It's gone viral-almost a MILLION hits in one day.BIG deal for the Gay Civil Rights movement. please

[DonRedwood]

Last edited Thu Oct 4, 2012, 10:33 AM - Edit history (2)

For your viewing pleasure ladies and gents. I believe this is a big day for gay rights. Our message has just been said so eloquently and shown so beautifully that the tone of the conversation will now change forever.

If you doubt me, watch the video. I believe it is going to change everything. The video was just released to help support the Washington Gay Marriage Bill...this is, 100%, a political piece of art. I can honestly say, I have NEVER seen a more moving political message in my life.

It's a big news night. I'm hoping y'all will kick and rec so more people have a chance to see this amazing video.

&feature=player_detailpage

You can buy it on iTunes, I already have. I'm hoping the song is #1 THIS week.

[DonRedwood]

1. Article about the video and some background info

Over 100,000 MORE hits since this article was posted this afternoon.

http://gawker.com/5948638/could-this-touching-music-video-in-support-of-same-love-convince-voters-in-washington-to-legalize-marriage-equality

[LiberalAndProud]

2. Thank you Don.

I think I may be needing this. It is eloquent.

[DonRedwood]

3. It had me bawling like a baby

It hit a nerve, that's for sure. But I think the younger generation learning from this and,man, it makes me very hopeful for the future.

I know I probably sound crazy, but I really think this video will change attitudes across the globe.

[silverweb]

4. Wow.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]What a beautiful and moving song/presentation! Sending it out to my list now.

Good luck, Washington, with Ref 74!

[DonRedwood]

9. What did you think? Entertainment or political?

[silverweb]

21. I think you put it best:

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]"Political Art." Definitely art.

I don't really like the word "entertaining" for it, as that seems to cheapen the emotional impact.

I'd call it visual/musical art with a powerful emotional and political message. I'm sure there's a more succinct term for that somewhere.

[DonRedwood]

24. did you see that political video eminem did? that was pretty good too

also walked the fine line between art and politics.

[silverweb]

38. Not sure which one you're referring to.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]There's "Will the Real Mitt Romney Please Stand Up?" -- a couple of versions, I think. Is that the one?

[DonRedwood]

40. No, it came out just before the last election. I'll have to hunt for it

I was pretty shocked by it... made me like him a lot more.

[silverweb]

42. Got it!

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]At the end he walks into the voting place, right? That came out in 2004, not 2008.

I'm searching for it now, too -- can't remember the name of it and can't find it.
It blew me away, too, and I sent it to everyone then.
Here it is!!

Love it!

Or is there another one from 2008 that I somehow missed??

[Kurovski]

5. K&R. (nt)

[bunnies]

6. I wish I shared your enthusiasm.

But I dont see how this video is going to change the hearts & minds of the 'focus on the family' types. A song isnt going to make them turn against their personal gay-hating jesus. For most of them, it would take jesus himself... or more.

Wish I was wrong.

[LiberalAndProud]

7. It won't for those types.

There are other battles to wage, though. I think this may well be a very powerful tool for changing some hearts and minds. I hope so.

[bunnies]

11. Well...

if it keeps a single kid from being bullied... it's done well.

[DonRedwood]

13. And if that doesn't make you happy

Here is a bunny with a pancake on its head.

[bunnies]

15. LMAO.

ok. Now you seriously almost made me spit out my drink! Vodka up the nose is NOT fun!

[DonRedwood]

17. We'll name that drink after you

The Nasal Bunny : a shot of vodka, a dash of carrot juice and a straw to snort it up your nose with.

ouch!

[bunnies]

19. That might actually be yummy!

Without the straw/nose thing of course. I might have to break out my juicer and give it a try!

[DonRedwood]

32. my nutritionist said no more fruit juice...carrot only

so I've been trying it in everything...but not as a mixer yet.

[DonRedwood]

29. one heart at a time, I figure :0)

[LiberalAndProud]

35. One home, one child.

We have covered a distance, still the road ahead is long.

[DonRedwood]

36. I like to remind the young gay whippersnappers....it was illegal for 2 men to dance in the 60s on

the entire WEST coast. When you remember that, it puts things in perspective. We've come a long way, baby.

[DonRedwood]

8. We don't have change them. We don't need to.

They will die off eventually. But this generation, the next one, come from a place where there was Will (and Grace), and gay American Idols and movies/songs like this one that shape where they START their own ideals of accepting gays.

There are always bigots and fringe-dwellers, but this song is going to go mainstream. This video will be watched by millions fo people. Gay teens will see it and it will help them form their own opinions of what a gay future might be.

The video is going viral and the charts are based on sales. 437,000 views already and their has been almost no press up til now.

In a week it will be 5 million and then the press will be noticing. The iTunes sales will be racking up. Gotye just showed them how an internet tune can go to #1.

And in a year the whole issue will be "yawn, old hat" and that's how a paradigm shift happens.

