Daily Cal Columnist

Today we live in a world full of euphemisms. "International police actions" cause "collateral damage." Health insurance and hospitals have "negative patient outcome."

Life is short, and the world around us is not a very nice place. However, we want to think that it's all daffodils and kittens, and euphemisms serve as a way for people to avoid reality.

After all, ignorance is bliss, unless you're a dead civilian killed in a war.

The point is that unpleasant realities get hidden behind words until something happens that makes us notice what we've been missing.

This is the case with the "bullying" of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer young people that have been in the news recently.

From July into September, at least five teenagers committed suicide because they were "bullied" due to their sexual orientation, or perceived sexual orientation. Asher Brown, 13; Seth Walsh, 13; Billy Lucas, 15; Justin Aaberg, 15; Tyler Clementi, 18 and countless others are the victims of the hatred, bigotry and intolerance.

The treatment of these kids by their peers went so far as to leave them wanting to commit suicide rather than continue to be subjected to the ignorance and hate of those around them.

Their deaths have given rise to a popular movement most visible on YouTube where people around the world are making videos directed towards other teens like Asher, Seth, Billy, Justin and Tyler. The message - it gets better.

It does, but we can't continue to ignore the root cause of the need for this message.

To allude to it as "bullying" hides reality. People being unable to fathom accepting others who are not like them permeates our society, a recurring hypocrisy of American culture.

The fact remains that these deaths noted by the media only scratch the surface of the true problem, a problem that reaches back further than just this summer.

For instance, this week marks the 12th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard.

Shepard was a 21-year-old college student at the University of Wyoming. One night he went to a bar in Laramie, Wyoming and was befriended by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, who offered him a ride home.

The men took Shepard to a remote area, brutally beat him and left him tied to a fence, where he was found 18 hours later. He died later in the hospital on Oct. 12, 1998. He was killed because he was gay.

Shepard's death spurred legislation around the country that included sexual preference in the hate crime laws in many states. However, while we remember Matthew's death, we are confronted with the realization that people are still dying in this country because they face hatred and are told they don't belong.

Yes, we have made some gains as a society to erase narrow-mindedness when it comes to civil rights, issues of race and other essentialist beliefs. We live in a world with great minds that are constantly adding to the pantheon of great human achievement and philosophical growth. I would hope that the reason most of us are here at UC Berkeley is to add to the development of society as a place where people can thrive and prosper, whatever their personal characteristics.

However, even great philosophical thinkers like Dr. Cornel West warn that we must not get ahead of ourselves.

"We must always have empathy and sympathy for our fellow human beings," said Dr. West at a recent event in San Francisco.

"However, there is both joy and danger in living philosophically," he later continued, "and we must always refuse to become well adjusted to injustice and inequality."

He's absolutely right.

We want to believe that we live in a society that has transcended inequality, racism and other prejudices, and people like Dr. West are continually fighting to ensure we do someday. But we haven't yet.

We still live in a world where a large number of people have to worry about the repercussions for themselves and those they love if they come out and identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.

Sure, some states have passed laws giving the LGBTQ community the same rights as most everybody else, but until all people everywhere are fully protected under the law, we will never transcend the bigotry of the last millennium.

Sadly, though, hatred and inequality are still as American as the Big Mac. They all define our culture, and make it an unhealthy place to live.

Think about it. From the three-fifths compromise all the way through to issues like immigration and gay rights, Americans have always found some group of people to nullify and view as less than human.

As Dr. West continued on to say during the event in San Francisco, we must acknowledge the wounds of our society. However, we must not let their hurt define us. Instead, we must become healers and mend those wounds.

He spoke of our society as a whole, and until we end the hatred and malevolence towards our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, we will never transcend into the great society we revere ourselves to be.

