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5 Gay Teens commit suicide within a 3 week time frame. Do you give a damn?

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SamsungVibrant

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If you don't already know, the suicide rate for GLBT teens is statistically very high.

In the span of just 3 weeks alone, 5 gay teens have committed suicide. Is this acceptable?
Fifth Gay Teen Suicide Sparks Debate - ABC News

Instead of leaving useless posts saying "prove they killed themselves because they were gay," don't you think as a society we should do something proactive instead and give a damn?
Give A Damn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-E7fykpeGc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKpBeIa3sV0
 
What are some more possible ways to "give a damn" I wonder? Would you like me to actively seek out gay people and let them know their welcome to be friends with me? Let them know that even though they are a certain sexual orientation they should feel free to talk to me?

It's that kind of shit that bothers me. I treat everyone with respect, and I don't care what your orientation is, what race you are, if you're obese or anorexic, but I'm not going to give you special attention because you're born different.
 
SamsungVibrant said:
How sad, well if you ever end up having a GLBT child one day, at least your child will know I give a damn, even if you don't. Maybe that will save a life.
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Give a damn about what, exactly?

What manages to get publicity at any given time?

Suicide is a tragedy. Nothing about them being GLBT makes it any more or less tragic.

Acting like it's any more of a tragedy because they were of a specific orientation is ridiculous. It tells me that all you care about is being able to tell a story. Not the people.

It is particularly amusing, in light of the multiple studies indicating that media coverage of suicides make them more likely. I wonder how many more people will die because of folks like you, out there to find a nice story about how the poor GLBT teens are being bullied at school. No need to worry about the other folks that commit suicide due to that bullying, of course.
 
zauper said:
Give a damn about what, exactly?

What manages to get publicity at any given time?

Suicide is a tragedy. Nothing about them being GLBT makes it any more or less tragic.

Acting like it's any more of a tragedy because they were of a specific orientation is ridiculous. It tells me that all you care about is being able to tell a story. Not the people.
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What makes it more tragic is the suicide rate amongst GLBT teens is extremely high. Why don't you understand the bigger picture?

There is a reason the rate amongst these teens is higher. When you give a damn, you are saying you stand up against injustice. You are saying when you hear someone calling another person gay or the F word you stand up against injustice, even if doesn't directly impact your life. You stand up for the gay child, or handicap child, or minority child or the child that is just different and you do what is right.

You can either be the woman who thinks it's funny in the video below(time 1:12), or you can be like Ethan Bellow(time 1:40), and stand up against injustice.

YouTube - ABC What Would You Do? - Who Defends Gay Parents 19-05-10
 
SamsungVibrant said:
What makes it more tragic is the suicide rate amongst GLBT teens is extremely high. Why don't you understand the bigger picture?

There is a reason the rate amongst these teens is higher. When you give a damn, you are saying you stand up against injustice. You are saying when you hear someone calling another person gay or the F word you stand up against injustice, even if doesn't directly impact your life. You stand up for the gay child, or handicap child, or minority child or the child that is just different and you do what is right.

You can either be the woman who thinks it's funny in the video below(time 1:12), or you can be like Ethan Bellow(time 1:40), and stand up against injustice.
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You missed the bottom edit to my post.

There's a reason why the rate of suicide in everyone that is either rejected by their family, or bullied at school is higher. I still don't see a reason to be up in arms because it's in the media. Why do you think there is?
 
I think the more profound statistic is the amount of non gays committing suicide really. Because of their sexual orientation, gays are likely to feel alienated, but what about the significant number of non gay people committing suicide? What's their story, what are their problems? That's what is interesting to me.

I do give a damn: about everyone. Not just gays. Teen suicide is a horrible, horrible thing and when start picking and choosing who we decide to help for our own personal agenda, that's when it gets rough for the all the others who need help as well.
 
Intervenient said:
I think the more profound statistic is the amount of non gays committing suicide really. Because of their sexual orientation, gays are likely to feel alienated, but what about the significant number of non gay people committing suicide? What's their story, what are their problems? That's what is interesting to me.
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this
 
Intervenient said:
I think the more profound statistic is the amount of non gays committing suicide really. Because of their sexual orientation gays are likely to feel alienated, but what about the significant number of non gay people committing suicide? What's their story, what are their problems? That's what is interesting to me.

I do give a damn: about everyone. Not just gays. Teen suicide is a horrible, horrible thing and when start picking and choosing who we decide to help for our own personal agenda, that's when it gets rough for the all the others who need help as well.
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I'm not picking and choosing. Nor do I have a personal agenda other than standing up against injustice. I always stand up against injustice. Even when I was younger, and I heard people my own age picking on someone, I would always tell the bullies to stop it. I remember being a teen not so long ago, and a group of teens were making fun of some guy in a wheel chair at the mall. How a handicap person is somehow funny goes over my head. I stood up to these bullies and let the handicap person know that not everyone in this world is cruel.

