"When we find ourselves believing that killing a man makes us more of a man, but loving a man makes us less of a man, it’s probably time to reexamine our criteria for manhood."
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Cool Video Time
So this video has been on some of the feminist blogs that I read daily. It is Jay Smooth talking about homophobia in hip-hop, and manhood more generally. I really think you should watch it. It is short and awesome.
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6 comments:
Well, if homophobia is innate, as you argue, Goose, then there must be something unnatural about me. I never felt uncomfortable around homo/bisexuals, even when I wasn't political or an activist.
I am actually of the exact opposite opinion. I believe that homophobia is something that we (as people) are conditioned for by our family, our friends, our society.
Homophobia is not really a condition or an illness. It is a set of views and values and those are not the kind of thing you are born with - you develop them through life experiences. So if you are, from an early age, surrounded by people who have negatives feelings toward homosexuals, you will likely develop homophobia.
And as this video illustrates, it may be hard to escape from homophobic tendencies especially when popular culture (hip-hop included) contains so much of it, and is feeding those messages to people.
That does not make homophobia right, though. But it may help explain it, and from there it can be fought.
Goose, that's silly. I was completely homophobic for most of my life until I suddenly woke up one day and decided to quit the denial act, it was not healthy.
If you say homophobic is biological, and I am naturally bisexual, then self-hatred is natural. Which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, because there cannot be a biological response that is self-destructive.
There are some biological responses that are ultimately self destructive, (like hording fat in case of famine!)but perhaps they did not start out that way, they started as protection...
but this is not the case here, even though many say it is the same kind of thing...and I also think there is little research to back Goose's claim.
That's why such people never cite any, just give a baseless opinion that supports a biased and often predetermined agenda because it fits with a certain view of the world that is often theocentric.
Are children naturally uncomfortable, even if nobody mentions sexuality or presents opinions either way? Or are children TAUGHT to be uncomfortable or that being gay is odd, abnormal, crazy, sick...and they develop that response from conditioning? I think discomfort is learned. Did nature intend us to be dressed? Yet many are uncomfortable with nudity. That shame is learned. Same with most shame.
To many people, their love and attraction is as real as the noses on their faces. Just because a person cannot, themselves, imagine it- does not mean it isn't real or outside the possibilities of nature.
Ok Lynn and Jen, lets see if this addresses your comments a bit better. Humans are the only creature on earth to practice homosexuality. Well besides lower order creatures which are asexual, but that is beside the point. Now the idea that humans are special comes from the Judeo-Christian tradition, so if we dispense with that argument, what is there to separate humans from animals? Not much. Therefore, human behavior instinct and animal instinct should be one-and-the-same, and therefore homosexuality is unnatural. If you take the view that God created all individuals, you should also take the view that the Bible is God's word, and the Bible plainly states homosexuality is wrong. There is no room left for interpretation of that verse. Therefore, homosexuality is either 1)unnatural or 2) wrong.
It could also be argued that the very concept of romantic love is unnatural. Animals simply try to attract the best possible mate to ensure genetic survival, no matter how they do it. Until approximately the 1850's Western human society did not marry for romantic love, but rather the economic and political benefits that would follow. This is still going on in other societies, and often (although it does not have to) ends up objectifying women.
Humans are the only creature on earth to practice homosexuality.
Look up the Bonobo monkey. Our closest living genetic relative is unabashedly bisexual and matriarchal. Not only does it look like homosexuality is perfectly natural, patriarchy may not be.
"Look up the Bonobo monkey. Our closest living genetic relative is unabashedly bisexual and matriarchal. Not only does it look like homosexuality is perfectly natural, patriarchy may not be."
They also throw their poo around in a festive manner and eat their own puke.
I don't know if I really made a point, I'd just thought i would interject a little humor there.
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