Let's educate, not scorn

Sam Smith - The news that Matt Damon learned recently from his daughter that using a slang F word was not a proper way to describe gays has produced a plethora of attacks on the star, despite that fact that he is now behaving better than he once was. A classic case is this article in the Daily Mail.

This is an example of a culture that much prefers to criticize the misspoken than to use examples like this to educate others. Too many are far too interested in proving their own moral superiority than in finding ways to help others do better. 

My first reaction to this story was to be impressed by his daughter's wise approach. But while Damon won't be using the F word any more how did he use it so freely for so many years? It suggests its wide use in Hollywood. 

However, if admitting you've done something wrong only increases attacks on you, how many fellow actors and actresses will follow in Damon's path?

In fact, Damon has done some good things as Wikipedia reports:

Damon was the founder of H2O Africa Foundation, the charitable arm of the Running the Sahara expedition, which merged with WaterPartners to create Water.org...

Damon ... is one of the founders of Not On Our Watch Project, an organization that focuses global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities such as in Darfur. Damon supports One Campaign, which is aimed at fighting AIDS and poverty in Third World countries. .... He is an ambassador for ONEXONE, a nonprofit foundation committed to supporting, preserving, and improving the lives of children at home in Canada, the United States, and around the world. Damon is a spokesperson for Feeding America, a hunger-relief organization^.

^{Let's thank Damon and his daughter for eliminating the use of a rotten word and encourage others to do the same. Let's educate others rather than scorn them.}