Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, May 4, 2011
Homo Google Chrome, It Gets Better, Glee, and Me
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, May 4, 2011 at 12:42 PM
Not all queer kids watch Glee, not all queer kids can risk watching Glee, not all queer kids are allowed to watch Glee. And Terry and I gave Google the okay to use the It Gets Better campaign in their Google Chrome campaign to reach queer kids. Which is why we asked—in our very first meeting with Google—for the ad to run during other programs, and other kinds of programming, not just during gay-friendly programs. So the ad will be appearing elsewhere. Keep your eyes peeled.
Who are you guys rooting for in the NBA worlds-series-finals-championships-whatevers? I don't usually pay much attention to the NBA, but this year I'm thinking I might tune in.
Cough. Cough.
1
You made me smile! And, enjoy watching those tall guys bounce that orange sphere around. There are some nice thighs to observed.
3
It's only the second round, Dan, and if the reason you're suddenly interested is because the Bulls are in it, they're going to have to play better if they want to advance.
4
Woo hoo! NYT is covering how much Google is banking on this ad campaign adding to their browser market share, and how Google plans to make this the first part of an overall effort to "capture" Chrome users to put Google in front of them for way more than just surfing. The check Google cut y'all to lend them IGBP's credibility for this better have had a truly epic number of trailing zeroes...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/techno…
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/techno…
5
@3 That's not why he's interested in it- Read the whole post again, and then READ BETWEEN THE LINES.
*sigh*
*sigh*
6
Sweet!
Although, the NBA uniforms are depressingly coverup-ish. Thems the baggiest shorts I've seen in a long time :-P
Although, the NBA uniforms are depressingly coverup-ish. Thems the baggiest shorts I've seen in a long time :-P
8
YES! The NBA, and other dude-oriented programming is a MUCH more significant audience than "Glee". Pretty much everyone who watches "Glee" already gets it -- they've been pounding their own anti-bullying storyline for ages (although their version is more along the lines of "it gets better, if you become Jesus, like Kurt here").
Many of the conflicted, at risk young gays are not the out and proud ones but the deeply closeted ones; the "Dave" character on "Glee" suffers as much from his own internalized oppression as the fabulous Kurt Hummel.
And "It Gets Better" has another function besides persuading troubled young victims of bullying and homophobia that life will get better one day; it also says to the bullies and the homophobes "hey, asshole, this is serious, knock it off", and also to the great sea of clueless doods out there "this is happening all around you; pay attention".
Many of the conflicted, at risk young gays are not the out and proud ones but the deeply closeted ones; the "Dave" character on "Glee" suffers as much from his own internalized oppression as the fabulous Kurt Hummel.
And "It Gets Better" has another function besides persuading troubled young victims of bullying and homophobia that life will get better one day; it also says to the bullies and the homophobes "hey, asshole, this is serious, knock it off", and also to the great sea of clueless doods out there "this is happening all around you; pay attention".
11
Dan, I am so disappointed that you hocked the IGBP to help Google sell more shit. How could you cheapen the deaths of LGBT kids by using them to help a corporation sell a product? The IGBP really means something to people. I thought you could be trusted to guard that fiercely. But I guess making money is more important, huh, Dan? I don't care how many people it reaches, but the struggle for LGBT equality should not be co-opted for corporate advertising. Ever. Period.
12
@11: Show me how the IGBP's goal is harmed by this, please. The message reaches a wider audience. That's a GOOD thing.
13
I'm rooting for the team that's the second best at putting the sphere through the suspended hoop.
For a straight guy, I'm strangely unmoved by team sports. Give me individual sports any day - tennis, boxing, logrolling.
Way to go Dan on the IGBP hookup with Google! Reflects well on them, that's for sure.
And to the notorious K.I.P. - glad to have you back, sweetie. Hope you're 100% healed up by now.
For a straight guy, I'm strangely unmoved by team sports. Give me individual sports any day - tennis, boxing, logrolling.
Way to go Dan on the IGBP hookup with Google! Reflects well on them, that's for sure.
And to the notorious K.I.P. - glad to have you back, sweetie. Hope you're 100% healed up by now.
16
Sorry but I won't watch the NBA finals. Not even for Dan and IGBP. Now, if Dan mentions something about the Stanley Cup ... (I'd be watching anyway but that's beside the point, right?)
18
Not all queer adults watch Glee but I'm glad this ad is and will be making the rounds. Make it better for everyone, give someone 2 minutes of your time.
19
@5 Oh, I get it, nudge nudge, wink wink...I was thinking he was talking about a cute player...
