Oh man, kinda have a little more respect for Miley Cyrus now...
I also think it's really cool how she's being supportive without also pretending to understand the struggle or anything like that.
Wow, mad props.
Yeah, I appeciate it whenever someone who's fanbase has a large country/redneck/"we love you because of your small town values" crowd does something like this because it's actually a risk - those are dollar signs you're pissing off when you tell them you won't support their bigotry.
“I can tell you right now, I have an easier time being openly gay with the conservatives than I do being a conservative with other gay people,” he told guest host Cenk Uygur during an appearance on MSNBC's The Ed Show.
“That's the truth,” he added.
That's because, to gays, your conservative politics are both mystifyingly self-defeating and dangerous to their civil rights as a whole.
To conservatives, your being gay just makes you their house boy.
Exactly, and let's be honest here, the conservatives that this guy is hanging out with are probably the ones who are very moderate on social issues, but that does not absolve them of their continued efforts to inflame the bigotry of the socially conservative retrogrades who make up the majority of the GOP base. The conservatives that he is hanging out with would absolutely kick him out of the clubhouse if it was a choice between him and their pocketbook.
DoctorArch on
Switch Friend Code: SW-6732-9515-9697
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surrealitychecklonely, but not unloveddreaming of faulty keys and latchesRegistered Userregular
Murdoch installed ailes in the corner office on Fox’s second floor at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan. The location made Ailes queasy: It was close to the street, and he lived in fear that gay activists would try to attack him in retaliation over his hostility to gay rights. (In 1989, Ailes had broken up a protest of a Rudy Giuliani speech by gay activists, grabbing demonstrator by the throat and shoving him out the door.) Barricading himself behind a massive mahogany desk, Ailes insisted on having “bombproof glass” installed in the windows – even going so far as to personally inspect samples of high-tech plexiglass, as though he were picking out new carpet. Looking down on the street below, he expressed his fears to Cooper, the editor he had tasked with up-armoring his office. “They’ll be down there protesting,” Ailes said. “Those gays."
Someone is really full of themself.
MuddBudd on
There's no plan, there's no race to be run
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
58 workers are laid off after the Catholic Diocese of Rockford chooses to end all adoption and foster care services through catholic charities. It's in response to the Illinois legislature's failure to enact an amendment to the Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Unions Act, that would allow them to refer gay and unmarried couples to other agencies.
Leslie Montoya worked for a year serving children under the Diocese until Thursday morning when she found out she was laid off.
"My first thought was we work so hard for the children to have stability in their lives to have permanency and this is another thing that is going to be removed from their lives. A worker they've been working with several months possibly a few years and that person's just going to disappear."
MuddBudd on
There's no plan, there's no race to be run
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
It sounds pretty fucked up, but I can believe that such camps would be very difficult to stop legally.
So. Much. Rage!!!!
There are some people in that story I'd happily disembowel with a rusty hook. You know, assuming accuracy. I guess I'd prefer we exempt them from cruel and unusual punishment after trial. Theoretically.
Does anyone else find the use of "your teen" in all of the questions an odd way of putting it?
I'm also pretty sure a good half dozen or more of these fall under "... duh, teenagers."
Oh my God that quiz is hilarious. In an utterly self-serving and terrifying way.
If you go through and choose only the 'symptoms' that every single healthy teenager would exhibit (such as "Does your teen engage in activities you don't approve of?" - no, seriously) the quiz just *happens* to STRONGLY RECOMMEND you send your HIGH RISK teen to their for-profit brainwashing center to GET HELP!
JihadJesus on
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21stCenturyCall me Pixel, or Pix for short![They/Them]Registered Userregular
Long story short: I've been reading the webcomic Ratfist by Doug TenNapel (The guy behind Earthworm Jim, The Neverhood and creature Tech). Some might know that Mr. TenNapel is conservative and a born-again christian. Ratfist reflects that in several pages, how he finds a lot of things by "The Left" distasteful or even dangerous. I've been leaving comments about it, he usually puts up a topic to discuss that's related to the day's page and I'd say he recognizes me and he often replies to me. I talked about gay rights (yesterday, I think?) and someone saw the argument and sent it to that blog, GayGamer.net .
Just want to say, i don't think boycotting is going to help any and I'd love it if you guys started commenting on Ratfist. just be sure to follow my lead and stay as respectful as possible (Even if you think he's a horrible bigot). It's not be insulting him that we'll ever convince him, right?
Sigh, I fear you guys will prove him right and just jump on the boycott/start hurling insults. Or at the very least, tell me i'm wasting my time/harming the cause. Bah, public comments. I can take it. I leave comments under the name "21stCentury" (Duh!).
Does anyone else find the use of "your teen" in all of the questions an odd way of putting it?
I'm also pretty sure a good half dozen or more of these fall under "... duh, teenagers."
More than a half dozen.
Does your teen struggle with basic family rules and expectations?
What teen doesn't? I did.
Has your teen ever been suspended, expelled, truant or had a drop in school grades?