:0) Have faith bunnies. I do.

[bunnies]

10. ok. I'll hand it to you.

You made me smile. I guess I forget that there are bigoted younger kids too. I really don't know how thats possible considering all the bullying going on every day. I guess when it comes to laws my mind goes right to the law-makers.

I hope the kids will get it. I hope the hate will stop. I hope the next generation ends the anti-gay movement once and for all. Maybe you're right. I hope you are.

[DonRedwood]

12. Well, I don't think it will ever go away. Right Wing religious types need their enemy

It seems they can't fill up their pews unless they have an enemy. Sometimes it is gays, sometimes it is foreigners, sometimes it is other religions, sometimes its witches... But the percentages will shift... 50% 40% 30%... someday only 5% will hate gays. That, sadly, is the truth BUT, things like this allow us to see who our friends are. Lets young people see that gay people have friends and support.

This video is all good. Just a world of good for everyone to see. That doesn't happen all that often.

[bunnies]

16. I like your attitude, Don.

Mine generally sucks. I find myself not having too much faith in humans these days. I think you've worn off on me a little bit though. Just a little.

[DonRedwood]

18. I just make sure I ALWAYS appreciate it when a friend shows themselves. :0)

For every nasty anti-gay thing that breaks in the news, there is usually a response bigger and better of love. You gotta take those little dings because, without them, our friends don't step up to remind us that they are there. Here...this will prove my point better than I can say:
?6

[Nevernose]

25. I spend all day with high school kids

And this next generation is really exciting. It's black kids that want to be rock stars, white kids that want to be rappers, Mexican kids that want to be skateboarders, straight kids being friends with gay kids. These aren't lines that were crossed, ever, when I was a kid. I think between cable tv and the Internet, the world is so much smaller for these kids than it ever was for us older people.

When I was a teenager in rural East Texas, I thought homosexuality was a myth. Literally. Gays and lesbians might as well have been leprechauns and unicorns for all I knew (and that was with a lesbian aunt with a live-in girlfriend); I thought it was just another locker-room insult. In fact, I was a little homophobic when I joined DU in 2001. Just the concept really kind of disgusted me. I freely admit it: I was a self-centered, close-minded asshole. I'm not proud of that, just honest. I am proud of how I've changed over the years; I'm a much better person than I used to be.

And now I'm the faculty adviser for my school's Gay Straight Alliance (and former adviser for the Black Student Union, which was fun for a middle-aged white man that went to segregated school as a child). I've been invited (and accepted) to hang out with graduated students at the local Pride festival. I find myself being asked for advice on coming out of the closet.

I know that the change in attitudes is too slow, but it's faster than I ever imagined possible. While there will always be right-wing, reactionary intolerance, I am incredibly optimistic for our future.

[DonRedwood]

28. Promise us you willl write this up as an OP some day!!

This was really awesome to read! Thank you for sharing this! We all have growing to do in one area or another. Very awesome how much you've changed.

I'm seeing the same things at my school. Most students don't care about the gay thing at all.

[hifiguy]

14. Absolutely lovely!

kick-n-rec!

[DonRedwood]

23. I'm just sharing so, feel free to share too! The more who see it the better.

[yardwork]

20. Thank you so much.

Just....thank you.

[DonRedwood]

26. Pleasure to share it. :0)

I just hope lots and lots and lots of people see it.

[Cha]

22. "Paraphrasing from a book 3500

years ago". That's what I'm talking about!

Beautifully done Vid..thanks Don

[Lisa0825]

27. That was fantastic!!! nt

[DonRedwood]

31. pity the video broke on such a big news day--it is getting lost in the shuffle

[DonRedwood]

30. 100,000 hits since i posted this a few hours ago. :0) ah, such is the age of viral messaging.

[DonRedwood]

33. Update: it has gone viral, look at the charts on youtube to watch it grow.

if you've never watched the graphs on the bottom of the videos (hit graph tab) and you can see just how a video goes viral. I sure hope lots of DUers see this...we might make the graph :0)

[DonRedwood]

37. 50,000 hits in the past hour :0)

[DonRedwood]

41. WOW...almost half a million hits overnight. Almost a million in ONE day. :0)

[Zorra]

34. knr

[William769]

39. Recommended.

[Lisa0825]

43. I re-shared it on Facebook today because folks may have missed it due to debate being the big news.

This is one of the most beautiful videos I have seen on this subject. The other one that comes to mind I think was from Australia? It showed a man's relationship from the beginning through to the proposal, and you didn't see that it was to another man until the end. It was really beautiful too.

edited to add link to the other video I described.

[DonRedwood]

44. Thank you Lisa, I'd never seen that and it is great

I've never done a repost of one of my posts but I've considered it since this has been overlooked. I just saw that it has had another 150,000 hits since this morning. :0)

[David Zephyr]

45. Thank you, Don.

K&R.

[yardwork]

46. kick for Friday readers