Now as an adult in my 20's I do the same thing. If I hear someone saying anything cruel about anyone I'm the first to stand up against injustice. I never get physical, I'm smarter than that, but I won't stand by passively and hear people put down and ridicule innocent people.

It especially breaks my heart when I see people do it to disabled folks, or people who are mentally and or psychologically handicap. I don't know why people think someone with schizophrenia is so funny. This individual suffers from a physiological brain defect, their world is sad, and lonely, and filled with haunting voices and images. Yet I've heard grown adults laugh and make fun of complete strangers on the street with schizophrenia. Calling someone crazy, or laughing at them is so cruel.
 
I agree that it is tragic the number of gay teens who feel there is no way out, but what I believe is even more tragic is the attention the media gives to gays. Human nature tends to feed off of the emotions and instigations of those around them, and if the media is broadcasting about the suicide rate of gay teens, then straight teens and adults will automatically feel superior and that gay teens are "below" them, since they do not have those feelings themselves as a straight person. Likewise, if the media were to broadcast about the rate of women who become extremely promiscuous from a lack of proper fathering as young girls (4:1, FYI), that social group would automatically put "in the box" like gay teens are right now. It's a tragic situation for everybody who feels there is no way out or compromises their morality and better judgement because of life situations, not just gay teens.

Bringing more light to the hardships and alienation of gay teens through social and media outlets will do nothing but further strengthen such alienation to gay teens. They will feel this because of the attention, not because others are "giving a damn". I agree that everybody should stop being cruel just because somebody is different than you, but there is so much injustice in the world that making it sound like gay teens have it harder than any other teen is just plain incorrect. Tell that to the teen who's father shot his mother then himself, or who is obese, or who is pregnant at 15, or who gets picked on every day. They all have it hard, the only difference is that our media is promoting gays to feel they are inferior through all of the attention.
 
howetechnical said:
...making it sound like gay teens have it harder than any other teen is just plain incorrect.
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I'm sorry, but you are incorrect. Gay teens do have it harder, research shows that. Gay teens are ridiculed more and harassed more, research shows that. Gay teens do have a higher suicide rate, research shows that. Gay people in general are more likely to be victims of hate crime compared to their straight counterparts, again research shows that. People in the GLBT community are more likely to be fired or passed up for certain positions, again research shows that.

Let me guess, someone wants me to provide the research because believing that gays are discriminated against more so than their straight counterparts is so hard to believe.
 
If this read "5 teens commit suicide within a 3 week time frame" would we still have celebrities coming out and making videos about how they give a damn?
 
If you've never been a gay teen... then you don't understand what we had to go through. I've been harassed and assaulted to the point of having to be hospitalized back in middle school because I'm gay. I've never heard of anyone being harassed and assaulted because they're straight. It's like saying that you understand what African Americans went through even though you're white or what women went through even though you're a man.

I'm sure if they were a string of 5 deaths by African Americans within a 3 week time span because they were being bullied because they were black... that would be all over the news and a lot more people would be devastated by it. Since it's gays... well, not as much support unfortunately.

Gay teens also have to deal with religious groups, politicians, and such telling them that they're abominations. Public figures denounce homosexuals and treat them as 2nd class citizens. For an adult, it's not as hurtful but for a teenager who is trying to find him/herself in this society... being told that you should go kill yourself (I've been told that both straight in the face and inadvertently) or that you're going to hell because of you "choose" to be... well, that really targets the soul.
 
Vihzel said:
I'm sure if they were a string of 5 deaths by African Americans within a 3 week time span because they were being bullied because they were black... that would be all over the news and a lot more people would be devastated by it.
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I think thats what some of the poster are trying to say. That it shouldnt be about race, gender religious etc...There should have been a "We give a Damn about You as a human being". Suicide is a suicide. If you look into suicide it also show Asian women have a higher suicide rate then non Asian women. And it happens all the time. My co worker aunt (Asian) just committed suicide 2 months ago. And my cousin (Asian) committed suicide the month prior. Since these suicide arent in the news doesnt it make it any less? Nope. It should have been a commercial about suicide in general. Now a straight kid who has been bully and wanted to commit suicide has another issue. He now thinks his issue is less important then the gay kids issue. So now he feels even more unwanted. =/

I also get wary when i see celeb doing this. its like whats the flavor of the month to show that i "care".
 
