It Gets Better?

It seems as though there has never been a worse time to be a homosexual youth in America, and the recent wave of teen suicide brought on by bullying at the hands of their peers certainly supports this notion. The It Gets Better Project was established to help combat this problem. Now this organization has recruited a great deal of support from many noted and respected gay individuals like Ellen, Neil Patrick Harris and Chris Colfer from the hit show Glee. Not only that, other individuals with a vested interest in human rights have stepped forward to speak out on the matter - including US President Barack Obama.

The It Gets Better Project lists the following as their mission statement:

THE PLEDGE: Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I'll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other bullied teens by letting them know that "It Gets Better."

I agree with the aims of this campaign, but have one simple problem with the majority of videos and statements provided by people to support this project. It doesn't GET better; you have to make it better. I recognize that there are times when life can truly suck, and it seems as if nobody will ever understand you or accept you for who you are. However, in this age of information and technology there is always some means of talking to someone who can help you get through your problems. Chris Colfer speaks out about The Trevor Project, a 24-hour suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth. Forums can be very useful for addressing problems since you can talk to a variety of individuals in similar situations, but anonymity can be protected. I am typically a proponent of active, face-to-face communication... but at the same time, I realize that is particularly hard to do if you're not ready. Individuals who feel as though nobody will ever understand them should take advantage of these sources to learn that there are indeed people out there going through the same thing, who make it to the other side and see that life really does have more to offer than the taunting, bullying, harassment and hatred would have you believe.

What's more, the Make It Better campaign takes this notion one step further. While the It Gets Better Project seems to focus on support and encouragement (a necessary and applaudable notion), the Make It Better campaign has a decently organized website providing youth AND adults tools and means to help make the community around them a better place, supportive of all those who call that place 'home.'

The world can be a scary and angry place, and it often seems like it will never reach a perfect step. Just remember that if you don't give up hope, stay true to yourself and take an active hand in changing the world around you it will indeed get better.

Putting the "No" in Techno!

So today saw a spike in nerdiness I had not experienced in sometime: My friend Leigh and I had a truly existential conversation on the notion of communication in the modern era. Mainly, we were complaining about various aspects of "txt speak" that irritate us, but it started to lead into deeper and more hard-hitting points. Undoubtedly, I'm of the opinion that technological advancement has done a great deal to damage our ability to communicate. At one point the complete history and culture of a civilization was dependent on oral tradition, yet now it is possible to "communicate" without once making actual contact with another human being. This, I feel, is shameful.The very nature of communication is (in my less-than-humble opinion) to make a connection with someone else.

Well, all this talk of communication reminded me of this: a duo a friend and I put together/performed on the ways technology is impairing our culture. I was proud that the idea for this came to me after seeing a lolcat image with the phrase, "I can haz thumbs now?"

Enjoy!

Blackberry Blogging

So apparently I'm capable of blogging from my blackberry. I'm not entirely sure that this is the best possible idea, considering how random my mind can be. The benefit of having to wait to get to a computer is that ideas have the opportunity to mature a bit before I present them to the world.

For example... If I see an interracial dwarf couple, I can now talk about it almost immediately. (Seriously though... He had a cane and a purple hat!)

This all just poses the question of whether or not technology is making life better, and I'm not convinced that it is. I also have a hard time believing life is any easier... I may be able to call people across the country, but I used to not care as much. It helped make seeing friends special, now it just reminds me how thankful I am to be separated from some magnificently stupid people!

I'm not going to say all technology is bad... Personally, I like not dying of random diseases. Communicative technology, however, must be viewed with caution. Cultures based on an oral tradition tend to be closer and more unified... Though there may be no correlation.

That being said... This blog was posted via my Blackberry. :)