I don't know what's different about that commercial, after watching so many igbp videos already, maybe seeing the evolution of how it happened at high speed, but it's very powerful.
I don't know what's different about that commercial, after watching so many igbp videos already, maybe seeing the evolution of how it happened at high speed, but it's very powerful.
20
@11, you don't care how many people it reaches? How noble of you. I care, and if he can get a major corporation to advertise this thing on top national networks, that's a huge WIN.
This isn't about preaching to the choir; it's about reaching out, and helping others who very specifically in this case ARE NOT BEING REACHED.
Your suggestion that Dan is just "making money" is ludicrously uninformed. The project is being run under the auspices of the Iola Foundation, which is a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization.
This isn't about preaching to the choir; it's about reaching out, and helping others who very specifically in this case ARE NOT BEING REACHED.
Your suggestion that Dan is just "making money" is ludicrously uninformed. The project is being run under the auspices of the Iola Foundation, which is a registered 501(c)3 charitable organization.
23
@13 this commercial isn't about LGBT teens anymore, it's about Google using emotional manipulation to get people to use their web browser. Yes it gets out to more people, but this commercial also makes the IGBP a commodity to be sold. That cheapens the goal of the project. LGBT rights are important, not killing yourself when you're a gay teenager is important, but not as important as downloading Google Chrome, apparently.
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@22:No Smhill, you are not alone in your wistful recollection of the tiny shorts.
@11: Seriously. What Fnarf and Backyard Bombardier said
@11: Seriously. What Fnarf and Backyard Bombardier said
25
@11, I wouldn't worry. He and Terry have proven awfully savvy about growing IGBP so far, and if the ultimate goal is to reach the widest possible audience there aren't a lot of avenues outside of commercial broadcasting to give it the next push. Plus there's the hard fact of how short a shelf life so many buzzed-about notions have these days - whatever will be done to broaden it, best do it now, not wait for a more perfect or flawless opportunity. For the good of everyone who'll benefit.
And remember, too, that for every IGBP contributor who might give a moment's worry to being part of a Google marketing juggernaut, many more (including those who purely coincidentally have press agents of their own and are featured in the ad) will not only shrug at the thought, but think "yay!" As Fnarf points out @20, it's probably all going back into the Foundation or the Trevor Project (and as far as I'm concerned the guys darn well should get a taste if they want, they've earned it).
It'll be fine.
And remember, too, that for every IGBP contributor who might give a moment's worry to being part of a Google marketing juggernaut, many more (including those who purely coincidentally have press agents of their own and are featured in the ad) will not only shrug at the thought, but think "yay!" As Fnarf points out @20, it's probably all going back into the Foundation or the Trevor Project (and as far as I'm concerned the guys darn well should get a taste if they want, they've earned it).
It'll be fine.
27
Oh, Sodomight. Capitalism, product sales, etc. does not automatically cancel out all good in the world. Are they often antithetical? Sure. But you're not explaining the mechanism by which Google's ad "makes" the IGBP into a "commodity" - you're only disgusted by its association with a commercial product. That's you're right, but I think a rational explanation is in order before you yell at Dan about this. Exactly how does the ad cheapen IGBP? Those unfamiliar with it have no prior impression that can be tarnished. Think or STFU.
28
Google is in the midst of the largest ad buy in support of LGBT people in history, which will probably stand as such for years.
I literally could not care less why.
I literally could not care less why.
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@23 Though I think it would have made more sense as a Youtube commercial, you have to admit that the appearances of Google Chrome are minimal at best- it only appears right at the beginning (for 1 second) and at the end (for 5 seconds), which for a 90 second commercial means a measly 7%.
30
I know you're just playing and all, Dan, but damn do I miss the days when Seattle had a good basketball team.
31
@23: god you remind me of the endless nit picky Yur Doin It Wrong bullshit I see in comments on feminist sites. You don't like the way IGBP is being run? Please feel free to go start you own project, and to protect its purity of mission to the point that nobody outside of the Pink Triangle ever hears of it.
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@23 The project's videos are also hosted on Youtube, furthering a corporate agenda, etc. Does that diminish the meaning within the videos?
33
@Dan: I don't think you need to be cagey about what other programs the ad is going to be appearing on, since you announced the two you could remember last night. Have you just forgotten all of them other than the NBA Finals? The ad looks great; Google's one of those companies that's so big it's terrifying, except that they're still sticking to their motto of "Do No Evil".
