Fags
Saw Alexander with my very fine buddy Scott over the Thanksgiving weekend and, I have to say, I think this film may take home the prize for 2004's Biggest Disappointment. Not quite as bad as Bridget Jones 2, but I had high expectations for this film, despite the scathing pre-reviews. Ach.
So Scott and I sit down in the theater... in the seats right next to each other, I might add. It reminded me of a pet peeve of mine:
...which got me thinking about the word 'Homophobic'.
It's a word that's always kind of stuck in my craw. What is "homophobia"? A literal fear of gays and lesbians? A fear of what homosexuals represent? A fear of the influence of gay society on contemporary culture? A fear of being perceived as gay yourself? In this day and age... particularly in my neck of the woods... we're very quick to throw that label on people. I've never been comfortable with it.
Maybe it comes from having a rather intensely conservative upbringing, but I think it's a little unfair to automatically label those who have problems with what they see as immoral behaivior... as "homophobes". Gay is a very big, very old idea. Is it possible that people that resist it aren't necessarily doing so out of fear? There's a dash of schoolyard bully mixed into the spirit of the Homophobe label: "You don't like gays, huh? What're you, chicken?"
That's not to say that homophobia doesn't exist, I just think there should be a distinction between those that are afraid of Gay Germies as opposed to those that don't approve of a homosexual lifestyle. True homophobia is, let's face it, as ridiculous as racism. I guess that's going way out of the way to state the painfully obvious, but if we truly believe that the color of someone's skin has nothing to do with their intelligence, their ability to perform a job well, their likelihood of truly loving life and those around them... their hygiene for pete's sake... why should we think that who they happen to have sex with would make a difference in these specific areas?
"But what about morality?"
Honestly, everybody's got a wealth of "evidence" backing up their own thoughts on the Nature vs. Nurture aspect of homosexuality, so it's a fruitless argument. There is no "obviously". Choose to believe whatever you want - somebody out there'll back you up.
Anyhow, I think it's time to cut this nauseating diatribe short and to give a quick shout-out to Phil and Carlos (who are, without a doubt, the very best neighbors Carey and I have ever had).
...
Belated birthday wishes to Lauren K. Martin, my sister. 26! Hooray!
So Scott and I sit down in the theater... in the seats right next to each other, I might add. It reminded me of a pet peeve of mine:
"You know what I really hate? I don't know why, but I really find it annoying when two guys go to see a movie together and they insist on sitting with a seat in between them."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for one thing it's especially frustrating in a crowded theater when people are trying to find seats together, but even beyond that... what's the point? Are they trying to prove to the world that they're not gay? Women don't seem to have a problem with this. You never see two women taking up three seats. For that matter, I don't think I've ever seen any straight woman worried that she's being perceived as a lesbian."
"Yeah, it goes to show how fucking homophobic we are in this country."
...which got me thinking about the word 'Homophobic'.
It's a word that's always kind of stuck in my craw. What is "homophobia"? A literal fear of gays and lesbians? A fear of what homosexuals represent? A fear of the influence of gay society on contemporary culture? A fear of being perceived as gay yourself? In this day and age... particularly in my neck of the woods... we're very quick to throw that label on people. I've never been comfortable with it.
Maybe it comes from having a rather intensely conservative upbringing, but I think it's a little unfair to automatically label those who have problems with what they see as immoral behaivior... as "homophobes". Gay is a very big, very old idea. Is it possible that people that resist it aren't necessarily doing so out of fear? There's a dash of schoolyard bully mixed into the spirit of the Homophobe label: "You don't like gays, huh? What're you, chicken?"
That's not to say that homophobia doesn't exist, I just think there should be a distinction between those that are afraid of Gay Germies as opposed to those that don't approve of a homosexual lifestyle. True homophobia is, let's face it, as ridiculous as racism. I guess that's going way out of the way to state the painfully obvious, but if we truly believe that the color of someone's skin has nothing to do with their intelligence, their ability to perform a job well, their likelihood of truly loving life and those around them... their hygiene for pete's sake... why should we think that who they happen to have sex with would make a difference in these specific areas?
"But what about morality?"
Honestly, everybody's got a wealth of "evidence" backing up their own thoughts on the Nature vs. Nurture aspect of homosexuality, so it's a fruitless argument. There is no "obviously". Choose to believe whatever you want - somebody out there'll back you up.
Anyhow, I think it's time to cut this nauseating diatribe short and to give a quick shout-out to Phil and Carlos (who are, without a doubt, the very best neighbors Carey and I have ever had).
...
Belated birthday wishes to Lauren K. Martin, my sister. 26! Hooray!
posted by Jeremy Bear at
3:50 PM
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