Dave emailed me about this blog post earlier. I read it, and like the writer of the post, I felt sick. In fact, still do. I feel horrible that another person would suffer the fate of suicide, because of the lack of care and real love from their family. I feel awful that someone would take their life because they felt so alone and so misunderstood, that they became depressed to the point of suicide. And probably even worse, is that I feel angry that people like this boy’s mother continually do this same sort of thing over and over, causing more and more kids to go through similar scenarios; many of which end with the same conclusion.
The blog post I am talking about, is referring to a forum-posted story where a Christian Fundamentalist mother finds out her son is gay, he comes out to her, and she suggests therapy; only her response is to tell him the therapist is wrong for saying being gay is normal, and that he should instead not act on his feelings. The mother proceeds to turn her back on understanding her son, and ceases to be there for him emotionally; actions which stem from her fundamentalist beliefs. Unfortunately, the result, is that her son commits suicide, leaving her wondering why he resorted to such a drastic response to her lack of understanding.
Now, while I feel the same things that probabilityzero felt, hurt, anger, disbelief, disgust; I couldn’t help but notice something eerily consistent in the comments both on his website, and on digg (where it no doubt made its way due to how interesting it was, I assume): many of the people commenting are way too focused on whether or not the story is actually true. People are going so far as to chastise the writer of the post for his feelings about this occurrence on the grounds that the story might not be true. I have a huge problem with that, mainly because even if this story isn’t true, this sort of thing happens all of the time!! It is known that the suicide and attempted suicide rates among gay and lesbian teens is higher than any other group of adolescents, and in many instances, these actions are due to religious persecution and self hatred stemming from families that refuse to understand their children.
While it angered me to see people chastising the boy for being gay, seeing people agree with the actions of the mother, and even seeing people say that the mother was in no way to blame for the death of her son, it bothers me more that people would focus on this not being an issue, simply because the instance may or may not be a real life instance. This type of thing is exactly what I encountered when I wrote that post about Donnie Davies from yesterday; while he may or may not be real, people like him exist and do the same things that he is doing, for real. While this woman may or may not have posted a true story about her religion getting in the way of her love for her son, and the subsequent consequences of her actions, there are parents that are making the same decisions and doing the same hurtful things to children all over the world, for real.
This issue of religious fundamentalism and the judgement that stems from it is something that makes me so angry, but at the same time, incredibly sad. I was lucky enough to escape most of the religious persecution many gay youth encounter, only to impose it upon myself when I was going through the process of coming to terms with my own sexuality. I thought of suicide many times, and luckily, I never attempted it; but there are many that are not so lucky. I remember what it felt like to be so utterly alone and afraid that my being homosexual was a sin, so much that it was an actual physical pain in my body. I hated myself for who I was, and it cost me a lot of self respect, happiness, and time; but luckily, it didn’t cost me my life. No one should have to go through this alone, and this boy unfortunately did; because his mother turned her back on him when she denied who he was. Her actions forced his depression to grow, and he wasn’t able to overcome it. Whether or not this boy is real, there are many other boys and girls out there that are just like him, feeling those feelings, and experiencing that same depression.
If I had my way, there are a few things that would happen, relating to this true or untrue story. One, I continually hope that religious fundamentalists would actually practice what they preach (i.e., love is supposed to be absolute, not a pick and choose issue-based thing) and stop using religion to discriminate anyone because of who they are, or who they believe themselves to be. Two, I wish that people could stop focusing on whether or not one instance of something like this is real or not, especially when this is just an example of a very real problem occurring right now all over the world. And three, I hope that all kids out there struggling with their sexuality that face this sort of persecution and ignorance will have the strength to make it through their depression and live their lives happily. One of the worst things that ever happened to me was living in the closet, and I am grateful that somehow I was able to make it out; I wish the same for everyone else that struggles with this issue.