Also, are you actually going to post the dinosaur drawing? I was in the center of the second row, and still couldn't see it that well. I had a great time, and I hope you and Terry did too. I was considering giving you a question card that said "Dan, do you support marriage rights for polygamists?" signed ".", but I though it might turn out more creepy than funny - then again, maybe Period Troll really was there, as pulling the fire alarm seems like something sie would do. Thanks for coming!
@16: The Stanley Cup was one possibility - Dan was having some memory lapses and wasn't sure when he made the announcement at his speaking engagement at UW-Milwaukee last night. Google might know... :-P
Also, are you actually going to post the dinosaur drawing? I was in the center of the second row, and still couldn't see it that well. I had a great time, and I hope you and Terry did too. I was considering giving you a question card that said "Dan, do you support marriage rights for polygamists?" signed ".", but I though it might turn out more creepy than funny - then again, maybe Period Troll really was there, as pulling the fire alarm seems like something sie would do. Thanks for coming!
@16: The Stanley Cup was one possibility - Dan was having some memory lapses and wasn't sure when he made the announcement at his speaking engagement at UW-Milwaukee last night. Google might know... :-P
36
Dan - When you and Teri are given an award for starting a national bullying campaign in all schools throughout the country. Remember you both deserve this moment!!
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CELTICS
And Dan, you rock so damn hard, it's a wonder you're not continually setting off the UW's seismometer!!
:-D
And Dan, you rock so damn hard, it's a wonder you're not continually setting off the UW's seismometer!!
:-D
38
Regarding whether this is "selling out" and using the message of equality to sell other products - personally, I don't see a problem with this. It would bother me if Google were a homophobic company trying to appear gay-friendly on the surface, but they have repeatedly shown themselves to be genuinely supportive of gay rights. I think this ad is kind of along the lines of the giant Virgin America float I saw at last year's local pride parade. Sure, it had the company name plastered all over the place, but it also was demonstrating corporate support for equality.
39
Also, although this ad might sway some non-Chrome-using liberals towards Google products, I'm sure there will also be a conservative backlash due to such public support of gay rights. How long until we hear from the critics of "San Francisco values" about how terrible it was that their kid saw GAY PEOPLE on tv during a BASKETBALL GAME?! I give it about two hours after the ad airs.
40
Sodomight translated: "I supported it before it was mainstream/cool".
Seriously, dude, this is a good thing. Isn't the ultimate goal for sexuality to be as 'normal' and non-discriminatory as eye color or anything else trivial? Putting IGBP on the playoffs of major spots is good in every possible way.
Seriously, dude, this is a good thing. Isn't the ultimate goal for sexuality to be as 'normal' and non-discriminatory as eye color or anything else trivial? Putting IGBP on the playoffs of major spots is good in every possible way.
42
Thank you, Lance Thrustwell. I'm doing better, still may need another surgery and will know more this summer.
I'm glad to see the exposure that this commercial offers. I think hope is a precious thing: to receive; to give; to share. Let's see it shown during Modern Family (my one tv fix), too.
I'm glad to see the exposure that this commercial offers. I think hope is a precious thing: to receive; to give; to share. Let's see it shown during Modern Family (my one tv fix), too.
43
I guess I'm just of a mind that advertisements are created to use any means possible to sell their products. Making an ad for Google out of IGBP seems like Google is using the swelling of support for the project to gain more notoriety, and that's what I feel is paramount in the ad, not helping Queer kids. I guess it's good that IGBP is so big now that a corporation like Google wants to cash in on its political power. It still feels to me like Google is using the hardship these kids face to further their company. It seems like I'm the only one, though, so I'll STFU now. Thanks for listening, folks.
45
@11 -- I could not disagree with you more. First, how much does Google really gain by using the IGBP to show how powerful the web can be? Google is potentially taking a tremendous risk that they might alienate many possible Chrome users by associating their browser with a movement that a lot of right wing religious nut jobs and other homophobes might have a problem with. To they extent they do get good will and attract new users because of it, I think it is well deserved.
IMO, what you're saying is pretty much the equivalent of claiming that the only reason any company would ever make a charitable contribution is to improve their own public image and then slamming the company for making such contributions. Personally, even if that were their only motivation for making the contribution, I wouldn't care because the charity still benefits, regardless of the motives behind the contribution.
IMO, what you're saying is pretty much the equivalent of claiming that the only reason any company would ever make a charitable contribution is to improve their own public image and then slamming the company for making such contributions. Personally, even if that were their only motivation for making the contribution, I wouldn't care because the charity still benefits, regardless of the motives behind the contribution.
46
My two cents on whether this was selling out.