Skip a class once and you're on this list? I did that.
Has your teen ever been verbally abusive?
EVER? Do these people not know what hormones teens deal with?
In your opinion, does your teen associate with a bad peer group?
My sister associated with plenty of "bad" kids because she was trying to help them.
Has your teen lost interest in former productive activities, such as hobbies and sports?
Well if the hobbies would stop being uncool and boring, maybe we'd keep doing them.
Do you have difficulty getting your teen to do simple household chores or homework without a major fight?
Almost no teen wants to do homework or chores as their first priority. There, I said it.
Has your teen had problems with the law?
187 on the undercover cop.
Do you find yourself picking your words carefully when speaking to your teen so as not to elicit a verbal attack or rage from them?
Practically every parent picks their words carefully around their children. It's something parents do.
Are you worried that your teen may not finish high school?
Not many are "worried" that their kids WILL finish high school, I'll tell you that much.
Does your teen, at times, seem depressed and/or withdrawn?
These people have never heard of the melodrama hormone.
Is your teen's appearance or personal hygiene outside your family standards?
You get one belly button piercing and suddenly you're "outside the family's standards."
Has your teen ever displayed violent behavior?
It's all those video games, I'm telling you.
Is your teen manipulative or deceitful?
If you didn't want me to steal your Playboys, you shouldn't have hidden them.
Does your teen seem to lack motivation?
You're going to send me to a camp for being a lazy teenager?
Do you suspect that your teen is telling lies or has been dishonest with you?
The better question, when is your teen telling the truth? Every kid lies to their parents, even if it's just to say that they didn't just shove all their crap in the closet instead of cleaning for real.
Are you concerned that your teen may be sexually promiscuous?
If so, give details about what you think your teen might be doing, and who they might be doing it with. Include pictures.
Have you seen any evidence of suicidal thoughts, such as statements that your teen wanted to be dead, etc?
I know I wish that *I* were dead now that I've read most of this list.
Do you suspect that you have had money or other valuables missing from your home?
I used to swipe a twenty from mom's purse on occasion, sure. I would use it to play Ikari Warriors at the arcade 80 times.
Are you concerned that your teen's behavior is a threat to his safety and well-being?
I worry that my teen isn't showing enough skin when she goes out on dates with 28-year-old skinheads. She's never going to land a man at this rate!
Does your teen seem to lack self-esteem and self-worth?
Because my teen sure seems to lack parent-worth. HEYOOO.
Do you have a lack of trust with your teen?
Seems like my teen should lack trust in me if I'm on this website.
Is your teen angry or displaying temper outbursts?
Only when I send her to brainwash camps.
Does your teen have problems with authority?
Yes. They keep trying to send her to brainwash camps.
Does your teen engage in activities you don't approve of?
I actually approve of lesbian sex, just not if my daughter is doing it.
Do you think your teen is using or experimenting with drugs and/or alcohol?
SO THAT is where all my meth keeps going!
Are you concerned about your teen's well-being and future?
Come to think of it, no. Fuck 'em.
Does your teen seem to be in constant opposition to your family values?
"YOUNG LADY, IN THIS FAMILY WE NEVER WEAR PANTS."
No matter what rules and consquences are established, does your teen defy them?
It's not true, it's impossible!
Are you exhausted and worn out from your teen's defiant or destructive behaviors and choices?
I'm exhausted and worn out from this goosey list.
When dealing with your teen, do you often feel that you are powerless?
If so, smack that bitch down and send her to branwash camp! Brainwash camp! It makes you feel powerful again!
Yeah that quiz....God, I need to post that on Facebook or something. Jesus Christ, most of that applies to my toddler, and the rest of it is just asking if I'm worried about my child (knowing full well that if I'm even taking the survey they're talking to a parent who's thinking about sending my kid in to be brainwashed).
Whoever is profiting from this business is scraping the absolute utter bottom of the scumbag barrel.
Long story short: I've been reading the webcomic Ratfist by Doug TenNapel (The guy behind Earthworm Jim, The Neverhood and creature Tech). Some might know that Mr. TenNapel is conservative and a born-again christian. Ratfist reflects that in several pages, how he finds a lot of things by "The Left" distasteful or even dangerous. I've been leaving comments about it, he usually puts up a topic to discuss that's related to the day's page and I'd say he recognizes me and he often replies to me. I talked about gay rights (yesterday, I think?) and someone saw the argument and sent it to that blog, GayGamer.net .
Just want to say, i don't think boycotting is going to help any and I'd love it if you guys started commenting on Ratfist. just be sure to follow my lead and stay as respectful as possible (Even if you think he's a horrible bigot). It's not be insulting him that we'll ever convince him, right?
Sigh, I fear you guys will prove him right and just jump on the boycott/start hurling insults. Or at the very least, tell me i'm wasting my time/harming the cause. Bah, public comments. I can take it. I leave comments under the name "21stCentury" (Duh!).
