It Gets Better

And here's the link. What say you, OT? Oh, and don't switch, Theokhoth!

Good idea for homosexuals and heterosexuals alike. Makes me want to put this on the TV in all of my pts rooms in the hospital. Positive energy fooooosho

Good lord, I hate this kind of crap.

I seriously almost punched my monitor when the dude says, "you are perfect and wonderful exactly as you are." In my experience, things don't typically just "get better", problems actually need to be solved. And even then, things still often get worse. I honestly think that this kind of stuff is doing kids a disservice.

Good lord, I hate this kind of crap.

I seriously almost punched my monitor when the dude says, "you are perfect and wonderful exactly as you are." In my experience, things don't typically just "get better", problems actually need to be solved. And even then, things still often get worse. I honestly think that this kind of stuff is doing kids a disservice.

MrGeezer

Good lord, I hate this kind of crap.

I seriously almost punched my monitor when the dude says, "you are perfect and wonderful exactly as you are." In my experience, things don't typically just "get better", problems actually need to be solved. And even then, things still often get worse. I honestly think that this kind of stuff is doing kids a disservice.

MrGeezer

Negative nancy over here. Pretty poor outlook on life don't ya think? I don't really take the videos as saying "things will magically correct themselves," it's more like "stick it out, find purpose in life and know whatever problem you face today can be solved tomorrow (figuratively speaking)"

No one's saying everything just magically changes in any of the videos, if you actually watched any of them. :| It's just an inspirational message to LGBTQ youth reminding them that life is different after high school.scorch-62

Might be different, but it doesn't just "get better" just because. Bullies don't just magically disappear the second you leave high school. They become your neighbors, they become your boss, etc. Like I said before, I find it extremely rare in my experience for problems to just solve themselves.

No, guys. :o What do you think of Google attaching Chrome to this movement? Will it attract some and deter others?

Negative nancy over here. Pretty poor outlook on life don't ya think? I don't really take the videos as saying "things will magically correct themselves," it's more like "stick it out, find purpose in life and know whatever problem you face today can be solved tomorrow (figuratively speaking)"

Smoke89

I think it's telling kids that there's nothing wrong with them and that they're somehow better than the bullies. Put them in a position of power, and they'll STILL think that they're awesome just because. Which often leads to them becoming the bullies.

It's very positive and all - almost makes me wish I was gay but what does this have to do with Chrome? Spending time on the web is the cure to depression and bullying?

No, guys. :o What do you think of Google attaching Chrome to this movement? Will it attract some and deter others?

Hexagon_777

Eh, maybe they will get more homosexual users? I don't know. The thing is on youtube so I don't really see what it has to do with chrome other than they slapped their name on it. Interesting marketing strategy? Not sure about it from that perspective.

I'm disgusted at how many people I've seen bashing something intended to help people. Unbelievable and totally inexcusable.

[QUOTE="scorch-62"] No one's saying everything just magically changes in any of the videos, if you actually watched any of them. :| It's just an inspirational message to LGBTQ youth reminding them that life is different after high school.MrGeezer

Might be different, but it doesn't just "get better" just because. Bullies don't just magically disappear the second you leave high school. They become your neighbors, they become your boss, etc. Like I said before, I find it extremely rare in my experience for problems to just solve themselves.

I think it's telling kids that there's nothing wrong with them and that they're somehow better than the bullies. Put them in a position of power, and they'll STILL think that they're awesome just because. Which often leads to them becoming the bullies.

MrGeezer

[QUOTE="scorch-62"] No one's saying everything just magically changes in any of the videos, if you actually watched any of them. :| It's just an inspirational message to LGBTQ youth reminding them that life is different after high school.MrGeezer

Might be different, but it doesn't just "get better" just because. Bullies don't just magically disappear the second you leave high school. They become your neighbors, they become your boss, etc. Like I said before, I find it extremely rare in my experience for problems to just solve themselves.

