Pixar's "It Gets Better" video

[Patrick]

Side stepping the dramatic and attention seeking post on page one, this was such a wonderful video! I'm kind of surprised Pixar did something like this. Very touching and a wonderful surprise.

[eralkfang]

As a queer woman, I can guarantee you that being ace was never a "lifestyle choice", although I'm now quite pleased I am. You are what you are.

I think it's wonderful that Pixar is doing this! It's good for kids, who are at the most risk for this sort of thing, to feel supported by a company they've known about and whose movies they've probably watched their entire life.

[Wonderlicious]

Kudos to Pixar for this video! On a side note, I visited the It Gets Better website and also put my name on the pledge. I'm not gay, but signing it is, in my opinion, the right thing to do.

And now on to the whole flaming thing involving milojthatch...

You claim to support anti bullying rights, and yet you tease and instigate violent comments on the same paragraph, completely missing the point of everything said.

The problem here isn't that you disagree with the gay lifestyle. The problem here is that you present your thoughts in such an angry, hateful manner that it is VERY easy to label you a homophobe.

Here's the thing. You can label me crazy, but I think people have the right to disagree with many aspects of gay life. Much like how people don't agree on other life points like love, politics, religion, and entertainment. It's called having different points of views. I think South Park said it best. The key word here is TOLERANCE. You don't have to accept or agree with anything, but you must show respect and tolerance because IT MEANS SOMETHING TO SOMEONE. IT IS MEANINGFUL.

I think that this (or at least what I underlined) sums up my views on the topic. The point of this video is for young people who wake up one morning and find themselves attracted to the same sex to not think of themselves as mentally dysfunctional, and for non-LGBT people to be tolerant and realise that acceptance, tolerance and thorough understanding is the best way forward.

Milojthatch, it's not all that good of you to go claiming that you condemn bullying, but then go instigating it or being apathetic towards it for certain things, almost like you're doing pick-and-choose over what to tolerate. You're just making yourself look insensitive and arguably bigoted, which I don't think you or anyone else would want. Those videos show that those couples are fully functioning and good natured, and not some sick beings. If you're going to have to abandon liking Pixar because of that, then you'll also have to condemn practically many other institutions in society that have helped or entertained you and your loved ones.

Bullying is an evil in this society that has affected so many people in the world, including myself, and it's great that stuff like this exists to at least try and counteract it. Why should anybody be abused for appearance, race, nationality, class, upbringing, sexuality, interest, personality, illness (mental or physical) or anything not posing any threat or menace to society? WHY? Bullying is intolerance, one of the most toxic things to human civilization, and ignorance towards intolerance is just as dangerous, as eventually there may well end up being nobody left. To quote a concentration camp survivor...

• First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
  because I was not a communist;
  Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
  because I was not a socialist;
  Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
  because I was not a trade unionist;
  Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
  because I was not a Jew;
  Then they came for me--
  and there was no one left to speak out for me.
  
  -Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)

[Escapay]

"You've Got to be Carefully Taught" (South Pacific)

• [It's not born in you!
  It happens after you’re born...]
  
  You've got to be taught
  To hate and fear,
  You've got to be taught
  From year to year,
  It's got to be drummed
  In your dear little ear
  You've got to be carefully taught.
  
  You've got to be taught to be afraid
  Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
  And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
  You've got to be carefully taught.
  
  You've got to be taught before it's too late,
  Before you are six or seven or eight,
  To hate all the people your relatives hate,
  You've got to be carefully taught!

Let's hope the "It Gets Better" campaign and other lessons in tolerance help to undo some of teaching that's been going on.

albert

[SWillie!]

Milojthatch, I would love to type out a long paragraph trying to actually have an intellectual conversation on this. But you most likely wouldn't care, and I would just get frustrated at your complete lack of competence.

So I'll just leave it at this: You are the scum of the earth.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

So I'll just leave it at this: You are the scum of the earth.