Arguing/discussing gay equality with him won't help either. His bigotry is rooted in his religion and is, therefore, immune to logic. And since you don't personally know the guy, your argument against his bigotry won't have much impact. It's seems like a lot of work for little to no return.
Long story short: I've been reading the webcomic Ratfist by Doug TenNapel (The guy behind Earthworm Jim, The Neverhood and creature Tech). Some might know that Mr. TenNapel is conservative and a born-again christian. Ratfist reflects that in several pages, how he finds a lot of things by "The Left" distasteful or even dangerous. I've been leaving comments about it, he usually puts up a topic to discuss that's related to the day's page and I'd say he recognizes me and he often replies to me. I talked about gay rights (yesterday, I think?) and someone saw the argument and sent it to that blog, GayGamer.net .
Just want to say, i don't think boycotting is going to help any and I'd love it if you guys started commenting on Ratfist. just be sure to follow my lead and stay as respectful as possible (Even if you think he's a horrible bigot). It's not be insulting him that we'll ever convince him, right?
Sigh, I fear you guys will prove him right and just jump on the boycott/start hurling insults. Or at the very least, tell me i'm wasting my time/harming the cause. Bah, public comments. I can take it. I leave comments under the name "21stCentury" (Duh!).
Arguing/discussing gay equality with him won't help either. His bigotry is rooted in his religion and is, therefore, immune to logic. And since you don't personally know the guy, your argument against his bigotry won't have much impact. It's seems like a lot of work for little to no return.
Long story short: I've been reading the webcomic Ratfist by Doug TenNapel (The guy behind Earthworm Jim, The Neverhood and creature Tech). Some might know that Mr. TenNapel is conservative and a born-again christian. Ratfist reflects that in several pages, how he finds a lot of things by "The Left" distasteful or even dangerous. I've been leaving comments about it, he usually puts up a topic to discuss that's related to the day's page and I'd say he recognizes me and he often replies to me. I talked about gay rights (yesterday, I think?) and someone saw the argument and sent it to that blog, GayGamer.net .
Just want to say, i don't think boycotting is going to help any and I'd love it if you guys started commenting on Ratfist. just be sure to follow my lead and stay as respectful as possible (Even if you think he's a horrible bigot). It's not be insulting him that we'll ever convince him, right?
Sigh, I fear you guys will prove him right and just jump on the boycott/start hurling insults. Or at the very least, tell me i'm wasting my time/harming the cause. Bah, public comments. I can take it. I leave comments under the name "21stCentury" (Duh!).
Arguing/discussing gay equality with him won't help either. His bigotry is rooted in his religion and is, therefore, immune to logic. And since you don't personally know the guy, your argument against his bigotry won't have much impact. It's seems like a lot of work for little to no return.
Well, i guess giving up is always easier.
Yes, because choosing not to waste time arguing on the internet with a small-minded creator of a webcomic will clearly going to set back the struggle for gay equality. Having pointless, repetitive arguments with this guy about his bigotry doesn't strike me as particularly productive or entertaining. At least arguing with people on the PA forums is fun.
As mentioned before I think Minnesota will sort it all out in the end. It's a good state.
Bwuh? Minnesota is a good state? You're talking about that state that has elected Michelle Bachmann.
Though to be fair, they also elected Al Franken, who is as awesome as Bachmann is terrible.
Man, don't bust our chops over the Sixth District. We feel bad enough about it as it is. Fact is, the Sixth is ridiculously gerrymandered so that it will pretty much always be conservative.
*grumble*grumble*stupid St. Cloud*grumble*
St. Cloud nothin! More like stupid everywhere inbetween here and the cities and all places east and west. We get lefties here because of the college.
Bachmann gets by on folksieness too. I've met her before and she is quite nice for a crazy lady.
JebusUD on
I write you a story
But it loses its thread
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21stCenturyCall me Pixel, or Pix for short![They/Them]Registered Userregular
Long story short: I've been reading the webcomic Ratfist by Doug TenNapel (The guy behind Earthworm Jim, The Neverhood and creature Tech). Some might know that Mr. TenNapel is conservative and a born-again christian. Ratfist reflects that in several pages, how he finds a lot of things by "The Left" distasteful or even dangerous. I've been leaving comments about it, he usually puts up a topic to discuss that's related to the day's page and I'd say he recognizes me and he often replies to me. I talked about gay rights (yesterday, I think?) and someone saw the argument and sent it to that blog, GayGamer.net .
Just want to say, i don't think boycotting is going to help any and I'd love it if you guys started commenting on Ratfist. just be sure to follow my lead and stay as respectful as possible (Even if you think he's a horrible bigot). It's not be insulting him that we'll ever convince him, right?
Sigh, I fear you guys will prove him right and just jump on the boycott/start hurling insults. Or at the very least, tell me i'm wasting my time/harming the cause. Bah, public comments. I can take it. I leave comments under the name "21stCentury" (Duh!).
Arguing/discussing gay equality with him won't help either. His bigotry is rooted in his religion and is, therefore, immune to logic. And since you don't personally know the guy, your argument against his bigotry won't have much impact. It's seems like a lot of work for little to no return.