I don't know about you, but personally speaking I've had contact with a handfull of people I went to school with since leaving high school. And substantial (ie: other than crossing paths at the grocery store, etc) constant with even less. While it's true that most problems in life don't magically solve themselves the s** that seems so important in high school, so vital to existance, no one gives a crap about anymore six months out of high school.

sometimes i wish people where as confident as myself. :(

no more suicides

I approve of this message.

The main reason I feel depressed is because I feel as if I can't express myself because nobody would except me for who I am. Once I left school and was no longer trapped with people who hate me I don't have much to worry about, still kinda hard with siblings and a few people every now and then, but my god is it better.

I love this movement. I'm so glad people are finally recognizing what gay teens (and gays in general) go through. People poo-pooing it should just shut their ears and go away.Theokhoth

That's nice and all, but it's sad that people need to be told this kind of message. I can't really relate because I'm straight, so maybe I should hold off any judgement of how gay people feel for having there sexuality mocked.PernicioEnigma

I agree actually, im straight too.

But i guess everyone can relate to this. Everyone has been mocked for being different at some point. And i guess thats why so many people support this. Because they understand the feeling.

Good lord, I hate this kind of crap.

I seriously almost punched my monitor when the dude says, "you are perfect and wonderful exactly as you are." In my experience, things don't typically just "get better", problems actually need to be solved. And even then, things still often get worse. I honestly think that this kind of stuff is doing kids a disservice.

MrGeezer

I found nothing wrong with the video's message. It certainly beats pessimism.

[QUOTE="Theokhoth"]I love this movement. I'm so glad people are finally recognizing what gay teens (and gays in general) go through. People poo-pooing it should just shut their ears and go away.Hexagon_777

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"][QUOTE="Theokhoth"]I love this movement. I'm so glad people are finally recognizing what gay teens (and gays in general) go through. People poo-pooing it should just shut their ears and go away.Theokhoth

[QUOTE="Theokhoth"][QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]Any particular sentiments concerning Google tying Chrome to this campaign?Hexagon_777

[QUOTE="MrGeezer"]

[QUOTE="scorch-62"] No one's saying everything just magically changes in any of the videos, if you actually watched any of them. :| It's just an inspirational message to LGBTQ youth reminding them that life is different after high school.comp_atkins

Might be different, but it doesn't just "get better" just because. Bullies don't just magically disappear the second you leave high school. They become your neighbors, they become your boss, etc. Like I said before, I find it extremely rare in my experience for problems to just solve themselves.

No.

I mean, really. Just no.

Bullies don't typically grow up to stop being bullies just because they got older, just like an alcoholic doesn't suddenly stop guzzling down booze because he got older. Some people change, some people don't. Period. But any change that does happen is gonna have VERY little to do with just plain getting older.

Bullies in school grow up to be bullies in the job market.

And the geeks and nerds who got bullied in school VERY often grow up to become the bullies the very second that they get an ounce of power.

I think that's what people are failing to grasp here. If you had to assign one trait to People Who Get Bullied, it ISN'T being gay It ISN'T being a nerd, and it ISN'T being dirt-poor. It's having a relative lack of power. That's it. Here's the thing though...if you've got a sense of entitlement to the point where you think you're actually better than the bullies, then you'd better be damned careful. Because if the balance of power ever shifts, then YOU stand a very good chance of becoming the monster.

The fact is that it's usually VERY hard for people to deliberately change wqho they are. Sure, they'll often go through unintended changes over time, but that generaly has very little to do with TIME. Adult Life does NOT cause all the bullies to drop out and go to prison or to change for the better. Don't get me wrong...as someone who used to get bullied a lot, that's a very nice and appealing fantasy. But fantasy is all that it is. I'd also like to think that the bullies just disappear the second that I graduate from high school, but THEY DON'T. They just become adult bullies with jobs, often in a position of power. If their position of power was enough to get them to act like assbags when they were in high school, then I guarantee that they're often gonna be doing the same ****ing thing once they have employees working under them.

