On this day I wanted to do something to help. To not just shake my head and cuss at the spitefulness of human beings. I was so angry I couldn't really touch the keyboard for days.
I'm a straight woman but I so remember the bullying and long, hard days at school. No child should have to experience that kind of harassment.
I had unfocused anger about the suicides of young people, bi, gay, straight, queer, transgenders, asexual due to bullying and cultural misinformation. A lot of it is fear. Fear can't stand the light of day or of truth.
I want to encourage straight people to watch some of the videos at the It Gets Better project.
Don't comment, or pontificate in the YouTube comments. Just watch the videos, listen to their stories. Be at peace with yourself and seek the common ground.
What does this have to do with web video?
It is the reason this blog exist. A young woman was killed by an on-line stalker for speaking out, having fun and being herself. There was a man who objected to her light, her truth to power and her happiness.
She was located and he killed her.
And idea began to bubble. I tried not to set up another blog. I really thought is was not needed; it is easier now to upload video. Still, there is a need to have a space to document all that is happening. It isn't the technology, it is the people and what they can do with the technology.
Yeah, I geek out a bit. A girl has to tech-up every now and then. But at the heart of the blog is the desire to help others tell their stories. I need to do all I can to make sure that no person's voice was suppressed or prevented from expressing themselves using video.
Advocacy is one of the gems of web video. We can do what mainstream media cannot. They can have a one-shot special and repeat it once. These video will not go away unless the creators yank them off YouTube.
I understand that web video isn't just about making money or silly stuff. It is also for communities to join together and support each other.
What is impressive is that many people are uploading videos and telling their stories. So many people are doing it that the project is overwhelmed by video submissions. Blessings.
One of those stories is going to save a life. "Stop the love you save may be your own baby." Save plus one, and another and another.
This isn't the end times. It is the beginning.
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