Diamonds in the Rotundo

Several weeks ago a young man in his early 30s made national headlines when his parents took him to court to kick him out of their house. They kicked him out because he was not working or holding down any sort of job, they felt he was not helping out enough with the chores around the house and living with them was perhaps holding him back. I have not read the court documents or heard the parents speak, but these are some of the presumed reasons. Apparently, he lost his job eight years ago, and some time around then he also lost custody of his son. He moved back in with his parents at that time due to his financial situation and lack of support, yet has not been able to pull himself back onto his feet and become independent in that time. Here is an interview of the young man, Michael Rotundo, on CNN, where he is trying to make the case and justify his actions.

It is clear to me that Brooke Baldwin, the news anchor, did not respect Mr. Rotundo and see him as an individual with a desire for self respect and a legitimate thought process, flawed as it may be. She was condescending and patronizing, yet she was not even the worst. On the Fox News show "The Five," the co-host laughed at Mr. Rotundo's predicament and seemed to derive pleasure in the opportunity to ridicule him, ignoring both his pain and the pain this situation clearly causes his parents. I highly doubt his parents were joining in their laughter in any way. To have taken such a drastic measure, it seems they ran out of other options. If someone truly cared, they would answer the prayers of this sweet couple and try to reach out and encourage their son in a way they failed. How tone deaf do you have to be to belittle in any way or assume a statistical lesson from an individual scenario.

I was heartened, however, by the reaction, or rather, proactive action, taken by Alex Jones from Info Wars. He invited Mr. Rotundo as a special guest, and while he did not hide his displeasure and even disrespect for some of Mr. Rotundos behaviors and attitudes, he acknowledged him a as person worthy of being taken seriously. He engaged him in conversation and debate on serious topics. Sharing his visionary worldview of a great destiny for humankind; Michael was regarded as a vital partner in a joint mission to save humanity. He pointed out the positive attributes, not just the negative. What is more, Alex refused to refer to Mr. Rotundo as a charity case or a loser, and insisted that the $3k dollars was not a handout, but rather a well deserved payment for a media appearance. Maybe some of the others, and even some educators and psychologists should watch this interview and take a page from the InfoWars playbook.

This situation hit me on a personal note, having been so often misunderstood and judged for limitations I had that others could not see. I felt compelled to reach out to Mr. Jones and share my impression of how he handled the situation and was able to see the humanity and potential hiding inside the darkness of a troubled soul. This is the email I sent him.

To Mr. Jones,

Hi! I was really impressed with your interview with Mr. Rotundo. I had the feeling that the media were exploiting his family's pain for their propaganda purpose. What was most disturbing to me was the coverage on the fox News show "The Five", in which the hosts took amusement in belittling him and his misfortune. Whatever people say about your news reporting style, to me, in that moment, you demonstrated compassion, a respect for human dignity and a true gift of perception. I am a newcomer to the blogging and YouTube space and I would love to write more about my impressions of this interaction and what it means to me, or to come onto your show for an interview. I live in Israel, so probably Skype would be the best option, it that is something that interests you. My greatest passion is sharing how I have seen first hand the way society in the US, within and outside the entitlement system, seems to discard and disregard people who have mental illness, or are even just quirky. I have found a plethora of resources and networks to help people who don't "fit into the box" here in Israel. I would love to discuss how this benefits society as a whole and how the systems and programs developed in Israel for the mentally ill can be adopted worldwide. If you have contact information for Mr. Rotundo, I would be interested in collaborating with him. You can reach me via email avishagbatshunam@gmail.com, or Instagram @shunamgirl I have a YouTube channel and my blog is easiest to find with the address Theshunamshindig. Blogspot. Co. Il

I look forward to hearing from you.

Avishag Batshunam