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Well you seemed to really believe that anyone that objected to Porky Pig being appropriate for children was being overly sensitive.

No, Jeff, I don't. I'm truly sorry that you had the experiences that you did as a kid. It sounds trite, but children can be cruel with things that are different or that they don't understand. That's one reason why it is never a good idea for parents with children to just sit them down in front of the TV for hours at a time without supervision. TV is a major source of ideas and concepts that influence what they do, what they say, and how they act.

Stuttering was an essential part of the Porky Pig character. It's what made the character unique and what made him stand out. In show business, that's important. They don't make movies or cartoons about normal, average people, they make them about unique characters that are memorable. When there aren't adults (or even teachers, for that matter) with the ability to explain that a cartoon character is not real and that real people are hurt when they are teased about things they are sensitive about, the kids never learn that they are hurting someone that, perhaps, they didn't intend to hurt.

Those things can and do hurt, as you know, Jeff. Depending on the kind of family life and friends you have, sometimes these things can give you character, sometimes they give you something that sticks with you for life and makes you angry. Trust me when I tell you that I have walked a mile or two in your moccasins.

You're probably a pretty good guy, Jeff, but you may be stuck back in school when the kinds teased you about something over which you may have had no control. The salient question I would ask you today is this - what are you going to do about it? Are you going to look up every one of your tormentors from school and beat them up? Sounds silly doesn't it?

If I may offer a suggestion - let it go. It's something that happened, but you are alive today and I will bet that you are the better person for having had this experience. You can't change those kids, the only thing you can do is change you. Carrying the anger only harms you in the long run. The time to correct the problem has long since passed. Be the better person and let it go. A long time ago, I developed a philosophy that helps me put things in perspective. It goes like this: 20 years from now, how important will it be? The key is to look back at your life and see what things from 20 years ago really still impact you. For most of us, there isn't very much from 20 years ago that we still carry around with us. Do yourself a favor and unload the baggage. Be who you are - a good guy who looks forward, not behind you.