"LGBT Suicide awareness, wear purple day"

Raccoon Love

Raccoon Love

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MBTI
INFP
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As you may have noticed, there's been a lot of recent LGBT suicides. It fills me with so much sadness, anger, it gives me a sense of being useless. I really do want to make a change, I just wish I could have prevented those deaths. I wish I could have been there to talk to them, to share my experience, to tell them that I know how it feels to be treated like complete waste. To tell them that there is loving people out there, capable of understanding. To not give in, to have faith. That suicide is not the answer. I wish I could have cried with them, I wish I could have told those abusers off.

But now I find myself trying to spread awareness, to get people to open their eyes. I sometimes feel like shoving it out, to call out all the injustices, but then I always restrict myself. I tell myself to treat them with respect, but with how much respect..it just doesnt fit into my head, how can some really not care about this, how can some just laugh at this, how can some make a joke out of this.

This is my opinion, and yes I am aware it is sort of like a vent. But this needs to stop!!

I don't know how much of an impact this may have, but I am wearing purple on this day which is wednesday and was wondering if anyone else would do so.

I know I went a bit bias with it, but if you disagree with this day then you can also explain why..thank you.
 
You know, I admire people trying to spread awareness of these issues, but I honestly find that all this 'wear purple/pink ribbon/kick a bully's butt day' business is largely superfluous. It seems like every day of the calendar year is assigned some kind of awareness campaign, and I've long since stopped paying attention to all the ribbons and the bumper stickers and t-shirts because I'm beginning to find that I'm constantly bombarded by issues that I should be feeling guilty about for not fighting/contributing toward.

I think it's cool that we can discuss this on the forums--it's much different because it's contain under a topic header and people can see it and engage in discussion. But out there in the real world, purple, red, green, blue, pink... nothing is making an impact on me anymore. And I suspect that I'm not the only one feeling this way.

I think if this is an issue that's important to you, RL, you might want to look into finding a unique platform with which you can communicate it. Giving it a creative voice would make it stand out and get people to pay more attention.
 
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I literally just wrote a 6 paragraph post, and my damn computer deleted it.


Goddamnit.


I'm really hit or miss with this whole spread awareness thing. In my area, it does more harm than good.
 
To be honest, I'm in a similar boat as TDHT regarding how effective this might be as an awareness raising tool. However, I imagine if I were LGBTQ... (sorry I don't recall the complete acronym) and felt insecure, in the closet, scared, depressed, etc., especially as a teen, I would be/have been comforted by seeing someone wear the colour on this particular day. So, while I don't participate in these kinds of mobilization strategies, if anything, I would wear it as a sign of support.
 
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It's a good plan. It doesn't hurt you to wear a certain colour, so lots of people would do it. And it creates a sense of comradeship/morale, which might help even if it's just a little bit.
The only problem is spreading the idea. Thankfully, the internet will make it easier. Maybe if you made a facebook page and then everyone on the INFJ forums got their friends to 'like' it, it might spread quickly.

You could also attempt to get a few anonymous interviews up on a blog centered around the issue and some advice from counselors, maybe?

It's a lot of work, but it'd be worth it in the end, I think :)
 
<cynic>
All these "awareness" days reek of slacktivism - low effort, low effect, high visibility. When I see bake sales for cancer and whatnot, like most people, my eyes glaze over.

I dunno. It seems a bit disingenuous to me. I've been to two charity walks in the past month. The first one my mom woke me up at 9 in the morning to go. Neither of us, nor my dad, donated. Are we really helping cancer patients, or are we making my mom feel like a good person? The second walk, a suicide awareness walk, was by coincidence only days after freshman Tyler Clementi jumped off a bridge. I donated 5 dollars, and walked with an (INFJ?) friend. So for a few weeks everyone is talking about suicide, depression, bullying and the like. By Thanksgiving most people will forget about it.

Most people want to feel helpful, more than they actually want to take the effort to help.
</cynic>
 
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM1Ahn0Osjo"]YouTube - Gogol Bordello - "Start Wearing Purple" Side One Dummy[/ame]

Are you wearing purple? I am.
 