Well, i guess giving up is always easier.
Yes, because choosing not to waste time arguing on the internet with a small-minded creator of a webcomic will clearly going to set back the struggle for gay equality. Having pointless, repetitive arguments with this guy about his bigotry doesn't strike me as particularly productive or entertaining. At least arguing with people on the PA forums is fun.
Well, i certainly am entertained by the arguments. I mean, it certainly is a thing I do, it certainly helps more than doing nothing, no?
Does your toddler struggle with basic family rules and expectations?
Well, when I ask her where her pee goes, she happily responds with ‘toilet!’ and then looks m right in the eye and pisses all over the floor. So I’d say yes.
Has your toddler ever been suspended, expelled, truant or had a drop in school grades?
Are you kidding? She hasn’t even gone to class yet this year!
Has your toddler ever been verbally abusive?
She does occasionally mock me when I do something silly. I’ll go with a ‘maybe’.
In your opinion, does your toddler associate with a bad peer group?
Oh yeah. One of her friends fucking bit me!
Has your toddler lost interest in former productive activities, such as hobbies and sports?
No, but a lot of the new one’s she’s developed are destructive. See above re: pissing on floors.
Do you have difficulty getting your toddler to do simple household chores or homework without a major fight?
She’s very eager to help, actually.
Has your toddler had problems with the law?
I do have to send her to timeout almost daily.
Do you find yourself picking your words carefully when speaking to your toddler so as not to elicit a verbal attack or rage from them?
Oh yeah. If I don’t, strangers will castigate me in public when she screams “Jesus Christ!” at the slightest frustration and then bursts out laughing.
Are you worried that your toddler may not finish high school?
Yeah. She’ll probably make it, but sometimes I think it may take her another 15 years…
Does your toddler, at times, seem depressed and/or withdrawn?
She sleeps a ton. That’s a sign of depression, right? Yes.
Is your toddler's appearance or personal hygiene outside your family standards?
Yup. I tend not to sit around wearing pants filled with my own fecal matter.
Has your toddler ever displayed violent behavior?
Oh yeah. Tantrums, fits, throwing.
Is your toddler manipulative or deceitful?
Absolutely. Get this – she hides her vegetables.
Does your toddler seem to lack motivation?
Oh yeah. Once again: she sleeps a lot. Like, 12 hours a day,
Do you suspect that your toddler is telling lies or has been dishonest with you?
Absolutely. She lies for fun. No, Dopey Bear did take your friend’s animal cracker and make her cry. Do I look like a sucker?
Are you concerned that your toddler may be sexually promiscuous?
Well, she does strip naked at the earliest opportunity…
Have you seen any evidence of suicidal thoughts, such as statements that your toddler wanted to be dead, etc?
I guess so. She does often climb things specifically to jump off of them onto her head.
Do you suspect that you have had money or other valuables missing from your home?
I knew it had to be her…
Are you concerned that your toddler's behavior is a threat to his safety and well-being?
Yes. She has no fear or sense of self preservation.
Does your toddler seem to lack self-esteem and self-worth?
Not really.
Do you have a lack of trust with your toddler?
I guess she does remember I dropped her once. She seems kind of wary sometimes.
Is your toddler angry or displaying temper outbursts?
Yeah, she can be a kicking, screaming, angry ball of temper sometimes. Especially if she misses a nap.
Does your toddler have problems with authority?
Yeah. ‘No’ is her favorite words sometimes. “Do you like candy?” No! “Do you love you daddy?” No!
Does your toddler engage in activities you don't approve of?
Peeing on the floor. Duh.
Do you think your toddler is using or experimenting with drugs and/or alcohol?
Not that I know of.
Are you concerned about your toddler's well-being and future?
Of course. Clearly she has a long way to go before she can be a productive member of society.
Does your toddler seem to be in constant opposition to your family values?
Doesn’t seem to be too jazzed about sharing her room with a new sister. Also, to repeat: She. Pees. On. The. Floor.
No matter what rules and consquences are established, does your toddler defy them?
All the time! It’s like she’s trying to see how far she can push me and where the boundaries are!
Are you exhausted and worn out from your toddler's defiant or destructive behaviors and choices?
Dear God yes. She wakes up at 5 AM!
When dealing with your toddler, do you often feel that you are powerless?
I really love how they mix in normal teenage behavior (OH MY GOD SHE WANTS TO WEAR A BELLY SHIRT) with serious shit, like being in trouble with the law.
mythago on
Three lines of plaintext:
obsolete signature form
replaced by JPEGs.
Out of all the video game creators, the guy who created Earthworm Jim was really not on my radar as a potential bigot. He made Earthworm Jim, one of the most bizarre character/series out there. I don't know why, but it's like finding out Lady Gaga is a bigot.
I don't know why weird=acceptance in my mind, but it does.
People are always awful at estimating. Especially when something gets a significant amount of media attention. Find a poll on people's estimates on the US budget and suddenly lots of things become very, very clear.
enlightenedbum on
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
Why is it pointless to try and find out how many gays there are?
