Stream Of Thoughts, Allow me to re-introduce myself
When I started writing this blog, I had big ambitions, and high hopes. I started this blog because organically I was writing at a pace so rampant that I felt like I was making big strides of growth in my work and I feel like I had to share this with the world. So why not create a method where I could distribute my own writing at my own pace, to whoever I felt worthy of reading it? Advertise it myself, and branch out to as many people as possible. So I create the blog, and I applaud you all who took the time out of your days and appreciated the content, I really spilled my heart on the page in those pieces...however I kept holding back feeling that I'd over saturate my readers and overwhelm them if I posted too much material too quickly. So as the days went to weeks, the ripple of feedback started to weaken and at first I was discouraged, I figured you know, maybe people aren't as interested as I thought...the only determinant I have is comments left. The more comments people leave, the more effective I felt my work connected, however in my time off from posting (I never stopped writing, never will) I realized there are external factors in the process, and my job as a writer, someone who writes because he loves it, is to keep producing, so I will make it my personal duty to post a new post at least once a day...I'm The Ant From Aesop...so if I hear sounds of the cricket in response to my outings, I'll understand it's not me.
I'm Back...
Welcome To My World
Everyday we, the general public, are subjected to the same useless newspaper stories, with the main objectives of moving units, and selling subscriptions. Irrelevant articles based on gang violence and celebrity drug addictions plague today's mainstream media. I think back to the times where the craft was used as a vice of expression, and I realize that the art of the personal essay has grown decrepit. I look back at the past great authors, and as I recall them...amongst my favorites are Hughes and Baldwin; true artists. Both resemble the kind of artist I'd like to be. Not just a writer, but an artist. The mind of Picasso, and the vision of a sniper...much more than just a writer...
Gregory Calvaire-The Ant From Aesop
"No Homo"
Similar to the oppression minorities and women were once displaced with homosexuals find themselves fighting for equality in the 21st century, a time where we’d hope we wouldn’t be facing so many prejudices. Similar to how women overcame and still are challenged with sexism, how minorities endured racism, homosexuals are in an upwind battle with homophobia that may be the most difficult obstacle to overcome that any group persecuted against has ever seen.
In a society broadened with so much diversity, where writers such as Walt Whitman are idolized, its surprising that homosexuality raises so many red flags. Especially in a country that bounds its principles on freedom: the land of the free; when you’re straight.
A ride on the e-train could show you how frowned upon being gay is. Your riding down to Penn station and you see two high school kids flipping through a magazine further down the cart. One of the kids points at an add advertising the I-phone for two hundred dollars cheaper then its original tag price and remarks: “that’s sooo gay man…I brought mine for $600!”
That’s the homophobia that northeasters are accustomed to, but places down south, gay teens face similar dilemmas as the Jena 6. In the past twenty or so years, that’s what gay has become, pretty much a joke. But there are always some people not willing to let it go.
Elderly people living in retirement homes are subjected to isolation and verbal bashings on a regular basis. Old people are lonely enough when they make it to a retirement home, but then they get to an environment that’s supposed to be more social than sitting in their children’s basements all day only to be confined to solitary for the way their hormones react by fellow baby boomers.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating we all dress up in purple and go to the gay pride parade but at the same time like they say “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
The same way women are born with breasts, minorities are born with darker pigments in their skin; gay people are born with different hormones. And does that make them bad guys? It’s hard for me to imagine someone telling themselves “hey, gay people are harassed on a daily basis, and are at a huge handicap…maybe I should be gay.”
Who would chose to be part of such a hated culture. If you hop in a time machine and go to a cotton field and ask some of the slaves working diligently if they would change their skin color if they could, I’m certain you’d get a unanimous poll.
Homophobia should be just as punishable as racism and sexism is. It’s hypocritical for any activist to frown on homosexuality as they promote political and social change.
I believe in God; however I know its wrong for me to punish atheists for not having the same beliefs, the same way its wrong for heterosexuals to punish homosexuals for practicing their beliefs.
Those of us committing hate crimes specifically stemming from homophobia need to understand, sexuality is like an Almond Joy candy bar: some people feel like a nut, some people don’t.
3 comments:
I'm impressed! and excellent analogies. It is such a great way to rationalize arguments that may not always be true. But in this case, it is obviously put to good use.
People need to learn tolerance for others that are different. You don't necessarily have to show respect, or even respect them, but don't go around blatantly attacking a group of people only because they have slightly different views.
However, one important point that you overlooked is that most people that use the terms "homo" "gay" and "fag" actually mean to say "stupid" - i know my friends do. They simply don't realize that those words mean something more and some others may find it offensive even if that is not the original intention.
Anyway, I don't think all gay people are born gay because research shows that a variety of factors play a role in the development of sexual preference. But some people may in fact have been born gay as one group of researchers found "gay gene" (Xq28): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8332896?dopt=Abstract Then the results of this study were disputed 6 years later in another study but some people, including the original authors, continue to support the theory of the homosexuality gene. Too bad a lot of people will simply dismiss this as "bullshit".
Sorry I'm writing my own essay here lol but one last point. History shows that humans as a whole have a hard time learning from our mistakes. This apparently remains true in this situation since we are persecuting a (weaker) minority once again. As a result, they will have to go through similar hardship before they get equal rights. It's very unfortunate.
And a question for you since I don't know any gays personally but i thought you might. Do they actually consider themselves part of a "hated culture"? wouldn't it be in their interest to be considered the same as the rest of us (rather than separating themselves) so they get the same rights?
To be honest with you...I don't have any gay friends myself...the topic probably seems random, but this was an editorial I had to write for my college newspaper that I never submitted because I went in another direction with my story. You made a lot of valid points however...to include all of that within 500 words, is no easy task. I'm glad you enjoyed the piece
Post a Comment