"It Gets Better" and Republicans
Mood: angry
Posted on 2011-05-09 14:55:00
Tags: rant gay politics
Words: 269

In September, after a rash of teen suicides, Dan Savage started the It Gets Better project to tell bullied youth (especially LGBT) that it does, in fact, get better, and that high school is probably the low point of your life. Basically, the message is: don't commit suicide.

The project kinda took off and now there are thousands and thousands of videos. Google is even showing a TV ad about it. (although the ad is technically for Chrome) Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi have all made videos, among other Democratic senators and representatives.

You know who hasn't made any videos? Elected Republican officials. The only candidate for president who has is Fred Karger who is marginal even among the marginal candidates. As far as I can tell, no Republican senators or representatives have made one. (please, correct me if I'm wrong!)

Now, I don't think that all the Republican senators/representatives actually _want_ gay kids to commit suicide. But what kind of message does it send when an entire party is silent on the issue, or thinks that speaking up against suicide will anger their voters? (hint: it is terrible)

Yet more evidence that Republicans and Democrats are not the same. (although, does anyone really think that anymore? I think that kind of thinking expired in the 2000s...)

--

Marginally related - this headline speaks for itself: Tea Party Leader: We'll Take The Debt Ceiling Hike If You Put Gay Troops Back In The Closet. I thought the Tea Party was neutralish on social issues?

Anyway, I'm going to go have a root beer float and un-angry myself.

6 comments

Comment from anonymous:
2011-05-09T19:59:17+00:00
It is rather interesting for me to read the post. Thanks the author for it. I like such topics and everything connected to them. I definitely want to read a bit more on that blog soon.

Anete Kuree
mobile phone jammers

Comment from flamingophoenix:
2011-05-10T13:20:34+00:00
The "Republicans and Democrats are the same" thinking is still around, but I think it's more about how they are both completely in the pockets of corporate interests. Oh, and there's some attitude about how the Democrats claim to support some of their base (gays, women, etc.) but then don't actually support them in practice -- they just "fail to support" less horribly than the Republicans do.

This is in the actually law-passing arena, not the arena of ideas. Ideologically, yes, they are very different.

Comment from gregstoll:
2011-05-10T16:00:24+00:00
True, although since the Democrats passed DADT repeal, I'm much less sympathetic to the second argument.

Comment from flamingophoenix:
2011-05-10T17:28:53+00:00
Yes! True. :-)

Comment from djedi:
2011-05-12T12:57:49+00:00
although they both are still in the pocket of corporate interests.

Comment from flamingophoenix:
2011-05-12T16:01:07+00:00
Yes. True. :-(


;-)

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