The It Gets Better Project is not about gay rights. It's about saving kids' lives. So, it should be the goal of the project to reach the most children and teenagers using whatever methods. Incidentally, the ad was great. Nearly made me cry.
The It Gets Better Project is not about gay rights. It's about saving kids' lives. So, it should be the goal of the project to reach the most children and teenagers using whatever methods. Incidentally, the ad was great. Nearly made me cry.
48
You know...
Back in September, three days after we launched the It Gets Better Project, we hit the max number of videos that could be posted to a new YouTube channel: 650. We didn't know what to do with or about all the videos that were pouring in. A Google engineer, on her own initiative, went in and backdated the creation of our YouTube channel to 2004, which allowed us to post 5,000 more videos.
So Google folks have been involved and supportive since the start.
And then there's this: the IGB project wouldn't exist without a Google product (YouTube), and would've ground to a halt without an assist from inside Google immediately after its launch. It's not like we partnered with Hot Pockets or Bank of America.
We were, however, wary when we Google's marketing team called and wanted a meeting. It was only after we saw the ad—which really gets it and is really powerful and featured lots of different voices and a diverse group of queer people (trans, African Americans, deaf, Spanish speakers, celebs, non-celebs, elders)—that we said yes.
Google really got it—not just the marketing opportunity, but the project itself. They made some small changes we asked for and weren't able to make a big change we wanted (we didn't want it to end on my name alone, because the project has lots of messengers, not just me, but the alternate ending didn't work).
And the end result is an ad that amplifies the It Gets Better Project message and extends its reach. The ad is really moving and it's spreading the word and reaching people who haven't already heard about the project. Tons of new people went to the site last night—including, and most importantly, lots of the people we're trying to reach: LBGT kids.
This project is not about glamorizing LGBT suicide. It's about reaching LGBT kids who are still fucking alive. Google is helping us do that.
More...
Back in September, three days after we launched the It Gets Better Project, we hit the max number of videos that could be posted to a new YouTube channel: 650. We didn't know what to do with or about all the videos that were pouring in. A Google engineer, on her own initiative, went in and backdated the creation of our YouTube channel to 2004, which allowed us to post 5,000 more videos.
So Google folks have been involved and supportive since the start.
And then there's this: the IGB project wouldn't exist without a Google product (YouTube), and would've ground to a halt without an assist from inside Google immediately after its launch. It's not like we partnered with Hot Pockets or Bank of America.
We were, however, wary when we Google's marketing team called and wanted a meeting. It was only after we saw the ad—which really gets it and is really powerful and featured lots of different voices and a diverse group of queer people (trans, African Americans, deaf, Spanish speakers, celebs, non-celebs, elders)—that we said yes.
Google really got it—not just the marketing opportunity, but the project itself. They made some small changes we asked for and weren't able to make a big change we wanted (we didn't want it to end on my name alone, because the project has lots of messengers, not just me, but the alternate ending didn't work).
And the end result is an ad that amplifies the It Gets Better Project message and extends its reach. The ad is really moving and it's spreading the word and reaching people who haven't already heard about the project. Tons of new people went to the site last night—including, and most importantly, lots of the people we're trying to reach: LBGT kids.
This project is not about glamorizing LGBT suicide. It's about reaching LGBT kids who are still fucking alive. Google is helping us do that.
49
Sodomight,
I think you're 100% right that Google is using the project to make money. There might be executives who agree with what the project's about and that's why the ad is so good. You sell something better when it's something you believe in. But it's still selling it.
However, the IGBP is using Google as well to gain access to prime time television.
Usually, I have issue when corporations cash in on movements but this is a good thing. The positives outweigh the negatives, heavily. It might actually save lives.
I think you're 100% right that Google is using the project to make money. There might be executives who agree with what the project's about and that's why the ad is so good. You sell something better when it's something you believe in. But it's still selling it.
However, the IGBP is using Google as well to gain access to prime time television.
Usually, I have issue when corporations cash in on movements but this is a good thing. The positives outweigh the negatives, heavily. It might actually save lives.
50
And Sodomight? I get where you're coming from. We talked and talked and talked about the issues you raise, and about what it meant, and selling out, and who was being used here.
I think you can argue that Google used IGB. You could also argue that IGB used Google. I think what we've got here is a win-win. But while it's a smallish win for Google—they could've gone with some other online campaign, one that comes with less controversy attached—it's a huge, huge, HUGE win for the IGBP and the kids we're trying to reach.