Who said they're in power, or better than the bullies? There is NOTHING in those videos that says that.XilePrincess

"You are perfect and wonderful exactly as you are."

Yeah...did I just imagine hearing that?

That even goes a step beyond what I was talking about. That quote is essentially saying, "If anyone ever has a problem with the **** that you do, then they can go to hell."

And that bothers the ****ing **** out of me. I grew up in a culture in which kids were taught that they could do anything and that they were awesome "just because". And that's dangerous. That's a hell of a lot more dangerous than simply telling kids to man up and stop taking **** from bullies. That's training kids to have a sense of self-entitlement and to think that they deserve good **** just because they are them. And really...the hell with that. No one is entitled to respect just because. People GET respect after EARNING it.

This is just another form of those "I can be anything" PSA's which basically give kids an excuse to feel awesome and misunderstood simply by sitting on their asses not doing a goddamned thing.

if you need reaffirmation to make it through highschookl then you'll be constantly looking for it throughout life......you have to find acceptance and worth within....these programs do little more than cover up a wound that needs years of therapy to heal.......I'd rather just pay for the therapy session and call it a day...Omni-Slash

I don't like the over sentimental effect the video brought, but I absolutely love the message.

And really, what IS wrong with them? They're human beings like you and I, trying to get through life and figure out who they are and what they're doing with their lives one day at a time, and that's being made harder by some people who find it necessary to harass them, treat them like they're second class human beings or physically assault them, all because they have a different gender preference. Why is that something wrong with them? Everybody has faults but being gay should never be considered a fault, nor should being female, having a certain color of hair, or being a certain race.XilePrincess

And if you want, I can make a list of everything that was wrong with me within about the last 25 years. That'll be a LONG ****ing post, so I'm not gonna make that list unless you truly demand it. But I'll summarize it in two categories: Bad decisions, and Being different.

As far as the traditional bullying goes, we're probably looking at the "Being different" category. But...how is being gay or "black" somehow the exception to this? Bullies (and in this case I am specifically talking about the bullies who put others down in order to make themselves feel better) are going to focus on you being different. If those bullies currently happen to hate gays and you convince them to not bully gays, them congratulations. They're just gonna find someone else to bully, someone who isn't YO"U. Really all we're talking about is changing the criteria for what morally allows us to treat another person like ****. That doesn't seem like an answer to me, it seems like saying "gays are off limits because I'm gay Or "blacks are off limits because I'm black. Insult the Jew instead." Or "you can't treat tobacco smokers like crap because I smoke tobacco. Meanwhile, I'm gonna insult the hell out of that fat lady who just got hired."

I'm disgusted at how many people I've seen bashing something intended to help people. Unbelievable and totally inexcusable.

Darkwanderer000

I don't know about you, but personally speaking I've had contact with a handfull of people I went to school with since leaving high school. And substantial (ie: other than crossing paths at the grocery store, etc) constant with even less. While it's true that most problems in life don't magically solve themselves the s** that seems so important in high school, so vital to existance, no one gives a crap about anymore six months out of high school.

worlock77

GRADES might not matter.

STATUS can matter a whole hell of a lot.

That's what I'm saying. Bullying is largely about POWER, and THAT stays with a hell of a lot of people throughout their entire lives.

Something is wrong with a person if they don't want to acknowledge another individual as a human being, just because of their sexual preference. Who cares? I mean honestly, how in the hell is it going to hurt anyone? Why would you want to deny someone of their happiness if it brings no harm to others?

I love this movement. I'm so glad people are finally recognizing what gay teens (and gays in general) go through. People poo-pooing it should just shut their ears and go away.Theokhoth

Or what EVERYONE in general has to go through.

