It Gets Better

[monster]

Two guys made a video about being happy gay adults in response to the suicide of a gay teenager in Texas. They called it "It Gets Better", and set up a youtube channel, encouraging others to make videos. This morning -when my attention was drawn to it, it was just their video. Now there are half a dozen or so.

I think this is such a great project. It may not be a solution to the problem, but at least it's something. It's sort of like what happened for nerds when Bill Gates became a household name. Only better. Just a glimpse of light at the end of the tunel, of something better out there when it feels that maybe it isn't really worth carrying on.



http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject

[Flint]

Hey, that's awesome.

[xoxoxoBruce]

But what if children see it, and catch the gay?

[monster]

It's ok, they most likely have Norton or McAfee to deal with that

[Cloud]

Like!

It gets better, and is getting better with the hard work of all the LGBT activists and regular gay people, and any other person who will not accept bigotry and tolerance.

Of course, high school is frequently hell for many of us, regardless of sexual orientation.

[monster]

Seriously, though, that middle school/high school age is so fucking awful if you aren't "popular" maybe it's fucking awful for everyone, who knows? I don't -I was on the podgy/swot/nerd/parent-are-divorced-oh-the-shame list. I suspect many of us hardcore dwellars were not on everyone's party list. It would've been nice to know that people like me stood a chance in adulthood.

I always figured I'd be a loser adult too, but it never occurred to me to do anything about it -positive or negative. It just sort of happened as I went to uni I got a fresh start and it became clearer that maybe i wasn't actually a loser (jmho ). And life has just got better from that point.

I guess that's why this struck a chord. And..... I'm not gay and yet it was pretty horrible for me. I now live in a very gay-friendly city. My kids go to the school where all the gay parents sent their kids if they can get in. And yet I still see the kids who "have gay tendancies" being rejected by the other kids. Not the teachers and parents, thankfully, and it's not outright bullying, but they still hover on the outside of the cliques and find it hard to fit in.

[Cloud]

I agree! it struck a chord for dealing with depression, too. That awful pit of black despair, when you think nothing can possibly be okay ever again. It DOES get better!

[xoxoxoBruce]

It doesn't get any better, you just reach 21, and can be drunk all the time.

[monster]

Thanks, xoB. Someone let me know when he's becomig intolerably irritating? Why are you so bitter? You're pretty popular here. I sorta assumed you weren't gay from your posts, but are you? Whatever your bitch is, you clearly made it too. Why would you not support those who remember how shitty it was offering a lifeline to those currently there?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by monster

Thanks, xoB. Someone let me know when he's becomig intolerably irritating? Why are you so bitter? You're pretty popular here. I sorta assumed you weren't gay from your posts, but are you? Whatever your bitch is, you clearly made it too. Why would you not support those who remember how shitty it was offering a lifeline to those currently there?

It was a joke, which doesn't affect this project or it's intended goals. Those queer kids aren't coming to the Cellar for affirmation. I might add it has nothing to do with nerds or geeks, it's about queers, you're twisting it for your own fit.
Anyway, telling kids that after high school everything gets better is missleading. If they don't work, and damn hard, at making it better, it won't. Life sucks and then you die, unless you make it otherwise.

[monster]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

It was a joke, which doesn't affect this project or it's intended goals. Those queer kids aren't coming to the Cellar for affirmation. I might add it has nothing to do with nerds or geeks, it's about queers, you're twisting it for your own fit.
Anyway, telling kids that after high school everything gets better is missleading. If they don't work, and damn hard, at making it better, it won't. Life sucks and then you die, unless you make it otherwise.

fair points, sorry I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to find it funny, so I thought you were just being unpleasant.

But i don't believe you have to work hard to make it better. I think it gets better anyway -you do have to work hard to make the most of that and turn it around. But it seems reasonable to me that it gets better (maybe not perfect) the minute you are not forced to be confined in a room with people who hate you on principle? Certainly worked for me.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by monster

fair points, sorry I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to find it funny, so I thought you were just being unpleasant.

But i don't believe you have to work hard to make it better. I think it gets better anyway -you do have to work hard to make the most of that and turn it around. But it seems reasonable to me that it gets better (maybe not perfect) the minute you are not forced to be confined in a room with people who hate you on principle? Certainly worked for me.

You think leaving the shelter and three squares of home makes it easier? OK, now you aren't confined to the classroom, you're confined to a job with even more rules, and have to deal with the same assortment of assholes as High School, just to survive. True you can change jobs, as long as you can find one, and aren't so deep in debt you can be choosy.
Higher education is a way to escape, but that's not always an option, takes a lot of work to do well, and is very expensive. You have greater control over your social life but that can be tricky without the parent filter, and everybody makes a few mistakes there. Of course everybody knows that college girls do the pseudo-lesbian thing, so that's a fun plus.
Better is very subjective.

[Cloud]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Better is very subjective.

but bitter is easy to discern.

[monster]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

You think leaving the shelter and three squares of home makes it easier? OK, now you aren't confined to the classroom, you're confined to a job with even more rules, and have to deal with the same assortment of assholes as High School, just to survive. True you can change jobs, as long as you can find one, and aren't so deep in debt you can be choosy.
Higher education is a way to escape, but that's not always an option, takes a lot of work to do well, and is very expensive. You have greater control over your social life but that can be tricky without the parent filter, and everybody makes a few mistakes there. Of course everybody knows that college girls do the pseudo-lesbian thing, so that's a fun plus.
Better is very subjective.

You're right. A "Working Class/Non College" gay probably has less light at the end of the tunnel/is looking down a longer tunnel, and probably has less access to this resource. But that still doesn't make it a bad thing?

[Pico and ME]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

It was a joke, which doesn't affect this project or it's intended goals. Those queer kids aren't coming to the Cellar for affirmation. I might add it has nothing to do with nerds or geeks, it's about queers, you're twisting it for your own fit.
Anyway, telling kids that after high school everything gets better is missleading. If they don't work, and damn hard, at making it better, it won't. Life sucks and then you die, unless you make it otherwise.

Totally not the point Bruce. It gets better because when they leave high school, they escape the debilitating bullying from mean-spirited asshole kids.