I think you can argue that Google used IGB. You could also argue that IGB used Google. I think what we've got here is a win-win. But while it's a smallish win for Google—they could've gone with some other online campaign, one that comes with less controversy attached—it's a huge, huge, HUGE win for the IGBP and the kids we're trying to reach.
51
Until Chrome has an extensions library to rival that of FF, it remains my backup browser. That said, it's improved steadily over the years.
52
Dan, I agree that IGP and Google used each other. Hot Pockets or BoA weren't picked for the commercial and Google has helped quite a bit with the IGBP. I spoke rashly when I said I didn't care if this got the message out to more kids, because I want every kid out there that thinks there's no hope to find some in whatever form that comes in. That's all that really matters in the end. My concern was that kids might feel that they're being used as a political and now economic tool without getting the help they actually need. It can be a fine line, but I'm glad you're being watchful of that.
Also, thanks for showing me how to properly conjugate IGP. :)
Also, thanks for showing me how to properly conjugate IGP. :)
53
@51, I know - extensions people just adore Firefox, and vice versa. Really a great platform, though Mozilla's ever-tighter financial reliance on Google's started to make the IRS question whether it can stay non-profit itself.
56
CBC Radio's technology program, "Spark" ran a bit a month or so ago about IGBP, and how urbanites tend to forget that in rural areas, kids might not really have all that much access to computers - lots of people on farms only have dial up, and school and library computers might have filters to block something like IGBP. There are targeted kids out there right now who are hearing about the project for the first time because of this ad. It might still be hard for them to get to the videos, but knowing they exist is the first step. Hell, just the very impressive ad itself is a first step.
It's worth a small loss of purity, IMO.
It's worth a small loss of purity, IMO.
57
Gay and lesbian youth and suicide-
An article in the December issue of APA's Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology points to a possible cause of seemingly higher rates of suicide among LGB and transgendered (LGBT) youth: discrepancies between what gay youth report about suicide attempts and what they're actually doing.
The article, by Cornell University's Ritch C. Savin-Williams, PhD, reports on two studies that conclude that even though sexual-minority teens are more likely than heterosexual youth to report suicide attempts, half of those reports are false--that is, the young people had thought about suicide but hadn't acted on it. In addition, Savin-Williams found, many of the true attempts the young people reported weren't life-threatening.
"When you ask in-depth questions about suicide attempts, the responses you get account for the rate differences between heterosexual and sexual minority youth suicide," Savin-Williams says. "The heterosexual youth had hardly any false attempts, while those with same-sex attractions had a lot of them."
In one of the studies, 23 percent of 83 young sexual-minority women said they'd attempted suicide at least once. On further questioning, though, 29 percent of the reported attempts turned out to be false, and 80 percent of the true attempts were not life-threatening, Savin-Williams writes. The one exception was a small number of young women who were part of a support group, whose rate of actual suicide attempts was much higher than others in the sample.
In the other study, Savin-Williams compared reported suicide attempts in 126 young sexual-minority young people and 140 young heterosexual men and women. Again, while sexual-minority men and women were far more likely to report suicide attempts than heterosexual subjects, the two groups showed similar rates of true suicide attempts.
The findings suggest that gay youth are vulnerable to the media's and researchers' well-meaning but negative depictions of gay youth as highly troubled people heading on a collision course with life, Savin-Williams maintains.
"There's a script we have in our culture--a 'suffering suicidal' script--that these kids have picked up on," he says. A better approach for researchers, teachers and other youth workers, he believes, is to treat all young LGBT people as ordinary kids with great potential, unless they show research-based or visible indicators of suicide risk
More...
An article in the December issue of APA's Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology points to a possible cause of seemingly higher rates of suicide among LGB and transgendered (LGBT) youth: discrepancies between what gay youth report about suicide attempts and what they're actually doing.
The article, by Cornell University's Ritch C. Savin-Williams, PhD, reports on two studies that conclude that even though sexual-minority teens are more likely than heterosexual youth to report suicide attempts, half of those reports are false--that is, the young people had thought about suicide but hadn't acted on it. In addition, Savin-Williams found, many of the true attempts the young people reported weren't life-threatening.
"When you ask in-depth questions about suicide attempts, the responses you get account for the rate differences between heterosexual and sexual minority youth suicide," Savin-Williams says. "The heterosexual youth had hardly any false attempts, while those with same-sex attractions had a lot of them."
In one of the studies, 23 percent of 83 young sexual-minority women said they'd attempted suicide at least once. On further questioning, though, 29 percent of the reported attempts turned out to be false, and 80 percent of the true attempts were not life-threatening, Savin-Williams writes. The one exception was a small number of young women who were part of a support group, whose rate of actual suicide attempts was much higher than others in the sample.
