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Friday, October 22, 2010

Coal and Diamonds


So I know it hasn't even been a day and I'm already making another post. Not only am I making another post, but I'm afraid I must once again return to a somber subject.

Coal:

I came across this news article today. Another lost life. Another heart-wrenching tragedy. This problem has already hit home for me on an emotional level. Now this problem is hitting home geographically. It has to end somewhere. My good friend, Sondra Snyder, said it far more eloquently than I could:

"Another baby chose to die rather than endure bullying. This child shot himself, all alone, at home on Tuesday. How many has this been in the last month and a half? How many have we not heard about? Young one, I am so sorry you will not get to experience the future that should have been yours. I wish you had stayed."
I said in an earlier post as a former victim of bullying I have no stomach for bullies. I have no tolerance for people who torture others in the name of fun. My soul weeps at the loss of a life so young. My heart goes out to the family of this young person. I am sorry. I am so sorry because we, as a society, have failed your child. I know I will not let his death be in vain. From the dark, dirty coal of this tragedy there must come a diamond…


 

Diamond:

There is something beautiful I must add to this post. My good friends at Everyone is Gay* posted a link to this video on twitter this morning:




 

There is beauty here, people. Good on you, Joel Burns, for opening up your heart like this. Thank you for continuing to tell these young people that it does, indeed, get better.


 


*They read this blog one time and sent me a lovely e-mail. They are fantastic people.

The Best in the Biz.

Howdy, Scribblings.

So, things have been a bit dour around this here blog of late. Very serious business going on. I'm going to take a brief break from that to bring you something near and dear to me: grammar!

First of all this is a fantastic grammar blog. I enjoy reading this immensely because it gives helpful tips on word forms (how many adjectives can you string together?) as well as interesting words you'd never hear otherwise (Verdurous is an amazing word). Give it a look. It's run by the fantastic people over at OWL.

The OWL website is a fantastic resource for writing tips, current MLA and APA style guides, ESL teaching tips, and even provides links to open writing jobs. If you're a professional writer, a student, or just a hobbyist, these sites are fantastic.

And since I'm plugging things today, I'd also like to add this:

My friend Meghan is an avid reader. She's practically rabid about it. She would love to recommend books for you to read, and she does just that. All you have to do is pop over to her new site, Ask Parliament Books and read some stellar book reviews by this delightfully loquacious bibliophile.  

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Thought for the day

A good friend of mine sent me this today. I thought I'd share it with all of you.

On January 27, 1998, Yehuda Bauer, professor of Holocaust studies at the Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, delivered a speech to the German Bundestag in which he said "I come from a people who gave the Ten Commandments to the world. Time has come to strengthen them by three additional ones, which we ought to adopt and commit ourselves to: thou shall not be a perpetrator; thou shall not be a victim; and thou shall never, but never, be a bystander.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

FCKH8

Dig this:



Yeah, yeah. Bleeped version for the family, but if you just really need your F-Bomb fix, here you go.

For more information, check out FCKH8's website, buy some swag, and help this cause.

Because love is love, no matter who it is.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Broken Silence

I have an incredible amount of guilt in this moment. I've sat back and kept silent about something I am quite passionate about for a long time. I've kept silent out of fear. I have kept silent because I didn't want my coworkers to know how I felt about this. I've been afraid that they would reject me and that they would treat me as less than human.

I have reached my breaking point. I can no longer keep my silence in this. I no longer care what others may say or think. I can no longer remain complacent. I cannot be idle while the problem gets worse.

Facts: I'm a straight male. I'm an advocate for homosexuality. I was a victim of bullying in my youth.


 

Watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br7nbQSIyhg#


 

Tyler Clementi

Seth Walsh

Asher Brown

Read those names slowly. Say them aloud. They are not statistics, but human beings. They had friends, family, loved ones, and they are all dead because of bullying. This very fact fills me with disgust and outrage. As someone who has been bullied, someone who has been beaten up and tossed over a chain link fence, thrown in a dumpster amongst many other horrid things, I cannot believe this shit still goes on. It's abhorrent and completely repulsive.

With that, I have several things I feel I have to say to several different groups.

To the friends and loved ones of gay teens:

Keep being the support system they need.

Love them. Mein Gott im Himmel love them.

Do allow them to suffer silently.

Do not be silent.


 

To the parents of these teens:

Tell your children you love them.

Let them know things get better.

Make sure they know that not everyone in the world will treat them like dirt because of who they are.


 

To bullies:

Change your ways and turn toward love. If not, then you can rot for what I care. I genuinely hope you'll turn toward love.


 

To the parents of bullies:

Pay attention to what your children are doing.

Make time for them.

Hold them accountable for what they are doing with and to their peers.

Make sure they know that you love them and why they're responsible for their actions.


 

To gay and/or bullied teens:

People will love you no matter what.

Stay strong. It
gets
better.
I promise.


 

The key component here, for everybody involved, is love. It's a thing everyone deserves. Can we try to do this for each other from now on? Can we show love?