The funny thing is, I don’t even mind if the boys end up in a diversionary program if it does them some good. Ireland’s prime minister is gay, and he’s spoken up to encourage the boy who was beaten, and that’s doing some good too.

I wouldn’t have written a story if practically every Internet platform of substance on Earth — from Google, to Facebook, to Twitter, to Reddit — hadn’t deleted the video or deleted links to the video.

How are people supposed to confront the the consequences of violent rhetoric if we aren’t allowed to look and see?

This boy’s beating could have been a wake-up moment for a lot of people, but because of perverse and wrong ideas about “respect,” too many people will not have that wakeup call.