Hey, now. You may totally disagree, but please don't personally attack someone. I disagree with him, too, but please don't call him names--it's not appropriate on this forum. And it's in the rules.

[RIPJoeRanft]

Great video. Great execution. This will save lives. Bravo Disney/Pixar.

[kenai3000]

Thank you Pixar for doing this.

As for you milojthatch this sums up how I feel of your little thought. I'm rewording a Facebook status I posted yesterday. Anyone who can't accept someone who is gay (me or anyone else) needs to look inside themselves and rethink their lives because us gay people have feelings just like anyone else does.

[estefan]

So I'll just leave it at this: You are the scum of the earth.

Hey, now. You may totally disagree, but please don't personally attack someone. I disagree with him, too, but please don't call him names--it's not appropriate on this forum. And it's in the rules.

Not to mention contradictory to the anti-bullying theme of the video this thread is discussing.

I disagree with milo, but I think other posters have written better thoughts than I could ever type here. That said, almost every single company in the world has gay employees. Are you going to boycott every product in the universe because of this? It seems rather impractical. This may surprise you, but Dean DeBlois (the co-director of Lilo & Stitch) and Andreas Deja are gay. Are you going to boycott the films they worked on, because of this?

[jpanimation]

On the other hand, this pro-gay message from possibly my favorite company makes me feel a little left in the dust by them.

Seemed more like pro-'be yourself' then pro-'gay', as the "life gets better" theme seems universal for anyone who is bullied because they're different (whether it's due to race, weight, religion, etc.). I'm not sure how a positive message from a company that kids may look up to, directed at kids who may be going through a rough time, is a bad thing.

[pap64]

Hey, now. You may totally disagree, but please don't personally attack someone. I disagree with him, too, but please don't call him names--it's not appropriate on this forum. And it's in the rules.

Not to mention contradictory to the anti-bullying theme of the video this thread is discussing.

I disagree with milo, but I think other posters have written better thoughts than I could ever type here. That said, almost every single company in the world has gay employees. Are you going to boycott every product in the universe because of this? It seems rather impractical. This may surprise you, but Dean DeBlois (the co-director of Lilo & Stitch) and Andreas Deja are gay. Are you going to boycott the films they worked on, because of this?

This is exactly what I was talking about earlier. There are many gay people working on many things in life, like cuisine, education, entertainment and even safety. They play a big role in the evolution of society, and to discriminate against them is to do a big disservice to use as a thinking, feeling nation.

I agree with what everyone has said about SWillie. I understand that you are hurt, but replying anger with hate is defeating the purpose. This is a very common problem people have: when dealing with these subjects they often use violence and hate to justify any ill done, and we all know that it all leads to more anger, suffering and violence. So please, be the better man and show love rather than hate.

And I realize that milo was likely trying to grab attention. But just because that is the intention it doesn't mean we can't call him out of it or deny that what he said is wrong. I mean, many organizations try to get people's attention, especially children, by showing graphic violence and manipulate the emotions. They are grabbing attention, but that is still wrong and unacceptable.

[jpanimation]

I'd like to add that when I first saw the video title, I thought it was going to be a video of John Lasseter reassuring us of Disney's future in animation. If only I could believe it gets better at Disney

[PatrickvD]

I'd like to add that when I first saw the video title, I thought it was going to be a video of John Lasseter reassuring us of Disney's future in animation. If only I could believe it gets better at Disney

I would love a parody video of Lasseter telling Disney fans "It gets better"

[pap64]

I'd like to add that when I first saw the video title, I thought it was going to be a video of John Lasseter reassuring us of Disney's future in animation. If only I could believe it gets better at Disney

Funny enough, before the whole fiasco I was thinking of that as well.

[The_Iceflash]

On the other hand, this pro-gay message from possibly my favorite company makes me feel a little left in the dust by them.