I think the main reason is that there's a ton of variation on what's called "gay". I mean, would you call a male-to-female transexual that dates only men "gay"? How about if she only dates women? Plus, hardly anybody doesn't rate at all on the Kinsey scale. If a dude got a blowjob from another dude years ago, and enjoyed it, but never had a repeat performance, is he gay?
Gender and Preference are non-binary factors that don't lend themselves to a census very well. It's better to just let people think that anyone could be gay.
Because anyone, you know, could be.
Also, humans aren't too much better than gully dwarves in the numbers thing. Gully dwarves only have three numbers: 1, for the self, 2, for a partner, and 3, for any number greater than 2. 25%, for humans is, "not that many, like a fourth? Most people are straight, right?"
The numbers I hear most often thrown around are between 3 and 10%. I imagine that varies greatly due to a variety of factors. Geographic locale, local customs, population density, whether or not it includes strictly people who self identify as "gay" versus those who have had or do have sex with members of the same gender, etc.
While I'm sure that there are other extenuating factors, but if I'm not mistaken, Trans populations are usually even smaller than a given LGB population (often by a very significant amount?) so surely those exceptions aren't likely to vastly shift the ratios?
Of course, this makes an awful lot of assumptions and recognizes many unknowns, but it's the best we can go on for now.
Fake edit: the numbers here seem to indicate a roughly 6-15% incidence of homosexuality in a given population, so ~10%'ish seems at least more accurate (to the best of our knowledge) than 25%.
Forar on
First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
Okay, I hadn't read these recent comic comments. Doug was just a bit full of himself, but he's blatantly homophobic with a severe persecution complex.
I'd already been contemplating removing Ratfist from my bookmarks, but kooky libertarianism creeping in the comic didn't seem like reason enough. Refuse to support a bigot? Oh yeah.
Long story short: I've been reading the webcomic Ratfist by Doug TenNapel (The guy behind Earthworm Jim, The Neverhood and creature Tech). Some might know that Mr. TenNapel is conservative and a born-again christian. Ratfist reflects that in several pages, how he finds a lot of things by "The Left" distasteful or even dangerous. I've been leaving comments about it, he usually puts up a topic to discuss that's related to the day's page and I'd say he recognizes me and he often replies to me. I talked about gay rights (yesterday, I think?) and someone saw the argument and sent it to that blog, GayGamer.net .
Just want to say, i don't think boycotting is going to help any and I'd love it if you guys started commenting on Ratfist. just be sure to follow my lead and stay as respectful as possible (Even if you think he's a horrible bigot). It's not be insulting him that we'll ever convince him, right?
Sigh, I fear you guys will prove him right and just jump on the boycott/start hurling insults. Or at the very least, tell me i'm wasting my time/harming the cause. Bah, public comments. I can take it. I leave comments under the name "21stCentury" (Duh!).
Arguing/discussing gay equality with him won't help either. His bigotry is rooted in his religion and is, therefore, immune to logic. And since you don't personally know the guy, your argument against his bigotry won't have much impact. It's seems like a lot of work for little to no return.
Well, i guess giving up is always easier.
Yes, because choosing not to waste time arguing on the internet with a small-minded creator of a webcomic will clearly going to set back the struggle for gay equality. Having pointless, repetitive arguments with this guy about his bigotry doesn't strike me as particularly productive or entertaining. At least arguing with people on the PA forums is fun.
I've always thought the point of such arguments is to influence any fence-sitters who might be reading, not to convince your opponent. Even if you do convince your opponent they'll rarely admit defeat (even to themselves), but sometimes, months or years later, you may find that they've reversed their position. Admittedly I've only seen that happen once in my life, and I've been debating gay rights and environmental issues on the internet since the days of ASCII-based BBSes. But I cherish that memory.
Yeah, I appeciate it whenever someone who's fanbase has a large country/redneck/"we love you because of your small town values" crowd does something like this because it's actually a risk - those are dollar signs you're pissing off when you tell them you won't support their bigotry.
It also shows rural people that gayness isn't just some urban "thing", like Starbucks.
21st, you're doing a good thing with those comments. It erodes bigots' notions that they can take for granted that "everyone" they come in contact with supports their bigoted position and sways fence-sitters. The idea that because the author's anti-gay ideas are rooted in religion are unchangeable is sort of odd. Divorce used to be an incredibly shameful, shocking thing. It was possibly okay if your husband was beating you, but other than that . . . shocking! Horrible! Gonna cause the demise of the nuclear family!
These days most people, including religious people, including Catholics, do not give a shit about divorce. It's common, it's accepted, and I frankly I don't care how religious people reconcile it with this or that religious verse, I just care that it's so acceptable no one even thinks it's "odd" anymore.
LadyM on
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21stCenturyCall me Pixel, or Pix for short![They/Them]Registered Userregular
edited May 2011
This is gonna blow up in my face, but... "Fence-Sitters"? Is it just me being thin-skinned and too sensitive or do I detect some form of disdain here? Is it really that bad to not take a position? Is it really preferable to rush judgment and take a position as soon as possible?