When newspapers publish stories about suicide, suicides go up. I imagine a "suicide awareness" campaign would have a similar effect.

It's a tragic thing, but it has to be battled wisely.
 
When do we get to have a heterosexual teen suicide awareness day? or are only the gay ones worthy of having such campaigns? Suicide regardless of orientation especially of depressed teenagers is a sad issue. Not only gay kids feel outcast and alone in the world, their are kids born into abusive families, where are there rallies and wear a color day?
 
TheDaringHatTrick said:
You know, I admire people trying to spread awareness of these issues, but I honestly find that all this 'wear purple/pink ribbon/kick a bully's butt day' business is largely superfluous. It seems like every day of the calendar year is assigned some kind of awareness campaign, and I've long since stopped paying attention to all the ribbons and the bumper stickers and t-shirts because I'm beginning to find that I'm constantly bombarded by issues that I should be feeling guilty about for not fighting/contributing toward.

I think it's cool that we can discuss this on the forums--it's much different because it's contain under a topic header and people can see it and engage in discussion. But out there in the real world, purple, red, green, blue, pink... nothing is making an impact on me anymore. And I suspect that I'm not the only one feeling this way.

I think if this is an issue that's important to you, RL, you might want to look into finding a unique platform with which you can communicate it. Giving it a creative voice would make it stand out and get people to pay more attention.
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Pretty much this. I think it just has a psychological effect on those who are upset over the issue. It gives them a sense of control over this even when they don't, and it helps bind people together over a common cause. It won't do much to help stop the suicides, but it does make people effected by it feel a little better, so in the end it isn't completely useless. For me, it just makes me think about it for a few moments, but it isn't going to get me to change my overall behavior or join a cause. "Causes" in general have always been a putoff for me regardless of what they are. I will not really go beyond talking about them or telling people about them even if I very strongly agree with the cause.

While I think this where purple day is a bit of overkill, I do think it is better then nothing, as there are enough people out there who are dealing with this issue. All that being said it is sort of beyond me to why people would put this day down though.
 
Billy said:
When do we get to have a heterosexual teen suicide awareness day? or are only the gay ones worthy of having such campaigns? Suicide regardless of orientation especially of depressed teenagers is a sad issue. Not only gay kids feel outcast and alone in the world, their are kids born into abusive families, where are there rallies and wear a color day?
Click to expand...
Well obviously no one is saying only LGBT kids commit suicide. Irregardless of how I feel about the need of such a day there is a special stigma that these kids are confronted with that heterosexual kids aren't confronted with. Should we stop lowering flags to half-staff when soldiers get killed, because non-soldiers get killed too.
 
mf said:
Well obviously no one is saying only LGBT kids commit suicide. Irregardless of how I feel about the need of such a day there is a special stigma that these kids are confronted with that heterosexual kids aren't confronted with. Should we stop lowering flags to half-staff when soldiers get killed, because non-soldiers get killed too.
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Soldiers die in the line of duty for the benefit of all, suicide, is suicide. Its all equally sad. All this hubbub about bullying is so pedantic... they have been whining about it all week on different radio shows. Except the people calling in to support "ending bully-ism" are just regular people with nothing really worthwhile to cry about, I got bullied because I couldn't afford A&F clothes, I got bullied because my car was old, I got bullied because my eyes are crossed, I mean give me a break... everyone gets bullied at some point in their lives. You think the people who are standing up suddenly against bullying give a crap about anyone other then themselves?

The same with suicide, it doesn't matter why someone commits suicide, it matters that they did it, that they selfishly chose to end their lives forever, over issues that were temporary. The thing that annoys me the most about all these awareness things is that people who dont participate even out of ignorance are supposed to be scumbags and the bullies, this mind melding of issues and conformity is nonsense. You want to stop gay kids from committing suicides? Make more gay friends and listen to them talk, listen to their problems, want to stop bullies form bullying? Protect the "weaker" kids from the bullies. I don't just say this crap, I lived that life, I've been there and back, all of my friends growing up WERE the weaker kids they were the kids that got picked on, and my fix-it complex, and hero complexes kicked in and made me defend them, thats how you stop the suicides, real action. Not this token crap thats meant to make people feel less guilty.

