blue
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This case is no less disturbing now than it was then.
* It's not nice and not merely a prank to video and distribute a roommate's private sex life or date. Not if it's someone of the same sex and not if it's the opposite sex. You've just invaded his privacy and humiliated him and his date / boyfriend / girlfriend. This will *not* be something he laughs about with you this week or next semester or twenty years from now. It's a bad idea. A water balloon is a prank. Film of him making out or doing the horizontal (or vertical) mambo isn't a prank. This is your roommate, right? Think!
* If this is because your roommate is gay/bi or you *think* he might be, are you going to feel better about it if you have proof he is? Is he going to trust you when he finds out you're spying on him and you don't like his sexual orientation or habits? No, your roommate is not going to be happy with you. Why are you so eager to prove it, if you're not going to like it?
* If your roommate has emotional or behavioral problems and you know this, and you know he might be at risk, then pulling some mean prank or bullying him, or certainly doing something as underhanded as the video and broadcasting it, is *of course* going to put him at risk of serious increased emotional, behavioral trouble. Whether he withdraws or acts out or tries to harm himself or you, or some other extreme reaction, you've made it unnecessarily worse by pushing him like that. Why do that to someone you know has a rough time? Why be cruel?
The guy who did this may not have directly caused the roommate's suicide, but his actions were a major contributing factor.
One of my high school classmates did commit suicide after he was caught doing something on campus. He felt so ashamed that apparently he couldn't continue. It was likely not gay, but it did become public knowledge what he'd done. He got in trouble at school and at home. -- And no one will ever know what he would have been like at 18 or beyond. That is the greatest part of the loss. What he did and the shame of getting caught were not worth him dying for it. (And he shouldn't have done that on campus. But surely some nice girl or guy would've liked to be with him...it's just sad, such a needless loss. He was a nice guy, too.)
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It isn't just rural folks.
Amount of education doesn't matter either.
But -- Why waste time with the ultra-negative people? There's enough without looking for it or giving it more views. -- Yes, we need to be aware, and wary. It's just very sad there are people who hate -- and fear -- so much.
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Still a great song.
White shirt and tie? Kids these days, always dressing wild!
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Chalkboard? I haven't seen a chalkboard since my first inglorious run through college. Whiteboards and markers.
I've always seen "copy this down" as well as, "take these handouts." Heck, as a student assistant, I sorted and stapled a lot of handouts.
But to the point of the thread: This topic really bothered me when it first came up. I'm not naive enough to be shocked that it could or did happen, or that the school authorities tried to blame individual staff rather than take responsibility for decisions made at the top. What bothered me was that it had happened, and kids (whatever age) had had their private lives at home, in their own rooms, spied upon. It didn't matter if the kid was doing his/her homework, hanging out doing ordinary stuff alone or with friends...or changing clothes or perhaps engaging in something intimate alone or with someone. What was going on didn't matter. What mattered was the kids had been granted a privilege (having a laptop) and then spied upon for doing so, without knowledge or consent or thought about it, and their right to privacy and freedom from assumptions of wrongdoing had been violated. Heck, if they knew about it, they could've at least covered the lens and mic. But instead...yikes.
I remember how much time as a teen I spent in my room doing homework or other work, versus relaxing, versus anything involving less clothing. (And before you get excited, it's Texas, even conservative boys have to deal with hot weather. OK, yeah, there was also a non-negligible fraction of time on, uh, oh, you figure it out.) And I was one of those conservative boys, but still! -- I would've been embarrassed if a friend had seen me, (one did) let alone someone without permission. And no, I wouldn't have sent pictures of myself. Uh, that friend could've kept looking, though.... (Huh, what were we talking about again? :grin: )
Colin's comments, right on the nose.
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BBB careful - phishing scam
2012-05-19
Be careful out there, gang. My spam folder just received a phony phishing spam claiming to be from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) at abuse (at) bbb (dot) org dated...with tomorrow's(!) date...and urging me to download and fill out the attached form, because someone had filed a complaint against my business. Uh-huh. Except -- that email address is not a business email address and it is not yet tomorrow. ;) Unless the BBB now has time-traveling blue police boxes or carriages with spinning wheels attached, well, -- NO. -- Do not click or open the attachment. Don't download it. Email bad! Bad email!