Seemed more like pro-'be yourself' then pro-'gay', as the "life gets better" theme seems universal for anyone who is bullied because they're different (whether it's due to race, weight, religion, etc.). I'm not sure how a positive message from a company that kids may look up to, directed at kids who may be going through a rough time, is a bad thing.

I think the video was great. The only thing I wish was that they would have focused so much on one reason of bulling. There are an infinite amount of reasons why one would be bullied. As someone who was bullied in school for reasons I still don't know (more on that in a later post since I don't have much time right now) I would have liked it to be a little more universal. Know what I mean?

[pap64]

Seemed more like pro-'be yourself' then pro-'gay', as the "life gets better" theme seems universal for anyone who is bullied because they're different (whether it's due to race, weight, religion, etc.). I'm not sure how a positive message from a company that kids may look up to, directed at kids who may be going through a rough time, is a bad thing.

I think the video was great. The only thing I wish was that they would have focused so much on one reason of bulling. There are an infinite amount of reasons why one would be bullied. As someone who was bullied in school for reasons I still don't know (more on that in a later post since I don't have much time right now) I would have liked it to be a little more universal. Know what I mean?

I think I do. There ARE many reasons for bullying, often for the dumbest reasons ever. Like I said earlier, I was bullied because I was slightly different from the other kids, and none of it was my fault. Three months after birth I got very sick, and I coughed so much air out of my body that my brain lacked the oxygen to develop and grow, so I had speech problems, balance issues, emotional problems and other things that made me a "special" kid. That means I had to attend special classes, go to A LOT of doctors and experts and have my case constantly investigated in case something worse was around the corner.

And the other kids wouldn't let me live it down. They wouldn't accept me in their games, but they were extremely quick to mock and ridicule me, even when I made the TINIEST little mistake (trust me, every single cliche there is about bullying I have lived it, from getting my pants ripped off of me to falling in public in the most humiliating way possible). It wasn't till high school that I was able to live a normal life, appreciate it better and just be the person I could be. I gained a lot of new friends and I was a very happy guy.

I have come to accept that I am different from other men and women, and that isn't a problem. I have three college degrees, I am bilingual, I am a writer for a popular video game site and I have some of the most amazing friends a guy could have. And that to me is the message of this video: that no matter who you all it all works out in the end and that it makes you special.

[toonaspie]

I'm amazed that this thread hasnt been locked yet since it has gone waaaaaaaaay off the topic of Disney.

milo: I dont have a problem with you expressing your opinion with Disney/Pixar's uncomfirmed stance on homosexuality.

However I do have a problem with you encouraging offtopic discussion and egging people on to respond to troll-ish statements like this:

Ok, let the anti-anti-gay bashing begin, I know how this works. You say anything against or not in-line with this lifestyle and your branded a jerk, homophobic and a Nazi. Go on, I'm ready. I fully understand that folks that cry tolerance and diversity aren't willing to give the same respect back to those who disagree. But please feel free to prove me wrong, I dare you. I'm off my soap box now.

If you wish to debate on the subject of where to draw the line on labeling people as homophobes please do so in the appropriate off topic forums.

And I ask that we all please do not feed the trolls...or um...in this case...forum members making troll comments. thanx

[Elladorine]

I started looking through the comments on the youtube page (in addition to the posts on this forum). I see the response is overwhelmingly positive, but there are a few hurtful comments scattered throughout.

It sort of makes me think of the reaction Lynn Johnston got over her FBoFW comic when she revealed one of her regular, minor characters as being gay in the early 90's. While she isn't gay herself, she's supportive of the community and wrote the story arc to be true to the character in question. She said she got a flood of letters and the response was overwhelmingly positive, but one that painfully stood out was an envelope with a handful of her yellowed comics clipped out of the newspaper that had been hung on a fridge for years, with an accompanying letter that said something like, "you are no longer welcome in my home." She said that one made her cry.

