R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to [YOU]

As part of the weekly routine, I go in and participate in my Chemistry workshop. [LOL I noticed I've been pluggin Chem alot lately]. So trying to be a good student, I try to answer a question, and it just so happened to be one of the "exceptions" aka trick questions so I got it wrong. I sat there and as soon as I blurted out the answer, I was attacked by my fellow students. I was coo but I decided I'd just sit and listen. As I sit there, I made a very brief observation when the facilitator stopped lecturing for a minute and this is what I saw:

These people are like animals.

Swarming all over the prey- 

just so happened this prey is success...

definitely not weaker than the predator;

it's actually stronger than it.

It's the one causing this mass hysteria and frenzy.

We all wanna get to the top, 

so why not help me out instead of attacking me for being misinformed?

It's not my fault I didn't know at the time,

so don't punish me like it is.

Don't punish me for being different,

For being unique,

For being myself at the time.

There's enough room for us all up there.

Just be patient.

So then I head back to participating and engaging in the conversation about the reviews for the coming midterm. Wrong move on my part, I guess because as soon as I ask another question, I release another trigger, as if I was the target and he was just waiting for the trigger to be pulled then bam! He shoots. Here's how this went down:

[Reviewing chemical formulas and some are shouting them out from memory.]

ME: How do yall memorize these things? 

(turned to the board, reading the formulas to myself)

ASIAN MALE: It's called having a brain. 

(with a straight face sitting across the table from me)

ME: (turns around to face him) *jaw drops* and stares hard

Then he realizes he shouldn't have said those words and says, "That was mean huh? Dang I shouldn't have said that..." I wanted to say something back so badly but I was completely stunned by his comment and the ignorance that fell behind it that all I could do was look at him with my jaw dropped. I turned back around to face the board and acted like it didn't happen but I kept hearing him and others around him saying, "That was really mean" or "You shouldn't have said that..." Too late though, pain, although small, was already inflicted.

That shit caught be off guard cuz I usually don't take those comments too seriously, but just this one time, it hit me hard. Like I was really shocked and speechless for the rest of the workshop. Hear me out though because this is what I think about this. He didn't know me and I don't know him. We just so happened to be in the same workshop together so know your boundaries man. You don't go around saying stuff like that to people you don't know, especially not without saying "Just kidding" or whatever, and especially if you're in the same workshop, the same space trying to get further assistance to understand the material. Don't tell me I have no brain muthafuckah cuz clearly, I have a big enough brain to think twice before I would say shit like that to someone I don't know.

Ellen Degeneres is gonna be on our campus giving away prizes today. I hope one of those prizes is respect and the other is manners because I sure would gladly pass that up and on to some of these people. I have my manners but clearly, some of them lack it.

Peacefully,

Julieanne