Checking Google, it appears this is the third (or more) time a phishing / spamming source has tried to co-opt bbb.org's name to phish for data.
Don't do it. Nope. Nuh-unh.
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I should know that slang term, but I'll need to look it up. Um, would you believe I have a small dictionary of, ah, less than polite French? ;) -- I have the feeling I get the idea, even without the translation. (Although the journey from "moo" to there might be...agriculturally unlikely? ;D
Salut, Paul. Essaies-toi, si tu veux et si tu jouerais, ou si tu essaierais en voix qq rôle.
My French is reasonably fluent, but rustly without much practice lately.
Since a few ppl around here do play or write music, and since HF is friendly to LGBT and straight folks, I thought it might be worth a shot to mention it.
...Well, that translation for "vache" varies, but yeah, I got the idea...
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Hi Folks,
Star Trek: Equinox, a fan audio drama at HiddenFrontier.com due this summer, is looking for a composer for original music for the show. The composer they had lined up had to bow out due to a paying gig, regrettably for both.
If you have experience doing original music, or want to try, why not open hailing frequencies or give them a Wave or comm-link?
The folks to contact would be:
Rob Caves, Exec. Producer, Hidden Frontier Productions
Camren T. Burton, Writer, Co-Exec. Producer, Star Trek: Equinox
http://www.hiddenfrontier.com/
http://forums.hiddenfrontier.com/index.php?showforum=53
Note: I'm putting the word out, but I'm not staff. I've done voice work for upcoming Equinox and other audio dramas at HF and elsewhere.
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My "gaydar" has never worked that well. Most of the time, I presume "he's straight," but I have no evidence of that one way or the other. Only rarely do I get the vibe, "he's gay," and unless it's pretty dang obvious, I still don't know for sure. Yes, this makes it hard for a guy like me to decide if, or how, to get to know a guy and see if he is or not. This is as true if I've just met someone or if I've known them a while.
Two or three times when I've thought, "maybe he is," well...apparently, not so much, or not that he was admitting. (And dang it, they were nice!)
Yes, I'd really like it if I could tell more accurately.
IMHO, you really have to get to know someone and find out if you can talk to him (or her) before knowing if he or she is gay. But that is just me. Again, yeah, I'd like it if my "gaydar" worked better. So I'm doubtful about gaydar, at least for some of us.
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Ayrault in French would be pronounced the same as héros "hero" or... Éros, the Greek god of love. They're all pronounced, "ay-roh," "é-rô." The Éros connection might possibly be related to the origin of the Arabic slang term, I don't know, since Arabic is not related to Greek at all.
It is probably news to Monsieur Ayrault, whose family name would not cause anyone French to think his name sounded like a word for penis.
I can sympathize. Since my name's Ben, I heard the "How long have you...Ben Gay?" joke many times.
At least it wasn't Dick Long, Short, Shaft, or Dick Hardwin. Richard is a fine name, but the nickname needs to be Rick(y). Willy... also could be problematic in certain, uh, circles.... -- By the way, "Hardwin" just means, "hardy friend, brave friend." Fine name.
Akbar Zeb, huh? I'm guessing boys named Zebulon and so forth would have some trouble in that part of the world.
Yes, I'm having far more fun with this than I probably should. Ah well.
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I never came out to my parents. It's possible my mom may have tried to reach me a couple of times, but I was convinced they wouldn't understand or accept it. After they'd both passed away, I agonized for a long while about that. Would they have understood? Could I have told them? But recently, I've come to realize, I don't think they really would have. Last month, I woke from a dream and, unrelated to anything, remembered a couple of events from around elementary age or earlier, I had all but forgotten. It made me realize just how much my mother, at least, had controlled and stunted my social growth, thinking she was protecting me and doing the right thing. No, nothing sexually related, but it kept me from being with other kids, and contributed to the one time we really had much of a fight, when I was a young teen. My dad did similarly, again thinking he was doing right and protecting me, and again having the effect of keeping me from natural interaction with other kids, socialization. It is no wonder I have trouble keeping friends and have hermit tendencies. It seems I was taught to withdraw or be removed from others often. Add to that a sensitive boy who would retreat into himself in his room, rather than show how unhappy he was to be teased so much at school, eyesight, sports, brainy, or hmm, calling me gay/queer, and...yeah. And yet my parents were not consciously or intentionally doing wrong, they loved me and I loved them, despite unhappiness when they'd impose limits and pull me from things. Oh, how I've come to wish I had moved out during college. But while my grandmother was sick, I came to see I couldn't have come out to her or relied on help there, such as moving in until I could have afforded my own place. All of which means...I did the best I could have after all, short of moving out with not enough money and nowhere to go, to prove my point how fed up I was. But part of me wishes I'd carried through so they would have seen how serious and how desperately fed up I was, during college. I could barely accept myself being gay, at the time, despite that I'd defended friends in high school, and despite that I knew I liked guys, was gay, during college and had plenty of indications before that. I will never understand how my parents, loving and good intentioned, so short circuited me with friends and socializing, normal kiss' and teens' stuff.