And what a program it is. Donnie has developed what he calls CHOPS; Changing Homosexuals (into) Ordinary People. The logo, which I got at 
In the beginning of the movie, you start with the knowledge that baby Diego, the youngest person on the planet, has just been killed for refusing to sign an autograph. Saddened by his loss, the entire society is mourning, which leads to more violent outbursts by both activists and the government alike. Dealing with the harsh reality that he exists within this miserable and bleak world, Theo (Clive Owen), a former activist, continually struggles to get by in this daily routine, when he is contacted by his wife (Julianne Moore), who needs his assistance with her activist group. Her group needs his help getting a special person to something called the Human Project, a supposed safe haven for someone that is special like this woman. You quickly discover the reason this woman is special, it is because she is pregnant. They believe she may hold the key to saving humanity, and as a result, she is potentially the most important person in the world; and must be protected at all costs. The rest of the film is a wild roller coaster ride following Owen and the girl as they try to make their way out to sea, in order to meet a representative for the Human Project; who may or may not actually exist. 
Let me start by saying that I was really not prepared for this movie. Mainly, because I wasn’t aware that many movies could be made in such a fashion that would have you so engaged that you would actually feel like you were watching a documentary instead of a fictional thriller. As you follow Owen on his protective mission, you see the most dire and horrid living conditions and witness actions by radicals and the government alike that make you thankful our society has not gotten as bad as this film shows us it could. The movie is violent, ultra-real, gripping, and very scary; mainly because what is portrayed is something that could potentially be our future if bad choices and violence escalate. It is a movie that should not be missed. This movie is like V for Vendetta, only with a much more volatile and violent society, and of course, the fear that comes with a lack of procreation fueling much of the violence. I highly recommend this movie, and as such, give it 5 our of 6 stars (
). The only reason it doesn’t deserve the last star, is because I was a bit deflated by the ending; which I will not even hint about here. Go see it, you’ll be glad you did!! And the cinematography is crazy. Just crazy.
Now, the next peice of media I will review is a game for the Wii, specifically, Warioware Smooth Moves. While I admit I was probably a bit more excited about this game than I should have been (mainly because there haven’t been too many titles coming out lately that piqued my interest… or many at all for that matter), I was not so enthusiastic as to run out and buy it; although, I probably would have if Best Buy would have had it in stock on Friday (it was a moment of weakness combined with a balance on a gift card). Well, after renting the game on Sunday with some friends, I have to say that I am glad that I did NOT buy the game. While the game is definitely a lot of fun, the word randomness doesn’t even begin to describe the game play. There are highlights, like when they explain how to hold the Wii-mote for a mini-game (which is hilarious each and every time), but there are also low points, most of the games are over before you even figure out what you are doing. I didn’t have much time to go through all of the nuances of the game, so there may be parts of the game that I would enjoy, but simply do not know about. But, with that being said, the parts that we did get through proved that it was a very easy game to play, in fact, so easy, that we beat it a few hours after we rented it. Sure, it unlocked a few more gems, but overall, it was just more of the same. While it was fun to play with friends for a few hours, I definitely think I would lose interest in this game if I bought it, but it would definitely be fun to play a friend’s house, every now and then. Or, it would be fun just to rent it if I were bored, and friends were coming over. Overall, I would give it a 4 out of 6 stars (
). Fun, random, but perhaps a little too random, and definitely not a game for those that are annoyed with rapid changes and ADHD fueled entertainment. Seriously, this one is all over the place. Also, and I know that this isn’t so much of a “good” or “bad” thing, but the game is definitely geared more towards children; but that doesn’t really take anything away from it.
I just read an 
Now you see, part of my issue, is that my frustration runs deeper than that. It is true that my frustration, in this instance, comes initially from the fact that people still get scared that the actions and beliefs of one fundamentalist extreme group (albeit fictional) would still potentially be spread to all people of similar skin tone, ethnicity, or religious belief. But my frustration grows when I think that some people will actually believe that, and in this case, believe it from a obviously fictional TV show.