From
The Observer, the student-run, daily print and online newspaper serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary's.
Before R.J. Mitte’s Q&A session even ended, a line already stretched
out of the Washington Hall theatre, down the stairs and almost out of
the building, with everyone waiting for an opportunity to shake Mitte’s
hand.
Best known for his role as Walter Jr. (or Flynn) of the
Emmy-award-winning show “Breaking Bad,” Mitte came to campus Tuesday
evening to discuss the effects of bullying as well as to advocate
against cruelty toward the fellow man last night courtesy of SUB. Mitte
expressed to students and all in attendance the true capability of
humanity, of how he — as a man living with cerebral palsy — has fought
to attain and remain in a position that few, disabled or otherwise,
could ever hope to have.
Mitte talked about the popular series, which concluded Sunday evening, in addition to his anti-bullying message.
“I loved the finale. I thought it couldn’t have been any better. I
really couldn’t … I think it ended perfectly. It ended the way it needed
to end,” Mitte said.
However, anyone who watched the show knows that does not necessarily
mean a series finale filled with a picture-perfect ending, where
everyone lives a decent, modest life of simple happiness and innocence.
“This show was never going to have a happy ending. When you live in a
world of violence, you come out to a world of violence. Once you start
going down that slope, once you start getting in bed with these people,
they won’t let you leave,” Mitte said.
Mitte is no stranger to violence. A victim of bullying ever since he
was young, he had to endure the pain of having his feet stomped on and
hand broken because of his cerebral palsy. Mitte insists that there are
countless forms of bullying — be it physical, emotional, cyber, verbal
or even the types that people will never see or hear about.
“When they do happen,” Mitte said, “people don’t realize the damaging
effects — the long term effects — bullying has on people. Bullying only
adds to what they’re dealing with on a daily basis. Eventually they’re
going to retaliate. They’re not going to retaliate at the bully. They’re
going to retaliate at the people they care about the most,” Mitte said.
However, Mitte understands that this is not an impossible problem to
solve — people are available to help. Mitte considers himself lucky for
having family and friends to go to battle with these bullying-victims.
People are around that want to get involved.
Unfortunately, as Mitte says, for as many people who do want to get
involved, there seem to be an alarmingly large number of people who will
just watch.
“I remember, I was about 14 years old, and we were at a farmer’s
market. This older woman, she fell, and these people were literally
stepping over [her]. They wouldn’t help her out. She wasn’t asking for
help, but she was lying down on the ground.” Mitte said.
Mitte was the lone person in the entire vicinity to take initiative; it
was then, he says, that he realized that that was the world we lived in
— where people will step over each other. People will not think about
each other. And Mitte understands that this may be what people are
inclined to do, to not do. Yet Mitte encourages people to be involved.
Even if it may not be the easiest choice, Mitte implores people to get
involved and offer their help.
“You see someone who’s getting picked on, that’s when you get involved,” Mitte said.
However, Mitte did not come to simply talk about sensitivity to those
who may seem disabled; he also offered his wisdom on the capabilities of
men and women, whether or not they are able-bodied. Mitte’s own battle
has — and will continue to be — a life-long journey.
“I was 3 when I was diagnosed with my disability. I grew up dealing
with OT (Occupational Therapy), speech therapy, all different types.
Dealt with bullies, dealt with people telling me I wouldn’t amount to
much — even my own father — and I’ve shown them. And at the end of the
day, there’s one thing to remember; there’s another one. One more day,
one more person trying to stop you, one more person trying to take what
you have. The trick is to fight for what you believe in, to fight for
what you have, to fight for who you surround yourself with,” Mitte said.
Mitte has fought hard, putting himself in a position to succeed, and
cites his own drive and ambition as a reason for his success — a drive
that is, according to him, characteristic of anyone with disabilities.
“People want to stand on their own two feet. It’s even more so with a
disability. They’ve had so many people cutting them down, saying, ‘You
can’t do this. Someone without a disability should be capable of 10
times more than someone with a disability. But the thing is, you see
more people with a disability with lower options fighting for a better
future. They actually are fighting to get what they need. Most people
are not willing to fight for what they need,” Mitte said.
Mitte, however, has been fighting a continually long fight — for equality.
“Equality is the biggest fight. Disability, race, religion, no matter
what it is: at the end of the day, equality is the biggest fight. Once
you understand equality, once you have equality, there shouldn’t be any
doubt. It’s one of those things that one problem can fix many,” Mitte
said.
Mitte knows his fight isn’t going to end anytime soon, but he said it’s
a fight worth fighting for, and it’s not one he’s going to give up on.
“Equality means respect. Respect is equality. When you have respect for
people around you, without labeling, without seeing them as ‘the
minority’: that’s equality. We all bleed the same blood. I’ve never seen
a baby push someone away … Equality has been a fight for thousands of
years. It will not be fixed over night. It will not be fixed by one
voice. It will be fixed by thousands of voices. It will be fixed by
multiple ideals, multiple people, multiple belief systems. That’s when
we’ll have equality,” Mitte said.
As Mitte talked about these ideas and his hopes for the future — no
matter how distant — a certain look in his eyes betrayed a wisdom and
patient determination beyond his 21 years. No matter how long, no matter
how distant — Mitte is willing to fight everyday.