So...yeah, I can absolutely understand how a young guy could post that in a forum. I rarely ever heard specifically anti-gay things from my parents, but sex in general was barely talked about. Oh sure, my parents kissed, hugged, told each other and me they loved each other and me, but beyond that...it just wasn't there much. It didn't help that I was shy and uptight, more than they were. How much of that was in general or my personality -- or my subconscious already aware I was subtly different without knowing it much yet in actual fact, I don't know.
What's the point of my rambling? Not to whine or dig at my dead relatives. But to show how very subtle and insidious some things in our social and sexual development can be.
I knew, or believed, it was unfair even as a small boy through my teens, to be prevented like I was. I believed absolutely I couldn't tell my mom what had happened between me and another boy at 11' that my parents would've understood, and after some doubts after they'd died, I now believe I was right about them. However, I had badly needed someone to talk to, it stunted my development for years (social and emotional sexual development) all because I knew my parents would not have understood it, right or wrong. (That friend and I got in over our heads and both he and I badly screwed up. Traumatic for us both, and yes, it still bothers me. If only we'd both known more and not been such fearful idiots, it might never have gone that way.) I wish parents would teach their kids about same-sex activity as well as the opposite sex talk. But my dad and I had not had that talk either.
Messages and attitudes, subtle or overt, spoken or not, get carried over in families and every other interaction between any people.
It is not surprising a guy would post that.
There is one key difference, though. These days, teens can see on the web that there are other ways to be,. That other people do differently, and that yes, there are gay people and what that's like. That is very different from not having any idea that what you are going through is not you only.
There is a long way to go. Prejudice, bigotry, false information and attitudes and beliefs run deep.
It has got to change.
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He's writing something new? Excellent! Awesome!
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That's at least four directions, and appears to be six lights or lanes each.
I sure hope it's just for decoration. But I'm not sure all those chickens crossing the road will notice anyway.
Note the multiple sculptures of girls (and boys?) practicing volleyball spikes (I guess?) to the top left.
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Equinox has had another delay. Their music composer had to cancel due to a paying gig, so they are looking for a music composer. They want original music at least for 1.01.
So...this summer, I'm guessing.
I'll appear in 1.02 and reuse in 1.03. No audition news yet for 1.03, so I don't know yet if I'll have additional lines for that part, or a new part. Meanwhile, this has led to a few possibilities for other audio roles. Not paying gigs, but it is epxerience and it's fun.
I'd be even more thrilled with a paying gig. They pay people to do voices and make fools of themselves. And people actually like listening. Incredible, I tell you! Meanwhile, not paid, but people like listening to that too, still fun, and I'm seeing how volunteer projects share voices or get other new voices like mine.
We'll see, I mean hear!
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Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich? Seriously? LOL.
Colin, thanks, I've subscribed to that newsletter.
@ Camy -- Amazon.co.uk should have *many* free ebooks also. There are many available here in the US. Most ultimately derive from Project Gutenberg. Don't give up, mate, try searching there for "free ebooks". Not only is there free classic older stuff, but there are some newer things as well. You'll also find low-cost short stories and novellas and novels, either indie or amateur or pro. -- If you'd rather another site than Amazon, check. I don't know if Barnes & Noble exists across the pond but -- check wherever, online stores or sites for brick-and-mortar bookstores. Well worth a look. Try lulu.com and smashwords.com for low cost, platform-agnostic ebooks.
