Bullying Race and Class
The media has finally woken up to the specter of gay teenage suicide and bullying. In the past month, my inbox has been flooded with stories and faces of young gay men who killed themselves due to bullying and homophobia. The mainstream attention that this issue is getting is greatly welcomed. At the same time, I wonder if there's a certain type of inappropriate value judgment given to some stories over others.
My problem with the recent coverage of gay teen suicides is that it comes with an inherent condemnation that whatever led to these acts is abhorrent. It's the kind of condemnation missing from media coverage (and mostly ignorance) of black urban violence or the death of indigenous youth. I get it -- it is easier to sensationalize good-looking, mostly white teenage boys than start a conversation on how systemic racism is killing our young black people. I don't intend to play oppression Olympics or start a contest on who is dying fastest and what issue is
I am a survivor of teenage bullying. But like Bob Braun at the Star Ledger, I do wonder why the media ignored the story of Jessica Moore who threw herself in front of a friend to save her life, while hyping that of Tyler Clementi. Both incidents happened in New Jersey in the space of a few days. By sensationalizing one over another,