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Kaylissa Green Academic Review

Homophobia, everything about it is dark. There is no bright side to it, the same goes for Facebook, as long as there is racial remarks and statuses about black/white, lesbian/gay, and transgendered people, it as well has a dark side. Barbara Smith, black feminist writer, reports that: On the night of September 29th, 1982, 20-30 New York City policemen rushed without warning into the Blues, a Time Square bar. They harassed and severely beat the patrons, vandalized the premises, emptied the cash register, and left without making a single arrest. What motivated such brutal behavior? The answer is simple. The cops were inspired by three cherished tenets of our society: racism, classism, and homophobia. (526) Smith gives specific details, like the date and where it occurred. She explains that policemen rushed into the Blues bar, in Time Square, this bar consists of jazz, blues, and classic rock music. The policemen left without making a single arrest, instead they decided to beat the patrons and steal the money. The reason they did this was because they were homophobic, and the owner of the Blues bar is black, and gay. Along the same line, Nancy Haas, journalist living in the New York area, acknowledges that With the abundance of groups that treat almost everything with irreverence, Facebook has also inflamed racial conflicts. (594) Haas mentions that at Indiana University and the University of Virginia, two Facebook groups recently caused fracases by poking fun at Asian students, which make up a large part of their student bodies. Then at both campuses, students had to remove the groups against Asians after administrators brought complaints to their attention.

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These quotes relate because as Smith says that the tenets of our society are racism, classism, and homophobia, hence why the policemen beat up several patrons and did what they did. They were inflicted on doing this because of racism, as well as Haas was saying about inflamed racial conflicts over Facebook. The people that made the racist group on Facebook suffered from consequences. So both Smith and Haas agree that racism is happening. Its all over the world, even on the biggest networking site, Facebook. Therefore, Smith goes on and states that Homophobia is usually the last oppression to be mentioned, the last to go. But it is extremely serious, sometimes to the point of being fatal. (526) Smith is saying that its a life threating idea. Just think, on May, 8th, 2013 The Independent reported that more than 300 people a day are admitted to hospital for self-harming, a rise of almost 50 percent over a decade ago. Likewise, Haas does not deny this either, she concedes that Ms. Farrington-Brathwaite encourages resident advisers to come to her if they spot a Facebook cry for help, like an allusion to suicide. NYU has experienced a spate of student suicides in recent years. (594) Haas is saying that Facebook is used on an everyday basis. It is where people feel like they can be 10 times more strong and meaner, because they are hiding behind Facebook. A lot of people dont think that suicides over Facebook posts are real but in September 2010 there have been 4 suicides by young men for bullying over their sexuality on Facebook. Smith and Haas have good points on suicide. Every day there are people that commit suicide. One reason as Smith states is homophobia and another reason from Haas point of view, Facebook posts. Yes, homophobia is a huge deal; it has a dark side of its own. There is no way it can be a good thing. But Facebook, on the other hand, can be used for good reasons. To connect with old friends, to share how

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youre feeling, but it also has a dark side because one little post can cause a huge issue. Being sarcastic and joking around can mean something else to a different person. So both Smith and Haas made good, clear points about the suicide issues of both homophobia and Facebook. As a result, Haas article In Your Facebook.Com connects into Smiths article Homophobia: Why Bring It up? Homophobia is a big issue these days and Facebook is one of the main reasons where it happens. There is no bright side to Homophobia. Until homophobia stops then Facebook will always have dark side.

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Works Cited Norgaard, Rolf. Composing knowledge. New York: Bedford st/martins, 2007. 525-529 (Homophobia: why bring it up, Barbara Smith)

Norgaard, Rolf. Composing knowledge. New York: Bedford st/martins, 2007. 590-595 (In your Facebook.com, Nancy Haas)