Yeah...as if the gays and the lesbians are the only ones gettied bullied? Please, don't make me laugh. Bullies who want to pick out a difference in order to make themselves feel superior will pick out ANY difference. They are looking for WEAKNESS, not GAYS.

In high school, I spent the entire time with numerous opnly gay people, and I got bulliewd more than any of them. Why? Because the openly gay people were POPULAR, so they had strength behind them. If those kids were bullied to any serious degree, people would actually give a ****. I WASN'T popular. I had no social support, and was therefore WEAKER than the openly gay people. So people bullied the **** out of me, because no one would give a ****.

Bullies are NOT out to kick the asses of gays. Bullies are mostly looking for THE WEAK. Bullying gays only works when the gay person is weak (either physically socially). Otherwise, you go after someone WHO IS WEAK. Being gay is just a side-concern, in most cases.

So if a straight hetro kid kills themselves it doesn't matter but if a gay kid kills themselves its horrible and must be stopped. Things don't just get better. You need to solve them and fix them yourself. I know life can suck I go through but I'm no where near killing myself. Suicide is the ultimate example of being selfish. Everyone has someone that cares about them.

[QUOTE="Omni-Slash"]if you need reaffirmation to make it through highschookl then you'll be constantly looking for it throughout life......you have to find acceptance and worth within....these programs do little more than cover up a wound that needs years of therapy to heal.......I'd rather just pay for the therapy session and call it a day...mexicangordo

I don't like the over sentimental effect the video brought, but I absolutely love the message.

Everyones ignorant and naive PERIOD.

That **** doesn't end with high school any more than the need to make people feel bad because they're different. Idiots turn into older idiots, bigots turn into older bigots, compassionate people turn into older compassionate people.

That's not to deny that real change happens, but it doesn't just happen all on its own. Even less so at an arbitrary time, like the moment that you leave high school.

I'm sure that there are LOTS of people here who have graduated from high school. So...how much did that change you? If you were a jerk and a bully in high school, did you suddenly become a completely new person the second you left high school and went to college?

If you are done with your college education, did you suddenly become a new person as soon as you got a job?

[QUOTE="Theokhoth"]I love this movement. I'm so glad people are finally recognizing what gay teens (and gays in general) go through. People poo-pooing it should just shut their ears and go away.MrGeezer

Or what EVERYONE in general has to go through.

Yeah...as if the gays and the lesbians are the only ones gettied bullied? Please, don't make me laugh. Bullies who want to pick out a difference in order to make themselves feel superior will pick out ANY difference. They are looking for WEAKNESS, not GAYS.

In high school, I spent the entire time with numerous opnly gay people, and I got bulliewd more than any of them. Why? Because the openly gay people were POPULAR, so they had strength behind them. If those kids were bullied to any serious degree, people would actually give a ****. I WASN'T popular. I had no social support, and was therefore WEAKER than the openly gay people. So people bullied the **** out of me, because no one would give a ****.

Bullies are NOT out to kick the asses of gays. Bullies are mostly looking for THE WEAK. Bullying gays only works when the gay person is weak (either physically socially). Otherwise, you go after someone WHO IS WEAK. Being gay is just a side-concern, in most cases.

MAYBE you specifically had it worse that all gay people around you. Sure. That doesnt mean anything though about the implied belief that bullying is harder for gay people (on average) than it is for others.

Here's a thread where I have already discussed this (Warning: Walls of text, but I know you are used to them). If you want, read my posts. I cba to re-type what I said there.

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/topic/27575900/your-thoughts-on-the-quotthink-before-you-speakquot-campaign?&topic_id=27575900&tag=stitialclk%3Bforums

That message has sure been effective in preventing suicide in the past :roll: The project contributes to people growing up more confident. It tells them that there is hope, there are plenty of gay people who have great lives, and that being gay is perfectly normal - no matter what people around you tell you. In a lot of cases, these YouTube videos are some of the very few sources of positive messages gay kids will encounter.Bourbons3