This is gonna blow up in my face, but... "Fence-Sitters"? Is it just me being thin-skinned and too sensitive or do I detect some form of disdain here? Is it really that bad to not take a position? Is it really preferable to rush judgment and take a position as soon as possible?
When one side of the fence is bigotry and 2nd class status...Yes, Yes, and Yes.
I don't feel disdain towards fence-sitters. They're better than actively anti-gay people, and there's an implication that at least they're thinking about the issue rather than having had the kneejerk "NO, my grandparents thought gayness was bad so it's BAD" reaction. I would hope they would abstain from voting on anti-gay initiatives. (Hey, better a blank vote than a "Rawr, die gays!!!" vote.)
Though of course, I would like them more if they began supporting gay rights.
That's one of the reason these anti-gay-marriage laws, like the one being debated in Minnesota, are so dangerous. A gay guy or gal might think, "Hey, I live in St. Paul, no one cares that I'm gay, no way that will pass." And it's true, the straight people there might not care they're gay. They might also not care if someone proposes an anti-gay-marriage amendment, because they don't think about gays at all, ever.
The question is, how does one get the majority of people--who are straight--to care about the gay minority? Pointing out that gays are people deserving of civil rights is true, but I don't know if the message always gets through, especially to older people or rural people who think they don't know any gays.
LadyM on
0
BigBearIf your life had a face, I would punch it.Registered Userregular
edited May 2011
I can't even believe that shit like Cross Creek is even legal. It all sounds extremely horrifying from start to finish, and I don't know how that shit is seen as acceptable in a first world nation like ours.
I have a feeling, though, that if more people knew about that stuff, we'd hopefully be able to clamp down on it fairly quickly.
I can't even believe that shit like Cross Creek is even legal. It all sounds extremely horrifying from start to finish, and I don't know how that shit is seen as acceptable in a first world nation like ours.
I have a feeling, though, that if more people knew about that stuff, we'd hopefully be able to clamp down on it fairly quickly.
Hah, that's pretty optimistic. but like the reddit story concluded, that sort of thing doesn't just survive, it thrives thanks to the victim-blaming societal pressures, thanks to the idea that "tough love" and "tough hate" can help make people into well-rounded Productive members of society.
Those WWASP facilities have often been described as "For-Profit private prisons for children" and really, that's one direction you should look toward. This kind of stuff is accepted because of how American Culture views Justice.
Add in stuff like how socially, children aren't people for Americans (I believe America never ratified the UN Rights of the Child declaration)
These facilities thrive, not because they're hidden, but because people don't want to care about them. Because no one will believe the lies of a child. Because some people just act like victims and deserve the abuse they get. Because in a just world, bad things only happen to bad people, therefore if someone gets raped, they probably had a hand in that.
Even if everyone was told about Cross Creek, most wouldn't do or say anything against it. They'd either think the reports are exaggerating, that the people in it deserve to be there and shut up, if it was bad, they wouldn't make so much money.
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Exactly, and let's be honest here, the conservatives that this guy is hanging out with are probably the ones who are very moderate on social issues, but that does not absolve them of their continued efforts to inflame the bigotry of the socially conservative retrogrades who make up the majority of the GOP base. The conservatives that he is hanging out with would absolutely kick him out of the clubhouse if it was a choice between him and their pocketbook.
http://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/comments/hk0xy/a_gay_teen_describes_her_experience_at_a_utah/
It sounds pretty fucked up, but I can believe that such camps would be very difficult to stop legally.
Kinda neat, though I'm not really a fan of treating "born with it" and "environmental factors" as mutually exclusive.
Someone is really full of themself.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
This is the town I grew up in.
Illinois Catholic Diocese Lays Off 58 Workers, Damages Countless Children Rather Than Accept Gays
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
There are some people in that story I'd happily disembowel with a rusty hook. You know, assuming accuracy. I guess I'd prefer we exempt them from cruel and unusual punishment after trial. Theoretically.
Does anyone else find the use of "your teen" in all of the questions an odd way of putting it?
I'm also pretty sure a good half dozen or more of these fall under "... duh, teenagers."
If you go through and choose only the 'symptoms' that every single healthy teenager would exhibit (such as "Does your teen engage in activities you don't approve of?" - no, seriously) the quiz just *happens* to STRONGLY RECOMMEND you send your HIGH RISK teen to their for-profit brainwashing center to GET HELP!
Long story short: I've been reading the webcomic Ratfist by Doug TenNapel (The guy behind Earthworm Jim, The Neverhood and creature Tech). Some might know that Mr. TenNapel is conservative and a born-again christian. Ratfist reflects that in several pages, how he finds a lot of things by "The Left" distasteful or even dangerous. I've been leaving comments about it, he usually puts up a topic to discuss that's related to the day's page and I'd say he recognizes me and he often replies to me. I talked about gay rights (yesterday, I think?) and someone saw the argument and sent it to that blog, GayGamer.net .
