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The word homophobia has been used in threads here on City Data to belittle people with questions and opinions about homosexuals and their behavior or motives on this message board when the opinion does not agree with their own about social and political issues regarding homosexuality.
I have noticed that whenever someone with an opinion different from those who support people who define themselves as homosexual make a statement which some believe is critical of homosexuality they are instantly labeled as HOMOPHOBIC.
Our American society attempts to practice the broad acceptance of people no matter what their cultural, social (including sexual identity), ethnic, religious or political position, etc. is in opposition of their own personal beliefs.
We elevate this concept to the highest level of altruistic expression by way of law to benefit society, which is (from time to time) not widely accepted by the majority of people in our country.
Will questioning cultural mores, to be accommodating of social minorities be the detriment of American society?
Are we as Americans with our own unique social and cultural identity denying and sacrificing our innate need to analyze, delineate, and determine what we stand for as a cohesive society destroy our culture for the benefit of being politically correct?
I believe there is such a thing as homophobia, it is the hatred or prejudice against L/G/B/T people based on an irrational fear of homo- or bisexuality. The actual word was not coined by any gay person but by doctors in fields of psychology and psychiatry (look up Dr. George Weinberg, author of "Society And The Healthy Homosexual")
To me, the whole thing boils down to respect. If there is a law abiding segment of the citizenry ... such as Italian-Americans (ethnic persuasion) or Jews (religious views) or Libertarians (political ideology) or Gays (sexual orientation) and others ... these people should not be treated as second class citizens. It's a matter of respect.
I am against hatred and prejudice. I see people trying to mask their contempt for their neighbors by stating it's their religious beliefs. Hindus are vegetarians but they don't try to enforce vegetarianism on everyone else; likewise observant Jews won't eat pork but they don't try to put the pork industry out of business.
Why not step out of the darkness of hatred and bigotry and into the sunshine of tolerance and appreciation for your neighbors and relatives who might be different than you?
Labeling anyone phobic of anything is very useful in the court of public opinion in this day and age. Actually is has been useful since the dawn of time in human interactions. There are people who hate others that engage in homosexual behavior and wish to do them harm. That is life and always will be.
There are also those people such as myself who believe homosexual proclivity is chosen and an aberrant behavior that is allowed to exist because we no longer live by natures laws. I have no malice towards these people, I just chose to believe their sexual appetites are naturally abnormal along with several other types of sexual behavior. Hey live and let live. Some of my best friends are gay. LOL
...there is such a thing as homophobia, it is the hatred or prejudice against L/G/B/T people based on an irrational fear of homo- or bisexuality. The actual word was not coined by any gay person but by doctors in fields of psychology and psychiatry (look up Dr. George Weinberg, author of "Society And The Healthy Homosexual")....
The same criteria that homosexuals use to call heterosexuals homophobic, is used by homosexuals against heterosexuals and can be defined as heterophobic.
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To me, the whole thing boils down to respect. If there is a law abiding segment of the citizenry ... such as Italian-Americans (ethnic persuasion) or Jews (religious views) or Libertarians (political ideology) or Gays (sexual orientation) and others ... these people should not be treated as second class citizens. It's a matter of respect.
In my opinion the first problem is that we see each other as distinct law abiding segments of races, religions, or sexual orientations and people continue to separate from each other. Respect should be automatic and not based on some hierarchy of social minorities.
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Hindus are vegetarians but they don't try to enforce vegetarianism on everyone else; likewise observant Jews won't eat pork but they don't try to put the pork industry out of business.
Do you think the reason why they don't assert their beliefs on others is because of religion, or because of culture?
There are also those people such as myself who believe homosexual proclivity is chosen and an aberrant behavior that is allowed to exist because we no longer live by natures laws. I have no malice towards these people, I just chose to believe their sexual appetites are naturally abnormal along with several other types of sexual behavior. Hey live and let live. Some of my best friends are gay. LOL
I think you are very wrong. "Chosen behavior" ???? You're argument has been refuted 100s of times in 100s of studies and research for the last 80 years.
You are entitled to your "beliefs." Still I need to voice my vehement disagreement with those views, which I consider total rubbish.
Gay people have existed in every age, since before the dawn of history, and in every country and every society. It has been documented in many other species of animals. Being gay has not hindered anyone from excelling in music, the arts, business, athletics, or science. If it is "aberrant" then so is being left-handed or having blue eyes.
I think you are very wrong. "Chosen behavior" ???? You're argument has been refuted 100s of times in 100s of studies and research for the last 80 years.
You are entitled to your "beliefs." Still I need to voice my vehement disagreement with those views, which I consider total rubbish.
Gay people have existed in every age, since before the dawn of history, and in every country and every society. It has been documented in many other species of animals. Being gay has not hindered anyone from excelling in music, the arts, business, athletics, or science. If it is "aberrant" then so is being left-handed or having blue eyes.
I definitely think you're right. Political correctness is kind of like the Soviets - racism and other social prejudices are replaced by being prejudice towards those who are supposedly more prejudice than yourself.
The word homophobia has been used in threads here on City Data to belittle people with questions and opinions about homosexuals and their behavior or motives on this message board when the opinion does not agree with their own about social and political issues regarding homosexuality.
I have noticed that whenever someone with an opinion different from those who support people who define themselves as homosexual make a statement which some believe is critical of homosexuality they are instantly labeled as HOMOPHOBIC.
Our American society attempts to practice the broad acceptance of people no matter what their cultural, social (including sexual identity), ethnic, religious or political position, etc. is in opposition of their own personal beliefs.
