I have been a long time lover of Midsomer Murders for years! Love it!
2 people like this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
1 Feb 16
@JudyEv What a fun entertainment for you and your friends!
1 person likes this
@nottoooldtowrite (2715)
• Philippines
31 Jan 16
Sad but hasty generalizations do happen. Like the saying, tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.
2 people like this
@nottoooldtowrite (2715)
• Philippines
31 Jan 16
@JudyEv really sad. People tend to go with the flow.
2 people like this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
3 Feb 16
The move of no wearing the dog collar during such hysteria with hunts is wise. There have been cases of paediatricians being assaulted and in some cases killed because idiot vigilantes think any word starting paedo means the same thing
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
31 Jan 16
There are a lot of official enquiries here at the moment. It wasn't just the Catholic church, at least not in Australia. Anglican, scouts, even the Salvation Army, have all had many accusations made against them. It seems it was in any and every institution.
2 people like this
@maggs224 (2317)
• Alicante, Spain
2 Feb 16
I can understand the vicar because people are very quick to respond to that kind of thing and often do so without thinking. I know that some years ago in the UK the house of a woman paediatrician was stoned and had paint thrown on it. The locals got the words paediatrician and paedophile mixed up. Just imagine what they would have done if it had been a man and they had got hold of him instead of his home. It doesn't bear thing about.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 Feb 16
That's terrible that the paediatrician was attacked. Paedophiles often had a bad time in prison too and would get bashed. I don't know if it still happens.
@Dragonairy1 (1722)
• Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
2 Feb 16
That is a shame, people always seem so quick to think the worst.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 Feb 16
Especially where paedophilia is concerned I think.
