Why "Dear Mr. Vernon"?

As a teenager in the 80s, I was heavily influenced by the films of John Hughes. While my favorite was "Sixteen Candles", I was most affected by "The Breakfast Club". The letter composed to Mr. Vernon by Anthony Michael Hall's character was short but effective:

Dear Mr. Vernon: We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But, we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But, what we found out is that each one of us is: a brain . . . Andrew Clark: And an athlete . . . Allison Reynolds: And a basket case . . . Claire Standish: A princess . . . John Bender: And a criminal. Brian Johnson: Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club.

The cliques that tried to define me in high school no longer exist, but attempts to label us all continue. We lump people into categories based on their religious beliefs, their gender, their political affiliations, and their socio-economic status. We see others as we want to see them: in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But we are so much more than those categories imply - and more often than not, the category definitions are not accurate. Each one of us is more than society's definition of us.

So here's "Dear Mr. Vernon" - my drop in the ocean, my shout into the void, my scream at the machine. I hope whoever reads this understands that I am a work in a progress, that I know I am not always right, and that I will strive to be respectful of alternative points of view. I just ask that any readers do the same.