Just want to say, i don't think boycotting is going to help any and I'd love it if you guys started commenting on Ratfist. just be sure to follow my lead and stay as respectful as possible (Even if you think he's a horrible bigot). It's not be insulting him that we'll ever convince him, right?
Sigh, I fear you guys will prove him right and just jump on the boycott/start hurling insults. Or at the very least, tell me i'm wasting my time/harming the cause. Bah, public comments. I can take it. I leave comments under the name "21stCentury" (Duh!).
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More than a half dozen.
What teen doesn't? I did.
Skip a class once and you're on this list? I did that.
EVER? Do these people not know what hormones teens deal with?
My sister associated with plenty of "bad" kids because she was trying to help them.
Well if the hobbies would stop being uncool and boring, maybe we'd keep doing them.
Almost no teen wants to do homework or chores as their first priority. There, I said it.
187 on the undercover cop.
Practically every parent picks their words carefully around their children. It's something parents do.
Not many are "worried" that their kids WILL finish high school, I'll tell you that much.
These people have never heard of the melodrama hormone.
You get one belly button piercing and suddenly you're "outside the family's standards."
It's all those video games, I'm telling you.
If you didn't want me to steal your Playboys, you shouldn't have hidden them.
You're going to send me to a camp for being a lazy teenager?
The better question, when is your teen telling the truth? Every kid lies to their parents, even if it's just to say that they didn't just shove all their crap in the closet instead of cleaning for real.
If so, give details about what you think your teen might be doing, and who they might be doing it with. Include pictures.
I know I wish that *I* were dead now that I've read most of this list.
I used to swipe a twenty from mom's purse on occasion, sure. I would use it to play Ikari Warriors at the arcade 80 times.
I worry that my teen isn't showing enough skin when she goes out on dates with 28-year-old skinheads. She's never going to land a man at this rate!
Because my teen sure seems to lack parent-worth. HEYOOO.
Seems like my teen should lack trust in me if I'm on this website.
Only when I send her to brainwash camps.
Yes. They keep trying to send her to brainwash camps.
I actually approve of lesbian sex, just not if my daughter is doing it.
SO THAT is where all my meth keeps going!
Come to think of it, no. Fuck 'em.
"YOUNG LADY, IN THIS FAMILY WE NEVER WEAR PANTS."
It's not true, it's impossible!
I'm exhausted and worn out from this goosey list.
If so, smack that bitch down and send her to branwash camp! Brainwash camp! It makes you feel powerful again!
Whoever is profiting from this business is scraping the absolute utter bottom of the scumbag barrel.
Arguing/discussing gay equality with him won't help either. His bigotry is rooted in his religion and is, therefore, immune to logic. And since you don't personally know the guy, your argument against his bigotry won't have much impact. It's seems like a lot of work for little to no return.
Well, i guess giving up is always easier.
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Yes, because choosing not to waste time arguing on the internet with a small-minded creator of a webcomic will clearly going to set back the struggle for gay equality. Having pointless, repetitive arguments with this guy about his bigotry doesn't strike me as particularly productive or entertaining. At least arguing with people on the PA forums is fun.
St. Cloud nothin! More like stupid everywhere inbetween here and the cities and all places east and west. We get lefties here because of the college.
Bachmann gets by on folksieness too. I've met her before and she is quite nice for a crazy lady.
But it loses its thread
Well, i certainly am entertained by the arguments. I mean, it certainly is a thing I do, it certainly helps more than doing nothing, no?
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Well, when I ask her where her pee goes, she happily responds with ‘toilet!’ and then looks m right in the eye and pisses all over the floor. So I’d say yes.
Are you kidding? She hasn’t even gone to class yet this year!
She does occasionally mock me when I do something silly. I’ll go with a ‘maybe’.
Oh yeah. One of her friends fucking bit me!
No, but a lot of the new one’s she’s developed are destructive. See above re: pissing on floors.
She’s very eager to help, actually.
I do have to send her to timeout almost daily.
Oh yeah. If I don’t, strangers will castigate me in public when she screams “Jesus Christ!” at the slightest frustration and then bursts out laughing.
Yeah. She’ll probably make it, but sometimes I think it may take her another 15 years…
She sleeps a ton. That’s a sign of depression, right? Yes.
Yup. I tend not to sit around wearing pants filled with my own fecal matter.
Oh yeah. Tantrums, fits, throwing.
Absolutely. Get this – she hides her vegetables.
Oh yeah. Once again: she sleeps a lot. Like, 12 hours a day,
Absolutely. She lies for fun. No, Dopey Bear did take your friend’s animal cracker and make her cry. Do I look like a sucker?
Well, she does strip naked at the earliest opportunity…
I guess so. She does often climb things specifically to jump off of them onto her head.
I knew it had to be her…
Yes. She has no fear or sense of self preservation.
Not really.
I guess she does remember I dropped her once. She seems kind of wary sometimes.