In the other study, Savin-Williams compared reported suicide attempts in 126 young sexual-minority young people and 140 young heterosexual men and women. Again, while sexual-minority men and women were far more likely to report suicide attempts than heterosexual subjects, the two groups showed similar rates of true suicide attempts.
The findings suggest that gay youth are vulnerable to the media's and researchers' well-meaning but negative depictions of gay youth as highly troubled people heading on a collision course with life, Savin-Williams maintains.
"There's a script we have in our culture--a 'suffering suicidal' script--that these kids have picked up on," he says. A better approach for researchers, teachers and other youth workers, he believes, is to treat all young LGBT people as ordinary kids with great potential, unless they show research-based or visible indicators of suicide risk
59
@46 - thank you! You said what I was about to, nearly verbatim.
If this ad saves even just one kid's life by helping them find the IGBP, then it doesn't matter who is using who or who's a sell-out: it was fucking worth it.
If this ad saves even just one kid's life by helping them find the IGBP, then it doesn't matter who is using who or who's a sell-out: it was fucking worth it.
61
Sodomight is a self-righteous ass--thanks Fnarf for slapping the douche down.
As for the NBA, now that the Blazers are out I'm in my usual 'anybody but the Lakers' mode.
As for the NBA, now that the Blazers are out I'm in my usual 'anybody but the Lakers' mode.
63
Totally worth it. Dan (as usual) nails it @50. Though I wish he'd hint at its appearance on another show (one that doesn't require me to sit through a possible 10+ hrs of programming to catch it on the teevee).
Think about the audience he needs to reach: is Sister Wives or the Hour of Power still on?
Think about the audience he needs to reach: is Sister Wives or the Hour of Power still on?
67
I'm with @35. We have Kobe Bryant to thank for the NBA purchasing the commercial. Now if we could just go back in time and get a anti-rap commercial played during a Lakers game.
68
My only objection to the ad is that it seems to emphasize the IGBP's explosion, rather that the individual messages and their impact(s). If I were a teen LGBTEtc, I would care less about how the project has exploded and a whole lot more about what's in these messages.
Nonetheless, a good ad for all the right reasons.
Nonetheless, a good ad for all the right reasons.
69
@54: Sodomight I would like to apologize for getting snippy with you. I’m getting too used to smiting Trolls, and while that level of acidity has its place, you did not deserve it. Again I apologize.
70
Dan, you're probably done with this thread for the day. But I just have to say I'm impressed with the benefit of the doubt, and respect, you give to even an ostensibly troll-ish-seeming character like Sodomight in this thread. You took more time than most of us did in discerning his good intentions (maybe you recognize him from previous posts - I don't). But good onya.
Sodomight, return the favor and give Dan the benefit of the doubt, willya?
Sodomight, return the favor and give Dan the benefit of the doubt, willya?
71
I think Google should be praised to the hills for this (along with Terry and Dan, of course). I think this is one of the most direct, gay-positive ads I've ever seen in my life (and I'm old) put out by a commercial company. Hands down. Google is also taking a huge risk here. They will gain some credibility among progressives at the cost of an inevitably loud backlash from the Christian right. Very few large companies would take such a risk. In fact, I can't recall any others off the top of my head.
And if a commercial company can somehow profit by spreading the word that gay kids have value, and please don't kill yourselves, then I'm 100% okay with that.
Thanks Google!!!
And if a commercial company can somehow profit by spreading the word that gay kids have value, and please don't kill yourselves, then I'm 100% okay with that.
Thanks Google!!!
72
Dan-I cried when I saw this ad last night. This thing that you have done is awesome. Don't let anyone second guess you.
74
I was so excited when I saw this during Glee last night, I went into full on squee mode. I explained the It Gets Better campaign to my daughter (13), we talked about how difficult it was when her uncle was in school and how much things are changing for queer kids and how much more things need to change, not just for kids, but across all age groups. We watched some videos, it was a realy good conversation. And then she asked, but why doesn't Dan care about straight kids who are bullied?
So, Dan, you're doing good work, but there's a 13 year old girl in Denver who has some questions for you.
So, Dan, you're doing good work, but there's a 13 year old girl in Denver who has some questions for you.
