Keenan Robertson
A
Little Bit Louder
In
schools, on the streets, even in homes there is a persisting intolerance to homosexuals
and even those who could be remotely identified as homosexual. Bullying in schools hasn’t gone away, nor has
is become any less harsh, and those who are victims do not have much to hold
onto for support. There are many
articles and editorials addressing these issues and the possible actions to
take against these problems. The range
of media is generally diverse, currently consisting of mostly YouTube videos,
documentaries, and articles but is still expanding. However, the audience who is exposed to the
present texts seems to be somewhat limited and the expanding forms media are
very necessary for the words of influence to reach their full potential.
The
2011 film Bully, directed by Lee
Hirsch, uses the big screen as window to see into the world of the tormented
and teased. Viewers witness the inhumane
treatment of children by their own peers, as well as the neglect of the local
school’s administration to effectively stop the bullying. Hirsch did a great job capturing the natural
environment of the six bullied children; giving each one their own voice, while
at the same time attributing their plights to the same causes and the same
failures to act on part of the administrations.
After seeing this movie in theaters or in a class, one leaves more
depressed and tear-stained that motivated to act. Nearly every review concerning the movie
highly advises to bring tissues instead of popcorn. It’s a shame really that more or less wastes
the emotional power it has over its audience.
With everyone emotionally rattled to the point of tears, Bully has tapped into a very deep part
of their audience’s heart, but then lacks a vital call to action. The average person would leave the theater
feeling more down then wanting to actually do something about what they just
witnessed through the big screen.
So
how are these kids going to get help? Without a sturdy call to action from
others, they have had to go out and look for it themselves, in most cases meaning
simply logging on to a computer. Dan
Savage and his husband Terry Miller started an online campaign in 2010 called
“It Gets Better” in response to the many publicized gay-teen suicides. Their story is an inspiring one, finally
finding love after being tortured in high school just as millions of other
teenagers are. The point, of course, it
for teens struggling with their sexual identity due to bullying would be able
to see themselves in the video and give hope to those so desperately in need of
it. Through the use of YouTube, many
other people and celebrities have uploaded their own videos also saying how it
gets better. While this is a great,
positive thing that has giving hope to many individuals who might have taken
their own lives as a response to bullying, there are a few aspects that make
the “It Gets Better” movement not the best movement. While its great, and in many cases necessary,
to have a hard skin, the slogan and impressions of the videos is that the
bullies are not going anywhere. While
it’s a fantastic source for those who are bullied, it does not touch on the
fact that bullying should not happen in the first place. Secondly, Dan and
Terry are quite an exceptional case.
Many videos have also been uploaded with the title “It Gets Worse”. While this is an excellent effort for the
cause, it does little to end bullying at its source.
Bullying
is a problem in itself but the additional struggle is that we as a society
largely do not know how to properly fight it.
The policy that has been growing in popularity has been the strict
“zero-tolerance policy’ which actually is not the answer that the victims of
bullying are looking for. Carolyn Laub,
the Founder and Executive Director of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, writes
about how tradition forms of strict punishment are not the answer to these
emotional attacks on those who are victims of bullying. In her blog article, Why Zero Tolerance Is Not the Solutions to In School Bullying, she
points out that bullying will not go away if bullies are simply suspended,
instead she pushes the idea to allow school staff to “intervene with counseling or other meaningful solutions that help the
students engaged in bullying learn from -- and change -- their behavior” (Laub,
Why Zero Tolerance). Laub makes a very
good point and what she has to say is extremely logical, but unfortunately her
voice is not heard by the those who need to hear this information the
most. Her audience ends for the most
part at people who already support the cause and those doing research about
it. While her thoughts and words are
quite powerful; unheard they are not much more effective than a few protestors
on the side of the road.
How many people
actually stop and listen to protesters?
Admirable for their passion for whatever their cause may be, protesters
seem to only get attention by their numbers.
Alone, they are just people stating their opinion. However, a single celebrity’s thoughts can
influence thousands. People have been
disputing gay marriage for years and protests and gay rights actions have been
going on for longer, yet one of the biggest uproar was caused when President Obama
stated his support for gay marriages. Those
who saw Bully, mostly saw it for school or because they felt strongly about the
subject already. Those who watch the “It
Gets Better” videos, are mostly those seeking that reassurance or for the same
reasons Bully was seen. Those who read
Carolyn Laab’s article had to know what they were looking for. The population that this media reaches, for
the most part already knows what they are going to see. While effective and powerful texts, they are
more-or-less wasted on the wrong audience.
The people that need to hear it are those who are ignorant, naïve, or
are those who choose to ignore the situation as a whole.
What
better way to hear it than by song? The
rap music industry reaches out to most of this audience who is in dire need of
getting some insight of the injustice done throughout the nation. Ben Haggerty, better known by his stage name
as Macklemore, is an extremely talented and rising hip/hop artist with a very
eclectic range of song content. He raps
about some typical subjects of the hip/hop industry such as sex and cars, but
stands out from the crowd for also hitting serious topics like drug and
substance abuse, anti-violence, peace, and searching for genuine
individuality. Macklemore has set
himself apart even farther from the rest of the rap industry by one song on his
new album but released earlier as an EP: ‘Same Love’. He is the first rapper ever to release a
song, not only talking about gay marriage and rights, but in passionate support
for their cause. Typically most in his
genre avoid this subject like it is the black plague. One of Macklemore’s lyrics explains:
We've become
so numb to what we're sayin' (Macklemore)
It is surprising then, that this song is not met with
the same response. Not only is it not criticized, but also it is respected and
has become the most popular song on Macklemore’s new album. This is why Macklemore’s voice is more
influential then all the other media; not only does it reach the really
important audience, but its effective with style, emotion, and logic. The key to solve the problem, the
mistreatment and unjust acts against homosexuals, is reaching out to everyone
and to unite them. It is to get them on
the same level of understanding and respect.
That is what Macklemore preaches:
About time
that we raised up (Macklemore)
This angle on changing society is
the most effective without a doubt.
Those in need of enlightenment are not going to read editorials or watch
documentaries about issues that they may even be contributing to. But they will listen to someone who has their
respect. The reason this song has so
much influence is that Macklemore stands up and says what needs to be said,
only a little bit louder in a way that everyone can hear. Utilizing his personal exposure to GLTB
bullying and inequality, he preaches words of truth and logic in a deeper way
than just a celebrity supporting a cause.
He touches the subject on an emotional level, personal level, and
logical level and to sum it all up he states that it will not change that
easily but that legalizing gay marriage is “a damn good place to start”
(Macklemore). “Same Love” takes the cake
for having it all when it comes to audience, tone, content, and call to action
all in one, but each source works a different side to end this injustice in
schools everywhere.
Works Cited
Bully. Dir. Lee Hirsch. The Weinstein
Company, 2011. Film.
It Gets Better: Dan and Terry. Perf. Dan Savage and Terry
Miller. YouTube. YouTube, 21 Sept. 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IcVyvg2Qlo>.
Laub, Carolyn. "Why Zero
Tolerance Is Not the Solution to School Bullying." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 May 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carolyn-
laub/bullying-zero-tolerance_b_1521844.html>.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
"Same Love." Rec. 18 July 2012. Same Love. Ryan Lewis, 2012.
MP3.
**Download Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's "Same Love" on iTunes**
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