Yeah, she can be a kicking, screaming, angry ball of temper sometimes. Especially if she misses a nap.
Yeah. ‘No’ is her favorite words sometimes. “Do you like candy?” No! “Do you love you daddy?” No!
Peeing on the floor. Duh.
Not that I know of.
Of course. Clearly she has a long way to go before she can be a productive member of society.
Doesn’t seem to be too jazzed about sharing her room with a new sister. Also, to repeat: She. Pees. On. The. Floor.
All the time! It’s like she’s trying to see how far she can push me and where the boundaries are!
Dear God yes. She wakes up at 5 AM!
Define ‘often’. Does every morning at 5 AM count?
obsolete signature form
replaced by JPEGs.
I don't know why weird=acceptance in my mind, but it does.
25%
is this why people are running scared? they think the battle's already lost
Last I seem to recall was either 3% or 6%.
So maybe I don't really recall it.
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I think the main reason is that there's a ton of variation on what's called "gay". I mean, would you call a male-to-female transexual that dates only men "gay"? How about if she only dates women? Plus, hardly anybody doesn't rate at all on the Kinsey scale. If a dude got a blowjob from another dude years ago, and enjoyed it, but never had a repeat performance, is he gay?
Gender and Preference are non-binary factors that don't lend themselves to a census very well. It's better to just let people think that anyone could be gay.
Because anyone, you know, could be.
Also, humans aren't too much better than gully dwarves in the numbers thing. Gully dwarves only have three numbers: 1, for the self, 2, for a partner, and 3, for any number greater than 2. 25%, for humans is, "not that many, like a fourth? Most people are straight, right?"
While I'm sure that there are other extenuating factors, but if I'm not mistaken, Trans populations are usually even smaller than a given LGB population (often by a very significant amount?) so surely those exceptions aren't likely to vastly shift the ratios?
Of course, this makes an awful lot of assumptions and recognizes many unknowns, but it's the best we can go on for now.
Fake edit: the numbers here seem to indicate a roughly 6-15% incidence of homosexuality in a given population, so ~10%'ish seems at least more accurate (to the best of our knowledge) than 25%.
The comic isn't terrible, but right now it's mired in heavy-handed soapboxing.
I'd already been contemplating removing Ratfist from my bookmarks, but kooky libertarianism creeping in the comic didn't seem like reason enough. Refuse to support a bigot? Oh yeah.
I've always thought the point of such arguments is to influence any fence-sitters who might be reading, not to convince your opponent. Even if you do convince your opponent they'll rarely admit defeat (even to themselves), but sometimes, months or years later, you may find that they've reversed their position. Admittedly I've only seen that happen once in my life, and I've been debating gay rights and environmental issues on the internet since the days of ASCII-based BBSes. But I cherish that memory.
It also shows rural people that gayness isn't just some urban "thing", like Starbucks.
21st, you're doing a good thing with those comments. It erodes bigots' notions that they can take for granted that "everyone" they come in contact with supports their bigoted position and sways fence-sitters. The idea that because the author's anti-gay ideas are rooted in religion are unchangeable is sort of odd. Divorce used to be an incredibly shameful, shocking thing. It was possibly okay if your husband was beating you, but other than that . . . shocking! Horrible! Gonna cause the demise of the nuclear family!
These days most people, including religious people, including Catholics, do not give a shit about divorce. It's common, it's accepted, and I frankly I don't care how religious people reconcile it with this or that religious verse, I just care that it's so acceptable no one even thinks it's "odd" anymore.
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When one side of the fence is bigotry and 2nd class status...Yes, Yes, and Yes.
Though of course, I would like them more if they began supporting gay rights.
The question is, how does one get the majority of people--who are straight--to care about the gay minority? Pointing out that gays are people deserving of civil rights is true, but I don't know if the message always gets through, especially to older people or rural people who think they don't know any gays.
I have a feeling, though, that if more people knew about that stuff, we'd hopefully be able to clamp down on it fairly quickly.
Hah, that's pretty optimistic. but like the reddit story concluded, that sort of thing doesn't just survive, it thrives thanks to the victim-blaming societal pressures, thanks to the idea that "tough love" and "tough hate" can help make people into well-rounded Productive members of society.
Those WWASP facilities have often been described as "For-Profit private prisons for children" and really, that's one direction you should look toward. This kind of stuff is accepted because of how American Culture views Justice.
Add in stuff like how socially, children aren't people for Americans (I believe America never ratified the UN Rights of the Child declaration)
These facilities thrive, not because they're hidden, but because people don't want to care about them. Because no one will believe the lies of a child. Because some people just act like victims and deserve the abuse they get. Because in a just world, bad things only happen to bad people, therefore if someone gets raped, they probably had a hand in that.
Even if everyone was told about Cross Creek, most wouldn't do or say anything against it. They'd either think the reports are exaggerating, that the people in it deserve to be there and shut up, if it was bad, they wouldn't make so much money.
Check out my site, the Bismuth Heart | My Twitter