With all the talk about cyber bullying and other bad effects of the Internet, it's nice to know that technology can also help people bring about positive change in the world. The best recent example of this was after several suicides by bullied gay young men, including the Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, one person in Ft. Worth decided to speak up. Joel Burns is on the Ft. Worth City Council, so he already had a platform and a camera for his speech about his own experiences growing up gay. However, the speech he gave on Oct. 10 was so honest and well-composed and emotional that it became an Internet phenomenon. It went viral.
Rhetorically, the speech was aimed at gay and lesbian youth, and the message was don't consider suicide because if you "stick around, . . . it gets better." He revealed his own suicidal thoughts while growing up. But while he addressed the GLBT audience, I'd like to think that any intolerant, prejudiced people who take the time to watch the speech might also be affected by it. His decision to give that speech is exactly the kind of thing Siegel meant when he talked about the brave leaders who speak up against injustice can change information in the news into knowledge and understanding.
But how many bullies have watched the speech? How many religious nuts who think homosexuality is a sin would rethink their views? The only hope is for more people to follow Burns's example and speak out.
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