SamsungVibrant said:
Let me guess, someone wants me to provide the research
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I do

btw just some info from the CDC (which will also give you the ACTUAL stats on teen suicide rates) :

in the US about 30K suicides per year
about 5K teen suicides per year
about 79% of all suicides are males
for males the age group with the highest rates is- over 75
for females the age group with the highest rates is- 45-54

of course there are tons more statistics to throw around..... but thats not the point

I certainly wouldnt argue that being a homosexual in school isnt tough...... and Im sure many of them do consider suicide..... but phony studies and claims dont help their cause at all.......

Im sure these students just love all the added attention being thrown their way......... what could be better for a gay person whos being bullied than to get the spotlight pointed right at them

its sad that any kid is discriminated and bullied to the extent that they would consider suicide...... but I dont think making the headlines is really going to help the cause any
 
ntrddragn said:
Now a straight kid who has been bully and wanted to commit suicide has another issue. He now thinks his issue is less important then the gay kids issue. So now he feels even more unwanted. =/
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The straight kid who wanted to commit suicide has another issue, he now thinks his issue is less important than the gay kids issue? OMG did you really just say that? LOL, are you in college? Hope you never use that statement when your professor assigns an argumentative paper. Your professor will laugh.

That made no credible sense. I'm actually laughing really hard.

Straight kids are not committing suicide at a statistically high rate, poor kids aren't, fat kids aren't, but GLBT teens are, don't you understand there is a problem there.

Here is your argument and your logic. It's like saying, hey lets not pay more focus, more attention, and more money on the Aids epidemic in Africa, even though the Aids epidemic in Africa is spiraling out of control faster than anywhere in the wold. Ya lets not do this, because Aids is everywhere, so lets just forget about the statistically high Aids epidemic in Africa.

Really man, or woman, whatever you are, you made no sense.

Billions of dollars are spent in research when it comes to GLBT issues. You can study GLBT in college, you can get a Ph.D. in GLBT studies. This is a huge area of research. These statistics are not made up, they are very real, yet you seem to be oblivious to the extreme struggles this community goes through. You don't have to be gay to understand that.
 
Killing yourself no matter what is just plain weakness. This is selfish self-inflicted tragedy. My wifes uncle is gay and the shit he endured he said made him stronger. Sad yeah, but this does not compare to 5 year old innocent children being killed in drive-by-shootings. You should e-mail this to my friend whose 4 year old daughter was killed by some stupid hunters stray bullet while she was visiting her grandparents. There is a thousand tragedies every day, I dont think i will lose to much sleep over peole who have a CHOICE to die.
 
copestag said:
I


Im sure these students just love all the added attention being thrown their way......... what could be better for a gay person whos being bullied than to get the spotlight pointed right at them
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What students are you talking about, the gay students? Why in the world would a gay student want a spotlight. Are you missing the point also, gay students want the opposite, they want OUT of the spotlight, they are in fear of the spotlight, because the spotlight comes as hatred, as name calling, as being outed. Gay students commit suicide as soon as the spotlight turns on them. I'm sorry this isn't Will and Grace. Maybe "Just Jack" loved the spotlight, but some gay 13 yr old living in the bible belt at this moment is in his/her room in agony over being gay, and prays his/her community never finds out they are gay via any spotlight.

A gay kid in horror wants a spotlight:rolleyes:


Did you really mean the gay students? That's what your statement sounded like.
 
tylerdurdin said:
Killing yourself no matter what is just plain weakness. This is selfish self-inflicted tragedy. My wifes uncle is gay and the shit he endured he said made him stronger. Sad yeah, but this does not compare to 5 year old innocent children being killed in drive-by-shootings. You should e-mail this to my friend whose 4 year old daughter was killed by some stupid hunters stray bullet while she was visiting her grandparents. There is a thousand tragedies every day, I dont think i will lose to much sleep over people who have a CHOICE to die.
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You're friends 4 yr old daughter was killed by a hunters stray bullet, and you are comparing this to the gay issue going on in this country?

Gay marriage
Gay Suicide
Gay hate crime
Gay discrimination
Gay inequality
Gay controversy in politics
Gay community being taxed higher than married couples
Gay couples denied access to their loved ones in hospitals
Gay adoption
The list goes on.

You are comparing the gay rights movement to Sarah Palin accidentally mistaking a 4yr old for a Moose?
 
SamsungVibrant said:
You're friends 4 yr old daughter was killed by a hunters stray bullet, and you are comparing this to the gay issue going on in this country?

You are comparing the gay rights movement to Sarah Palin accidentally mistaking a 4yr old for a Moose?
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And BTW what the hell is this about? You are lucky you are where you are. What kind of response is this to me?:mad: This is my point, your gay issue takes front page while to me the earth is alot bigger than 3% of the earths population to me. How much did you donate to the world trade center families? how about hurricane katrina, how about millions of earthquake victims, cancer patients? Dont try to out do me in insensitive you wont win, i assure you, no one cares less about self inflicted tragedy than me.
 
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