Venting

[teyla]

Okay, internet. ENOUGH with the heterosexual privilege fail.

Ever since this post went up at doctorwho, it reminded me to actually pay attention to how much heterosexuality is accepted as the only valid norm in all parts of western society, and good lord. It's making me tired.

Sure, you can be gay, as long as you act according to the norm. Nobody really cares about what you do in your bedroom, but don't you dare disrupt people's views of what men should be and how they should act, of what women should be and how they should present themselves. And this isn't even limited to people with a heterosexual orientation. Enough queer people are of the opinion that hey, as long as you don't get beat up on street corners for being with a same-sex partner, it's absolutely fair that you keep your head down and adapt to the heterosexual norm. Because anything else would create conflict, and gosh, we can't have conflict.

Yes, there are mistakes being made on both sides. That's because queer people as well as straight people are people, and people make mistakes. But to reach true equality, the queer community has to become a visible part of all aspects of society, and that won't happen if the they keep to themselves and adapt to the norm in order to avoid conflict.

And sexism isn't a thing of the past, either. Look at the representation of women in Hollywood movies; there's sexism for you, no matter if this is the 21st century or not. And no, don't shrug and say, well, they're Hollywood movies. They're the side of the media that's shaping the images that our society draws its norms and standards from, which means that if you want the images to change, the media needs to change first. And it won't do that unless the minorities keep pointing out that yes, they actually would like to be represented equally and fairly.


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Comments

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree completely. So many people use religion to justify their own prejudices, as well (like with homosexuality). I think basically what the Bible comes down to is: treat other people the way you want them to treat you, i.e. with respect, and have respect for weaker beings than yourself like animals.

But again - I'm probably too basic/simple.

I always instantly rebel when people tell me I should do stuff "just because". It gives me a reason to NOT want to do that.

[teyla]

Yeah. Religion is very difficult to talk about, and it's difficult to realize what its purpose really is, because it's customary to train people in their childhood already to accept religious truths as dogmatic. Questioning childhood dogmas requires a level of independent thought that some people are never given the opportunity to reach.

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

It's a shame though that some of the most worthwhile topics are often so hard to discuss because people freak out when someone doesn't share theire views/beliefs.

I like how you word this: a level of independent thought that some people are never given the opportunity to reach, because that's a good reminder that some people indeed just never have the chance to develop their full potentials. It's even sadder when people do get that chance, but prefer to keep their heads in their asses so they don't have to think. Some of the people I met in Uni were so stupid they made my eyes bleed, and still they managed to get their degree, even without ever having had one original thought in their lives.

[teyla]

It's even sadder when people do get that chance, but prefer to keep their heads in their asses so they don't have to think.
God, yes. I don't like ignorance in people, but I hate chosen ignorance. I think it's one of the most despicable things a person can do--choosing to remain ignorant about something because knowing too much about it will make their life more difficult.

When I meet an ignorant person, I try my best to treat them fairly and, if a more difficult subject comes up, I'll try to calmly explain to them why I think they're wrong about what they're saying. If I meet a person who has chosen to be ignorant, well, I usually lose my patience immediately. There's no excuse for being deliberately ignorant.

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

There's no excuse for being deliberately ignorant OMG I couldn't agree more. I have no patience with people who indeed choose to be ignorant, either. I think it's morally wrong to chose to be ignorant about stuff.