To hear something similar to that letter from several now, to basically state that Pixar is no longer welcome in their homes due to the subject of the message here is just heartbreaking. We're all human, regardless of our given sexuality. We all deserve to be heard, seen, appreciated, and loved. It's hypocritical for one to claim tolerance is welcomed and wanted when that same one refuses to apply those beliefs unconditionally.

[Prince Edward]

I can't understand people that believe that their intolerance of and disrespect for other people should be respected. Basicly, it's like saying to someone that he/she is not good enough and not worth as much as other people, and then expect to be respected for your narrowminded behaviour. Humans are humans and all should be treated equally and with respect and tolerance.

[SWillie!]

Not to mention contradictory to the anti-bullying theme of the video this thread is discussing.

I disagree with milo, but I think other posters have written better thoughts than I could ever type here. That said, almost every single company in the world has gay employees. Are you going to boycott every product in the universe because of this? It seems rather impractical. This may surprise you, but Dean DeBlois (the co-director of Lilo & Stitch) and Andreas Deja are gay. Are you going to boycott the films they worked on, because of this?

This is exactly what I was talking about earlier. There are many gay people working on many things in life, like cuisine, education, entertainment and even safety. They play a big role in the evolution of society, and to discriminate against them is to do a big disservice to use as a thinking, feeling nation.

I agree with what everyone has said about SWillie. I understand that you are hurt, but replying anger with hate is defeating the purpose. This is a very common problem people have: when dealing with these subjects they often use violence and hate to justify any ill done, and we all know that it all leads to more anger, suffering and violence. So please, be the better man and show love rather than hate.

And I realize that milo was likely trying to grab attention. But just because that is the intention it doesn't mean we can't call him out of it or deny that what he said is wrong. I mean, many organizations try to get people's attention, especially children, by showing graphic violence and manipulate the emotions. They are grabbing attention, but that is still wrong and unacceptable.

Fair enough. You're all right; fighting hatred with anger is no good. I should have payed more attention to Yoda. (And apologies for breaking forum rules. But no apologies to milo, honestly.)

It's just that, I've had this conversation with so many people about whatever the controversial subject may be. And I know that I could talk and talk and talk and try and change his opinion. Because that is, after all, what I'd be trying to do. I wish I could. But when people are so blatantly ignorant and unwilling to have an intellectual conversation about the subject (which most often happens because they don't have anything to support their opinion besides their own hatred), it becomes pointless. The rest of us in here agree: the message that Pixar is sending is a wonderful thing. So we don't need to persuade each other. But Milo obviously WANTS to feel the way he does, and so trying to waste my time on someone like that, to me, is not worth it. Members of a Disney forum are not going to change his mind. Ever.

As a side note, I'm not gay. So, I'm not personally offended by this, and didn't necessarily react out of hurt or anger. It just disgusts me that people like that still exist in the year 2010. Like many have said before: if you don't agree with being gay, that's great. Small-minded? Yes. But that's your opinion and you are entitled to it. But it's the people that love to put themselves out there and act like they are proud to hate a group of people that I despise. Thus, me saying "scum of the earth."

The points that everyone is making in response to Milo saying he'd give up on Disney if they ever started supporting gays are great. But, I think he was talking more about if Disney ever started putting gay characters in their movies. Which is quite sad that he would lose hope his "favorite" company over something like that. For example, if one of the pub-thugs in Tangled turned out to be gay and that his dream was to just be accepted for who he was... that seems like it would fit perfectly fine into the movie. But Milo wouldn't be okay with it apparently.

Which makes me want to ask you, Milo: did you read the Harry Potter series? If so, did the announcement from J.K. Rowling after the seventh book was released about a certain main character make you turn your back on it? Just curious, because that seems like the kind of scenario that you're afraid of.

Also, it's good to see the overwhelming positive response to the video. Congrats Pixar.

Edit: Prince Edward, just saw your post. And that's exactly how I feel, and how I felt when I posted my first response. Yes, fighting anger with anger is bad. But I'm sorry, I can't sit here and pretend like I respect Milo, let alone show him any "love."