Continuing with the theme of memoirs and life narratives, I decided to post about another great example of this genre. As the media has such a vast impact on young people today, it is no wonder that the average teen is incredibly self conscious and may experience many self doubts. However, this is incredibly increased in LGBTQ teens. For those who are unaware of what LGBTQ stands for, it means Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning. As society slowly begins to accept the LGBTQ community, the discrimination that still occurs is incredibly upsetting. This discrimination is even worse for young people, especially those still in middle and high school, where many have to try and hide their sexuality, as many are bullied and tormented because of it.

In 2010 a revolutionary movement called “It Get’s Better” was created by Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller. Savage and Miller created it in response to the numerous youth suicides that occurred that year due to bullying because the victims were LGBTQ. Instantly receiving positive feedback, the “It Get’s Better” project became a phenomenon with numerous celebrities creating their own “It Gets Better” videos. Every video made, whether by a celebrity or a everyday person, makes a difference to someone struggling from not being accepted for who they are. These videos give people hope. Like “Gives me hope” and “Love Gives Me Hope” the “It Gets Better” project helps to show people how much they have to live for, and that there is someone out there that has gone through the same challenges and it does get better.

https://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject

The “It Gets Better” is a life narrative. It is a memoir for those who have been discriminated against because of being LGBTQ. It is truly inspirational and shows just how many people support and love those who are LGBQT. President Obama made a “It Get’s Better” video stating that ‘it is not an inevitable part of growing up” and that “feeling like you don’t belong is tough”, “there is nothing wrong with being different”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4qIn641AZA

Similar to “Post Secret” and “Six Word Memoir” the “It Gets Better” project allows for a sense of community to be formed for those struggling. A postcard that was posted on “Post Secret” this Sunday really shows the connection between the two sites.

There are people around the world that receive so much hope from going on sites such as “It Gets Better”, “Post Secret”, and “Six Word Memoir”. Frank Warren mentioned in his TED talk’s video about “Post Secret” stating that “Secrets connect people who will never meet” and that they provide community to those who feel as if they have no one.

Life Narratives such as “It Gets Better” help give people strength by taking stories of struggle and showing those who may be facing the same struggles that no matter what they are going through, It gets better.

http://www.itgetsbetter.org/pages/about-it-gets-better-project/

http://www.ted.com/talks/frank_warren_half_a_million_secrets.html

After reading “What is The What” and “God Grew Tired of Us”, I felt the need to research more about the terror that occurred in Sudan between 1983 and 2005. Not only were these boys left orphaned and for dead, they were forced to flee from the place they called home and live in refugee camps for years. In watching the documentary “God Grew Tired of Us” I was fascinated to see how many Lost Boys fled to the US to begin their new lives. The everyday challenges they faced are simple norms for westerners, yet for the Boys, the tasks were incredibly unnatural and difficult. Many basic necessities that every household has were deemed strange and unusual. The fridge and freezer were found to be very odd for the boys, humorous to the audience, but at the same time very sad. When looking further into books and movies depicting the struggles of the “Lost Boys” I came across one boy in particular.

Lopez Lomong was born January 5, 1985 in Lopepe Lomong, South Sudan. Lopez was abducted from mass at the age of six, and assumed dead by his mother and father. Lopez and three other boys were able to narrowly escape and were forced to run for three days to avoid recapture. After making it to the Kenyan border, like many of the Lost Boys, Lopez spent years in refugee camps, and eventually moved to New York in 2001 at the age of 16. Lopez was deemed a natural runner, he competed in his high school and helped lead the track team to the state championships. Lopez was accepted into Northern Arizona University and was of course selected as part of the track team. In 2007, Lopez was the division one NCAA champion at the 3000 meters as well as being the champion at the 1500 meters. http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/columns/story?id=3468567&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos2

That same year he was given citizenship to the US. Only a year later, Lopez was named to the US Olympic Team. Similar to Achak Deng, Lopez found it hard to consider himself anything other than Sudan, however, after being named part of the team, he announced that he was no longer just a lost boy, but now an american (Litke 2008). Having accomplished more than most people, Lopez was then given the honor of being named flag bearer for the US team at the Beijing Olympics. Although Lopez did not make it past the semi’s finals, Lopez went on to win his first national championships in the 1500m in 2009, and became a back to back champion by winning the next year as well. The obstacles Lopez overcame are absolutely incredible and Lopez is an inspirational role model to many. He is the perfect example that anyone can achieve anything if they simply believe!

http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Lopez-Lomong.aspx

Throughout the semester, our class has focused largely on the genre of life narratives, in particular, memoirs. Looking at examples of traumatic experiences displayed in life narratives such as “Persepolis”, and “What Is The What” it is difficult to relate to the experiences of Marjane Satrapi, and Valentino Achak Deng. Residing in such a rich and affluent country, it is increasingly hard to imagine the troubles they have experienced. This being said, the research sites of “6 Word Memoir” and “Post Secret” allow for the sharing of secrets, even memoir’s, but also make it easier for those of western culture to relate. In researching both these sites for my research paper, I stumbled across another site similar to these two. “Gives Me Hope” and  “Love Gives Me Hope” are anonymous sites where people are able to post about kind and loving experiences they have seen or even had. This is a refreshing change to the posts that are seen on “Post Secret” and “Six Word Memoir”. Although these two sites give readers a sense of community by uniting those who are experiencing the same challenges or struggles, a majority of these posts are sad and written about a negative experience. “Love Gives Me Hope” and “Gives Me Hope” allow for readers to browse through posts of incredible happiness and love and in doing so, they give readers hope. Since discovery this site about a week ago, it has been a popular site for me to visit when I am feeling down or upset. The posts instantly make me feel better, and “give me hope”.

Posts such as this one cannot help but bring a smile to oneself, and I honestly believe that they could help anyone who are experiencing feelings of loneliness. “Love Gives Me Hope” is the sister site of “Gives Me Hope” where they both aim to uplift readers. Although not necessarily an act of confession, as “Post Secret” or “Six Word Memoir” are, “Love Gives Me Hope” and “Gives Me Hope are a form of memoir, but relating to positive and uplifting experiences. Here is one of my favorite posts from “Gives Me Hope”

When I was younger, I went through a stage of reading “Chicken Soup For The Soul”. I find that both “Gives Me Hope” and “Love Gives Me Hope” are a modern version of “Chicken Soup For The Soul” and allows for everyday people to share their positive experiences and brighten someone’s day.

Their slogan “Life is Beautiful Everyday” helps to remind readers what the goal of these sites are; to give hope. The site has experienced much Media attention, as part of their “8 Websites to Brighten your Day” CNN wrote that the website can “help renew your faith in the goodness of the human experience.” (CNN, 2010).  http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/08/02/8.sites.brighten.day/index.html

This website helps to reaffirm how great life is and how truly blessed we are to be able to live another day.