I've been saying the whole project/movement is misguided, for awhile now. I don't agree with the idea that it is a total fail but agree with his argument. When kids are dying, something needs to be done. "It Gets Better" is a temporary bandage but not a solution. As Weems puts it, when the house is on fire you don't tell the kids inside that it will get better, just sit and wait.
"Your Child is a Killer" seems more effective to me. The problem isn't the queer kids. The problem is the students, parents, facility, and society that allows bullying to continue and treats a portion of the population as less than the rest. Queer youths are killing themselves because they feel helpless and ashamed. Those feelings do not come from within the kids, they are products of being targeted and isolated. These suicides are the bullies' fault. They are the parents' fault. They are the result of a community that tries to fix the effects of a problem but not the cause.
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You are right. However, like most problems you have to work at it from multiple angles for the best affect. We can't instantly convert every gay-hating douchebag, so it is also important to tell people that they won't always be surrounded by them.
Bullying is a huge problem and many of our schools are trying to at least make a dent in the problem. We teach tolerance and diversity all year long, but we never give the students information about the "targeted" victum. We tell the students bullying is wrong, it hurts, it isn't tolerated, but we aren't "allowed" to have discussion of what gay means, what Muslims believe, why people are over weight. We just say, "Don't" like my generations' parents said, "Because I said so." We need to be able to educate without being afraid ourselve.
What is the alternative to "It will get better."? I refuse to throw my hands up and walk away.
Positive attitudes bring about change. One thought at a time.
Thanks for including my words. I still feel that "It Gets Better" misses the mark, but it does shine a light on the problem. I completely agree with confronting the bullies (this includes those who allow it to happen).
Mickey Weems
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