Kudos to the “It Gets Better” Project

I knew there was a reason I loved Dan Savage.

Besides being one of the most reasonable and fiercest advocates for gay and lesbian rights, Savage has charisma that stretches for miles. In this new video about being bullied in high school–and the acknowledgment, many years later, of a bright present–he and his partner talk frankly about how difficult life was.

And how satisfying family life (they have a teenager named TJ) is today.

More about the “It Gets Better” Project–aimed at an audience of young gay kids who may be considering suicide–is at the newly launched YouTube channel. Good, heartfelt, stuff.

Filed under: family, gay life, anti-bully, bully, dan savage, savage love, the kid

Redefining Etiquette on the Web

Who gets to determine what’s appropriate–or inappropriate–on the Web?

Brianna Snyder writes in The New Haven Advocate a quick, thoughtful study of the state of anonymous commenting. How to protect free speech while limiting bullying (which has prompted new anti-bullying laws in my home state of Massachusetts)? When is a comment contributing to dialogue, rather than simply inflaming it? What’s the difference between internet terrorism and really strong emotion?

Many of the major news outlets like The New York Times and powerful internet conglomerates like Gawker Media have begun to establish gatekeeping systems: through tiers of commentors, or moderator-approved posts. On my own blog, I’ve debated whether to delete hateful comments or to allow them to further the conversation. No clear-cut decisions.

Complicating the issue is the dichotomy of the “Us versus Them” mentality. If, as a commenter, your opinion falls in the minority, you are often faced (or facing off) with a mob. As Snyder writes:

Chances are very good that you are already familiar with this unfortunate aspect of Internet culture, the Lord of the Flies-ness of it, the maddening, sometimes frightening, and impossible-to-read nature of online comment and message boards.

Is it bad business to regulate or discontinue anonymous posting? Or does it cut to the heart of a liberal democracy?

Filed under: censorship, media, web 2.0, anonymity, anti-bully, blog, brianna snyder, censorship, comment, first amendment, flame war, free speech, internet, internet bully, new haven advocate, terrorism