76
catballou, I'm sure you'll want to show your daughter Dan and Terry's project didn't happen because they care only about bullied kids who are gay. The story is in the About section of the IGBP website. And for more, you can search through his archives here - he's talked a lot about how and why IGBP in no way should be taken to mean he doesn't care if straight kids are bullied - you can share that with her. Here's something that struck me very strongly. I hope it might help in your conversation with her:
Savage was also bullied but didn't tell his parents what was going on, partly because he didn't want to implicate himself and tell them why he was being bullied. His older brother Billy — who was straight and also viciously bullied in middle school — recently told Dan that there were noticeable differences between the ways they were treated at home.http://www.npr.org/2011/03/23/134628750/…
"He said, 'At the end of the day, I had Mom and Dad and you didn't.' And that really captures the difference between the bullied straight kid and the bullied gay kid," Savage says. "The bullied straight kid goes home to a shoulder to cry on and support and can talk freely about his experience at school and why he's being bullied. I couldn't go home and open up to my parents."
77
Wonderful ad. Kudos all around. The whole IGB project is a wonderful thing.
Love the Woody-from-Toy-Story clip. I can't find any longer version it came from. Does a longer version exist, or is it just that short bit in the ad?
Love the Woody-from-Toy-Story clip. I can't find any longer version it came from. Does a longer version exist, or is it just that short bit in the ad?
78
I tend to think that IGB has the power to help all children who face being bullied. And, not just because knowing others have had similar experiences is powerful. But, because it helps empower the development of groups like GSA. Helping our children to become critical thinkers, helps them to be accepting individuals, even if they disagree. Think about the cycle of bullying and how easy it is to pay the abuse forward, any program that can help facilitate anti-bully programs has the power to make it better and safer for every child. Reaching out to the most vulnerable specifically still reaches out to others.
79
@77, here's Pixar's special 8-minute, two-second IGBP offering. That excerpt is the last, added-on two seconds. The original Pixar video (without Woody) was one of the early corporate ones - they offered it up five months ago or so, I think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeZiF_BJ3…
If you want to see a classic example of what Lissa @31 calls "Yur Doing it Wrong" directed at the Pixar video, enjoy watching this woman demand Pixar remove the video immediately to honor all the gay kids harmed by the heteronormativity in its movies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L44saW6Bz…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeZiF_BJ3…
If you want to see a classic example of what Lissa @31 calls "Yur Doing it Wrong" directed at the Pixar video, enjoy watching this woman demand Pixar remove the video immediately to honor all the gay kids harmed by the heteronormativity in its movies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L44saW6Bz…
80
ALL kids are taunted and teased about something by someone.
Fat, pimples, brainy, skinny, dumb, wrong religion, wrong accent, wrong colour, wrong sport, etc., etc...
Many of them come from crummy homes and don't find refuge or support there.
Some of those kids will crack under the load of their particular burden, most won't.
The cold hard fact of life is that life is hard and you have to toughen up to some extent to survive.
The good news is that the great majority of kids, whatever they are bullied for, will cope and get/be strong enough.
This is true of ALL kids.
The problems with IGB are that it
>Glamorizes the suicides of kids who are gay (or who homosexual activists can suggest in any small way were brushed by the gay...) and focuses HUGE attention on them, which is exactly the opposite of the way teen suicide should be handled
and
>it throws all of the responsibility onto some great malicious evil out there and absolves the kids of any responsibility to cope themselves.
"You're gay?! Oh-poor dear; it's a miracle you haven'y killed yourself already..."
Teen depression is real but it is treatable.
Creating a ghetto of Cool Gay Kids with Special Needs and Special Attention (Woody! Obama!!)
and blaming everything on the Bad Bad Christians is poor mental health care....
Fat, pimples, brainy, skinny, dumb, wrong religion, wrong accent, wrong colour, wrong sport, etc., etc...
Many of them come from crummy homes and don't find refuge or support there.
Some of those kids will crack under the load of their particular burden, most won't.
The cold hard fact of life is that life is hard and you have to toughen up to some extent to survive.
The good news is that the great majority of kids, whatever they are bullied for, will cope and get/be strong enough.
This is true of ALL kids.
The problems with IGB are that it
>Glamorizes the suicides of kids who are gay (or who homosexual activists can suggest in any small way were brushed by the gay...) and focuses HUGE attention on them, which is exactly the opposite of the way teen suicide should be handled
and
>it throws all of the responsibility onto some great malicious evil out there and absolves the kids of any responsibility to cope themselves.
"You're gay?! Oh-poor dear; it's a miracle you haven'y killed yourself already..."
Teen depression is real but it is treatable.
Creating a ghetto of Cool Gay Kids with Special Needs and Special Attention (Woody! Obama!!)
and blaming everything on the Bad Bad Christians is poor mental health care....
