College Students Can’t Answer Basic U.S. Questions, But Get Celebrity Ones Right

This is so sad. Religion kills!!

#Homophobia KILLS #LGBT pic.twitter.com/AxiZviRNxB
— STOP-Homophobia.com (@WipeHomophobia) October 19, 2014

How not to react when your child tells you that he's gay

In a disturbing and terribly sad video posted on YouTube Wednesday, a boy named Daniel is berated and disowned by his parents after coming out. The family claims to have supported him despite "knowing" he was gay since a young age, and though the details of the situation are murky, their hostile and, in the end, violent response is utterly reprehensible. 

The video, posted by user Regina Ryan, had this description:

A perfect example of how much hate and intolerance still exists today. This family gave a young man two options: attend a pray the gay away intervention, or face being disowned by the very people who are supposed to love him unconditionally.

Disclaimer: This is a 19 year old friend of mine who is currently staying with very supportive friends. He is safe and removed from the situation. I am posting this on his behalf per his request. I was not witness to the events that transpired, but was present immediately after to help him relocate.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Daniel now that he is without his family's care. In just twenty-one hours the video has received over one million views and Daniel has received nearly $100,000 in donations from strangers, showing that there is a great deal of support and kindness in the world. Our thoughts are most definitely with him as he traverses this horribly tough patch in life.

AP Polls Americans On Science, Nobel Winners Depressed With Results

The Associated Press has polled Americans about their scientific beliefs: 

Just 4 percent doubt that smoking causes cancer, 6 percent question whether mental illness is a medical condition that affects the brain and 8 percent are skeptical there's a genetic code inside our cells. More — 15 percent — have doubts about the safety and efficacy of childhood vaccines. About 4 in 10 say they are not too confident or outright disbelieve that the earth is warming, mostly a result of man-made heat-trapping gases, that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old or that life on Earth evolved through a process of natural selection, though most were at least somewhat confident in each of those concepts. But a narrow majority — 51 percent — questions the Big Bang theory. Those results depress and upset some of America's top scientists, including several Nobel Prize winners, who vouched for the science in the statements tested, calling them settled scientific facts.

Unsurprisingly, Republicans were more likely to doubt science.

Mom Convicted in Death of Son She Perceived as Gay

Oregon jurors took a little more than an hour to convict a 25-year-old woman of murder in the death of her 4-year-old son.

A prosecutor who emphasized Wednesday that the boy’s sister had witnessed the fatal beating said earlier that a motive behind the violence was the woman’s belief that the boy was gay.

Sentencing for Jessica Dutro was set for April 18 in Washington County Circuit Court. Full story here!

4chan User Attempts Suicide on Live Cam As HUNDREDS Watch–and Do Nothing

At around 7 PM on Saturday night, a 4chan (an image board) user known only as Stephen announced on the 4chan boards that he planned to kill himself.

“This is it,” declared Stephen, “Tonight I will be ending my own life. I’ve spent the last hour making the preparations and I’m ready to go through with it. As an oldfag who’s been on 4chan since 2004, I thought I would finally give back to the community in the best way possible. I am willing to an hero on cam for you all. All I request is for you guys to link me to a site where I can stream it for you guys, then I will gladly fulfill my promise.”

Disgustingly, users of the board came to this disturbed young man’s aid in the worst way possible. Another user set up a video chat room on the Chateen streaming site where Stephen was cheered on by hundreds of idiots as he did the unthinkable.

Stephen, using the name LOLDoge (a reference to a popular 4chan meme), broadcast to the full room as more and more people clamored to get in. Stephen popped a quantity of unspecified pills, down some vodka, and set a fire in the corner of his room using a toaster. As the smoke filled the room, Stephen retreated under his bed. Stephen declared, “#imdead #omgimonfire,” from underneath his bed, “I’m fuck3d.” Users encouraged Stephen and celebrated what is obviously a severe psychological problem–after all, this was entertainment to these people. Indeed, the largest concern was getting in on the action, as users wrestled for a spot among the “lucky” 200 who watched this horrific scene unfold live.

The level of concern shown by the cretinous masses at 4chan is unbelievable:

However, it is unlikely that Stephen is dead, as the video captured firefighters entering his room and removing him. Speculation on the matter goes both ways, with YourAnonNews, a Twitter account associated with Anonymous claiming he is the victim of a fire in Pittsburgh and others that he is an injured student from the University of Gueph in Ontario, Canada.

“Toaster Stephen,” as he is now known is either recovering from the injuries wrought by his stupidity, or lost to us all. One thing is for certain, though: it is unfortunate that in any country in any world…someone can choose to attempt to end his life while hundreds eagerly watch…and do nothing about it.