Ahem, the dreaded Harry Potter series are all available in ebooks now, but Ms. Rowling's official site, Pottermore, is roundabout for the ordering process. It looks like Amazon is going to offer a more direct method soon.
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Wait, what's that, out on the wing? Aaaahhh!
Fish tacos? Bookmark, you say? I knew there was something fishy about one old textbook. Perhaps that explains it.
I prefer peach tea to raspberry tea.
In my experience, the flight attendant passes you a thimbleful of soda or juice and her plastic bags are used for...well, thankfully, I've never seen that.
If you must insist on tearing out pages, though, perhaps you'd better keep them to use as kindling when you're stuck on that tropical island trying to send an S.O.S. before that one guy starts chasing people and calling them Piggy.
Say, that's right, you can't carry a pocket knife anymore. You'll have some trouble on that tropical island, then. That is rather a plot complication, isn't it?
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"Tearing off..." Merkin, you just gave this poor book lover fits. Uh...if you tape a string to the silly book, you could achieve about the same, tape both ends and it has less chance to come undone. Then when you're done, you can remove the tape and string and donate/resell the book so someone else can enjoy it. Eek, tearing off pages... :wails: -- You'd have to understand, I did desktop publishing and graphic design, proofreading and editing, professionally. Not for a book publisher, but as an independent small business, working for printers and service bureaus and walk-ins. So yes, I'm used to publications getting used and abused, but...well, it's the book lover and academic in me, and the designer. :) Whatever works for you, but...eek! :)
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Send it back with a letter. Tell 'em keep it.
The iPad, Nook, and Sony eReader are the ones I hear the most about, and generally good things. I've also heard about, but haven't looked up "Kobo."
I got a Kindle (wifi+3g, eInk) last year, when it looked like I might lose all online contact due to budget. I later got an iPad2 for about the same reason. I personally don't care for the older Kindle, but a Kindle Fire, might be fine.
The older Kindle's screen is hard for me to read in all but very bright light, and shining a book light on it doesn't help much because that's not bright. It's a matter of screen contrast and size, and my eyesight.
The iPad2 has been generally great. I use the Kindle for iOS app and I use iBooks and I've tried Stanza. I'll hold off another year or more before upgrading to a newer model. -- I'm hoping my budget will have recovered some by then.
At least one major publisher has gone non-DRM on their ebooks, and that is great. But both Amazon (Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (Nook) do use DRM on their ebook sales. Independent authors, however, are often going non-DRM, and this is a very good thing. (Indie can be professionally published, award-winning, big-name authors just as much as it can be amateurs or lesser known folks.) I am not sure what Lulu and Smashwords do about DRM. I've been focused on learning epub format, along with...a boatload of other things, mostly personal, getting back to anything resembling a "normal" life. -- I have had good luck with the indie authors' purchases I've made, and from Lulu and Smashwords. Yes, I buy from Amazon's Kindle books and from iBooks. -- I also have gotten several that are *free*, ultimately from Project Gutenberg, but through those sources.
DaBeagle, friends I know have either gone to getting purchases for their less tech-savvy (and older) relatives from the friends' accounts, with another account for that older / less techie relative or friend. Then the savvy friend sets up the ereader so he/she can send from his/her account to the older/less savvy relative's account. (For example, through the Amazon Kindle address for that relative.) This improves the chances that both can enjoy a wider range of ebooks.
I have had my iPad take a fall from countertop or headboard height to the floor. (Ouch! Scary.) This has happened twice. Neither time did I detect any damage to the hardware or functionality. I was really surprised. You pay more, but you get a good product. The Kindles are good, though I've heard a few stories, Amazon's return policies are generally excellent. I don't know, but would expect good service from Sony.
No matter what you do now, in one year or more, the market will have changed a great deal. What worries me most is not so much the ereaders and apps and ebooks, as that many publishers are going belly up or are dropping paperbacks or hardbacks, in favor of ebooks, as the industry goes through something like the recording industry did. We can expect that in even one to two years, the entire landscape for books and ebooks will have changed. We can expect some companies will go extinct or be bought up, others will emerge as big players, and...the whole thing is likely to become something way different than expected. I fully expect Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Sony, and maybe Barnes & Noble's Nook (if B&N survives) to gobble up a lot of the publishing market. I also expect indie publishers to become a major part of the scene, which is what happened with audio. Whatever happenes, *all* of us, from those big publishing houses to the authors to the bookstores to ourselves as readers (or authors breaking into ebook publishing) are in for one bumpy, wild ride before it's done. Hang on tight!