We elevate this concept to the highest level of altruistic expression by way of law to benefit society, which is (from time to time) not widely accepted by the majority of people in our country.
Will questioning cultural mores, to be accommodating of social minorities be the detriment of American society?
Are we as Americans with our own unique social and cultural identity denying and sacrificing our innate need to analyze, delineate, and determine what we stand for as a cohesive society destroy our culture for the benefit of being politically correct?
I think the words were created as a way to describe an attitude by others. But now, these words are used as weapons to vilify those who do not approve; A sort of disapproval of the disapprover.
Isolating someone for any trait or quality by giving them a title does exactly that, "isolates them".
It’s the groups that strive to be different and insist to be called some sort of “name” that leave me befuddled. Because it’s these groups that are screaming for equality! WTH??
Make up my mind!!!!
Oh yeah, if you say anything against gays you must be scared of them.. maybe it's because you're gay yourself!! What a tired old argument.
You're welcome to "deny and sacrifice your innate need to analyze, delineate, and determine" but I'll pass, thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LuckyGem
The word homophobia has been used in threads here on City Data to belittle people with questions and opinions about homosexuals and their behavior or motives on this message board when the opinion does not agree with their own about social and political issues regarding homosexuality.
I have noticed that whenever someone with an opinion different from those who support people who define themselves as homosexual make a statement which some believe is critical of homosexuality they are instantly labeled as HOMOPHOBIC.
Our American society attempts to practice the broad acceptance of people no matter what their cultural, social (including sexual identity), ethnic, religious or political position, etc. is in opposition of their own personal beliefs.
We elevate this concept to the highest level of altruistic expression by way of law to benefit society, which is (from time to time) not widely accepted by the majority of people in our country.
Will questioning cultural mores, to be accommodating of social minorities be the detriment of American society?
Are we as Americans with our own unique social and cultural identity denying and sacrificing our innate need to analyze, delineate, and determine what we stand for as a cohesive society destroy our culture for the benefit of being politically correct?
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 12-30-2010 at 06:45 AM..
Reason: Deleted offensive comment
Nobody is quite sure, but there seem to be a certain set of genes than can interact to produce homosexuality. Or, also it is theorized, and a distinct possibility, that hormonal changes during pregnancy can cause a different release of hormones at critical stages in fetal development ('extra' testostrone or estrogen, say) which can make homosexuality more likely. In any case, there is plenty of evidence that sexual drive is biological (and can runsin families), they just aren't quite sure exactly how.
Whatever the cause, no scientist worth his/her salt believes a person can "choose" whom he/she is attracted to. Could YOU wake up tomorrow and "decide" that you find your own sex attractive while feeling uninterested in the opposite sex? How can anyone claim that such a strong drive as sexual/affectational attraction can be "switched on and off" at whim??
Never mind how ludicrous it is to suggest that that people would choose a condition that puts them at a disadvantage in society, with a much smaller "dating pool", likely to face rejection and discrimination, with less or in some cases no support from peers. Most folks in this world, almost everyone, makes choices that make their life EASIER. Heterosexuals have it easier than homosexuals in virtually every way; why would someone give up heterosexual privelege just to be part of an often despised minority by choice?
It is what it is, but since we are talking about human beings who aren't harming anyone--certainly not you--I can't fathom why it concerns you so much or that you won't take someone's (millions of someones) own word for it when they say they didn't choose it. Don't you think they know themselves better than you do?
BACK TO THE ORIGINAL TOPIC:
It is unfortunate that the word in the English language to describe prejudice against homosexual people is not only etymologically incorrect, but has the nagging suffix "phobia" in it, because of course homophobia is NOT strictly a "phobia" in terms of "fear of ___", like hydrophobia or cynophobia. It is an "-ism" along the lines of Racism, Sexism, Anti-Semitism, etc. The believe that someone is "lesser" by virtue of his or her sexual orientation. It doesn't have to mean you HATE them or FEAR them, but that you think of them as "less then", just as a racist person thinks of someone as "less than" based on race, or an Anti-Semite thinks of Jews as "less then".
Calling someone "homophobic" would be more accurately described with the term "heterosexist" (i.e. the belief that heterosexuals are "better than" non-heterosexuals, just as sexist men believe males superior to women). Yes, some homophobes DO hate homosexuals and many certainly seem to FEAR them, based on recent testimony on Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (EEEK! I'm a big bad soldier not afraid to face gunfire, but I'm scared my barracks-mate might be attracted to me! EEk!!")
There are probably "heterophobic" or "homosexist" people, but they are very rare, and likely this feeling comes as a reaction to being "pushed down" by homophobes their own lives, just as some women are "sexist" toward men, usually by being mistreated by men over and over. Or racial minorities who are "racist" towards White people. In all cases, people are being judged on one factor of their makeup, whether it's gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation, and in all of these cases, it is a wrong way to judge someone.
Yes, some gay people fit the stereotypes. Some women fit the sexist stereotypes and some racial minorities fit the racist stereotypes, but thankfully, in this day and age, we know that you can't judge one person on the behavior of another just because they share the same skin color or gender or religion or sexual orientation (or state of origin, or profession, or last name, etc). We certainly wouldn't want anyone to base all regulars of City-Data based on the behavior of a few!! Yet somehow, many in our society do continue to cling to beliefs that "people of demographic X" are less than I am, out of insecuirty. They seem to elevate themselves by putting down others.
Last edited by Francois; 12-21-2010 at 03:51 PM..
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Just my opinion