How many of you stood by and watched while some kid got picked on in highschool? I am betting almost all of you.

And now wearing purple is going to fix that? C'mon lets get real. And the most disgusting part of the whole awareness facade is that its so narrow minded, yes lets stop GAY suicides, because the other 90% of the teen suicides that happen that have nothing to do with societies issue du jour are just selfish little jerks right? They weren't driven to suicide like the gay victims. Everyone has it hard, there are gay kids that had it terribly hard that managed not to commit suicide. Just like there are straight ones, the inconsistency of awareness days boggles my mind, it says more about the people who participate then it does in its mission statement.
 
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Well, personally, I would have worn purple and been extra nice to my gay friends (who would have found it unnerving, I'm sure, and none of whom are suicidal) had I known about this day. I routinely wear purple and treat my gay friends well, and I really hope none of them feels suicidal or rejected -- I honestly don't think they do, and I don't think anyone around here is getting bullied for being gay or anything else. Of course, if I were in high school things might be different.
 
Billy said:
How many of you stood by and watched while some kid got picked on in highschool? I am betting almost all of you.
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I'm sure plenty of us did, and I'm sure you did at times as well.

And now wearing purple is going to fix that? C'mon lets get real. And the most disgusting part of the whole awareness facade is that its so narrow minded, yes lets stop GAY suicides, because the other 90% of the teen suicides that happen that have nothing to do with societies issue du jour are just selfish little jerks right? They weren't driven to suicide like the gay victims. Everyone has it hard, there are gay kids that had it terribly hard that managed not to commit suicide. Just like there are straight ones, the inconsistency of awareness days boggles my mind, it says more about the people who participate then it does in its mission statement.
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Awareness projects and goals are just that; special interest. This however, by no measure means that these people think all other instances related to what ever they are advocating are worthless and pointless. The thing is these kids committed suicide out of a reasoning specific to their sexual orientation. That is different than why other people commit suicide, and is why these groups are trying to shed light on it.

To say that these people think 90% of other suicides happen because kids are "selfish little jerks" is stretching it... a lot. I would imagine that people who find LGBT suicide and bullying terrible find all kinds of suicide and bullying terrible. To say that all these people care about are themselves or LGBT suicide is very off-base, in my opinion.

Say what you want about awareness projects as a whole, but stating that these people only care about LGBT suicide and think all other suicides are committed because kids are jerks is such a foul ball.
 
Yea my friend told me about it, so I wore purple today. However no one at our school seemed to know about it so it didn't really change anything lol. Yet I agree with those who said that wearing purple isn't really going to change anything, people won't go "I hate gays!! Oh, you're wearing purple. I loooove gays"

I'm still in high school, and yesterday in the bus, some random guy said that he hated gays and asked other random people if they hated gays. I wanted to give him a little speech, but it probably wouldn't have changed anything too except being called a dumb lesbian or whatever. Plus it was 30 seconds from my stop lol. But if those people are stupid enough to hate people because they have a different sexual orientation, wich changes absolutely nothing for them except making them feel superior, they're probably stupid enough to do many many other things, so it's not even only for the gays, it's for everything. Like if we got them to stop hating gays, they'd probably become way better overall. But how to do it, that's less simple lol.

hope that made sense...
 
I personally do not think that such a thing holds much importance in a wider sense. I have been in such a state, and did not need any further external sources to steer me away from it.
However, I realise I am nothing like most people, and so this should be available for those who need it.
Though I think it is just as important to leave those alone who do not want it.
I suspect that one day in the future I might end up becoming a self destroyer after one really bad mood and a lifetime of discomfort, distrust and lonliness , but I take comfort in the fact that this will be my own choice and I shall be left to make it.
We all die in the end. I don't think the date makes any difference.
 
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