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I think (sure hope) that is a demonstration, a protest, and not a statement of fact for each student.
The trouble is, for too many students now and too many of us no longer students, we know people those things happened to, we lived through it ourselves.
All those signs bother me, especially the one on the easel. But I'm proud they had the courage to do that.
My own contributions in high school were sticking up for friends (not a couple) who were accused of being gay.
If a friend then had come to me and said he or she really was gay and could we talk, you would've seen one very surprised high school boy. The word "boyfriend" never occurred to me as a real possibility, if it even occurred to me at all. But then, my old high school has had a GSA now since a girl at another school in the district won a court battle and it's legal.
Change does happen. Case in point: Those young guys and girls can stand there in public, in the open, on their school campus and show those signs, without getting into a huge fight and without getting detention or suspension.
Change does happen.
I don't know if a couple of gay boys can hold hands where I went to high school or go to the prom together. I sure hope so.
Yeah, I get angry. I get depressed. Neither one helps much unless I use those feelings, my principles and convictions, in a constructive way. -- In my case, that's mostly because I'm not shy of saying what I think online, in writing, and yes, that becomes "a matter of public record." (Ooh, surprise, they'd find out I'm gay, if they don't already know it. Duh.)
Good for them, for standing up and showing their classmates and spreading the photo. Even better if some of the students (and teachers and staff) think about it and change their minds.
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What he said.
So...
If I hang around lots of straight people, will I get straighter? Straight? ...Hasn't happened yet...
If I hang around more gay people, will I get any gayer? ...Sweetie, you're already pretty gay. I don't think you're gonna get any gayer...boyfriend, now, that's another issue...
If I hang around tall people, will I get a tall, handsome boyfriend? ...Well, now, you could be onto something there...
If I hang around good looking people, will I get a handsome boyfriend? ...Depends. Is he cute? Is there more to him than looks? ...Also, I sense a recurring theme, here...
If I hang around younger people, will I get younger? ...No, sorry, though some people never grow up beyond about two...
If I hang around older people, will I get older? ...Absolutely. What are you hanging around for, go do something!
Aww......
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Er, I'd have to say I don't remember if I wasn't around the forum much when what Pecman's referring to occurred, or if it's just slipped my addled mind. But yeah, I don't doubt it. Sigh.
It would be great if many black and Hispanic/Latino folks were accepting (or at least tolerant) of gay folks. Some are, and that's great. Many are not. It is connected with cultural ideas of what it is to be manly, or with what is perceived as a threat to family structure, or, yes, the old bugaboo about equating being gay with interest in seducing or unduly influencing kids/teens. That bit about being manly includes machismo, ideas on what seems to them campy or feminine, and the role (who's inserting versus receiving). Yes, that's perceptions, preconceptions, versus what gay people actually are like. So yes, many black and Hispanic/Latino people are not in favor of gay people, males or females. But then, many white people (Anglos) are not either. This fact should not be surprising. Nevertheless, there are still white, black, brown, yellow, red, etc. folks who are indeed gay.
I have also met black and Latino folks who are accepting of gay people. This is most welcome.
I don't think we can single out any one group. Too many groups are prone not to accept gay people. There's blame to be had on all sides.
That said, is it sad and unfortunate that many black folks don't see the parallels between the arguments against gay people and those formerly used (sometimes still used) against black people? Of course it's a shame.
Do black people have a point when they point out that there are some fundamental differences between being gay and being black, that make comparisons difficult? Such as, black skin versus white skin is readily apparent (in most cases). ...That gets into all sorts of things, such as the idea of "passing" and being "closeted," and there are points there too. I'll grant that it's not a one-to-one comparison, but I'd say there is enough in common, the core issues, that the comparison has merit. The chief objection is among people who claim being gay isn't something you're born with. They claim it's a "lifestyle" or a choice. Well, I don't agree with them on that. (I didn't wake up one day and "choose" to be gay and treated the way I was. Not as an elementary kid or a middle or high school student, and not as an adult. But I am who I am.) (My lifestyle isn't particularly gay, either. It's probably not particularly not gay, though. What exactly is that lifestyle, again?)