81
Dan--we fastforward through all commercials except the Allstate Mayham ads and now yours! I thought it was fanstastic when we saw it and seeing it juxtaposed with Glee made me realize that Terry looks a little bit like a grown up trout-y mouth. Handsome!
82
@80, I pretty sure you're a troll, but I'm going to respond anyway. I'm not a troll, for the record, I just had some concerns (wait, does that make me a troll? idk) that Dan addressed in a display of awesomeness.
Anyhow, the IGBP doesn't glorify gay suicide at all. If anything, it sheds light on the experience of being an LGB or T kid. The project gives support and a voice to kids who otherwise, in lots of cases, don't have one.
Are those kids just supposed to shut up and allow themselves to be brushed aside? That's been par for the course for the entire Queer community for a couple centuries now, and I'm really glad it seems like someone in power gives a shit about these kids and is doing something about it. Depression is one thing. The threat of being disowned by your parents, losing your friends, and any support network you have to lie to stay in is a completely different situation.
Also, not all Christians are bad, but what's the main reason cited for institutionalized homophobia in America these days?
Anyhow, the IGBP doesn't glorify gay suicide at all. If anything, it sheds light on the experience of being an LGB or T kid. The project gives support and a voice to kids who otherwise, in lots of cases, don't have one.
Are those kids just supposed to shut up and allow themselves to be brushed aside? That's been par for the course for the entire Queer community for a couple centuries now, and I'm really glad it seems like someone in power gives a shit about these kids and is doing something about it. Depression is one thing. The threat of being disowned by your parents, losing your friends, and any support network you have to lie to stay in is a completely different situation.
Also, not all Christians are bad, but what's the main reason cited for institutionalized homophobia in America these days?
83
82
ALL kids deserve support to help them deal with bullying.
" It Gets Better! :) " is the mental health equivalent of "Just Say No"
Many gay/lesbian teens have actual mental health issues.
They deserve actual mental health care.
Not to be faceless extras in the "Look At Dan!" show.
Address the actual causes of gay/lesbian teen depression and get them actual support and help.
Not Youtube Cheerleading.....
ALL kids deserve support to help them deal with bullying.
" It Gets Better! :) " is the mental health equivalent of "Just Say No"
Many gay/lesbian teens have actual mental health issues.
They deserve actual mental health care.
Not to be faceless extras in the "Look At Dan!" show.
Address the actual causes of gay/lesbian teen depression and get them actual support and help.
Not Youtube Cheerleading.....
85
Who's supposed to help a lot of these kids? Homophobic teachers? Parents that might want to disown them? I'm all for offering help to people, but my point is that there are lots of LGBT kids out there who don't have anyone to give that help.
Gay kids have needs other kids don't. I'm glad that the IGBP is helping with that a little.
Gay kids have needs other kids don't. I'm glad that the IGBP is helping with that a little.
86
@85: Don't waste your breath. The troll you are responding to doesn't give a fuck about bullied kids, gay or straight. It's just a handy club for him to beat Dan with.
And for what it's worth, I believe the IGBP can help straight kids as well. A lot of bullying is homophobic bullying - even when the victim is straight.
And for what it's worth, I believe the IGBP can help straight kids as well. A lot of bullying is homophobic bullying - even when the victim is straight.
87
No fun watching BBA since they all wear long shorts that come down to their ankles.
Give me Spike's extreme spandex cage-fight thingie anytime.
Give me Spike's extreme spandex cage-fight thingie anytime.
88
Forty years ago, when I was in high school, there were NO positive television portrayals of gays and lesbians, and not really any in the movies, either. Gays and lesbians were invisible most of the time, and objects of scoren and ridicule on the rare occasions they happened to show up. There was no GLEE. There was no IGBP. There were certainly no major coroporations wanting to run gay-positive or gay-friendly ads on primetime television. So I don't give a rat's ass whether Google is exploiting a cause to promote sales. I'm just happy that teens today have positive media images and messages that were completely unavailable to me in the early 1970's.
89
Well, I want to let you know kids are definitely seeing the commercials! I am a HS teacher in FL, and wear my It Gets Better Shirt a lot. One of my kids saw the commercial earlier in the week and told me about it. She said that she thought it was positive and great and wanted me to know. So, good job! :)
90
Yes, made me cry in the middle of a Bulls game in a sports bar- being warned to look for it didn't preempt the leaky eyes at all.
91
Thank you so much Dan for everything you did. It meant so much to me and millions of others kids out there....Thank you.
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