I'd like to see acceptance instead of opposition -- in the white/Anglo community as well as the black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and indeed, any other communities you'd like to list.
I think a lot of it stems from lack of public understanding of what gay people are really like and what gay people really do.
One of the things I wish was most understood is, it is not a "choice" or a "lifestyle." I didn't wake up one day, decide I wanted to be disagreeable (and disliked) and protest something, and then decide I'd like guys instead of girls. I didn't decide I needed a new change of home decor and wardrobe, and go out and pick a fashionably(?) gay style. No. Being gay was a dawning awareness that developed along with my social and sexual development (feelings, not just physical body) development. -- I really wish people could understand that. They grow up straight and it's no great surprise. They don't think about it because that's what our culture expects is normal. It doesn't occur to them that it might not quite occur to a boy or girl that he or she is gay, until those feelings become differentiated enough from friendship into sexual feelings and those feelings become obvious and undeniable. Or until that gay boy or girl can accept that the feelings he or she has are there and not going away, and that not having strong feelings for the opposite sex is also not going to change.
Yes, there's a general lack of acceptance throughout much of the black and Latino communities towards gay people. Yes, some people do accept gay people. Yes, that same lack of acceptance is common in the white/Anglo community. No, I'm not going to go through the list of ethnic groups, you can figure it out. We just need better understanding. We also need the ability for people to see through the misdirections to what's really going on.
Say, if this block of voters (or believers) is so preoccupied with issues about Group X, they won't spend any time thinking about Problem Y or Group Z, or why we aren't doing anything to help solve things. We'll be a shoe-in for the election / the ministry. Yay, us! -- Never you mind that whether running for office or ministry, that person or group ought to be trying to help improve things with X, Y, and Z, but also with the A, B, and C that the voters and believers really need and care about.
Phooey. -- And why does it feel like electing Mister and Miss Popularity back in school?
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I'll make one allowance: It *is* possible for someone to do wrong, make a mistake, learn better, be committed not to do it again, and become a better, changed person. It does happen.
I'll make another allowance: If that was the worst thing anyone could find about the man, then that's not as bad as some others. Mind you, being part of a group of several high school or college age boys (even middle school age) who hold down one boy and cut off his hair while he's struggling and begging them to stop, is not my idea of a terribly little thing, either.
I grew up with the 70's and 80's era dress code at school in Texas. Our student handbooks had very clear rules about what boys and girls could wear, including hair length. The rules for boys were different from the rules for girls because...well, because boys and girls are different, that's why! Anyway, yes, boys could not have hair below their collar, no wild haircuts, hair styles, or hair dye, no facial hair (assuming you were old enough to grow any). That said, there are incriminating photos of lots of boys with long-ish hair, and in the 80's, those "feathered, winged" haircuts. You'd laugh if you saw my high school graduation and prom photos. So would I, if I could find where I put 'em, if they didn't get water damage and get thrown out. (I need to look.) Yes, there are photos of a certain Blue teenager, very skinny and pale, standing in a rented tux to go (stag!) to the prom, pink shirt (no subtext was *intended*) and yes, hair in wings.... Oh, good golly, lol. (No, it did not occur to me to ask any boy. I knew that wouldn't work. I was barely admitting to myself that I liked guys, despite having spoken up for friends a few times.)
Romney's no saint. Not fond of his opinions. This seems to be the equivalent of Clinton's "I didn't inhale." Hmm....
Hair length, back when I was in school, didn't have anything to do with sexuality, though you can believe someone or other might, ah, cast aspersions about it. But anyone dumb enough to try linking hair length with being gay (queer! fag! sissy! pussy!) would not have tried that tack again, because half of the guys in class had hair around collar length, while the others had shorter hair. By the early to mid-80's almost no guys had crewcuts or hair quite that short, even me. (Hey, my parents were not "cool" with long hair, but then, I don't like hair in my eyes or over my ears anyway, it bugs me.)
But no -- Having a group of boys hold down a lone boy and cut his hair while he struggles and asks/begs them not to, not exactly my idea of the kind of guy I want for a leader or a friend.
Bleach blond hair, a little long? Sounds good! Well, except he'd be around a decade or two older than me. If he still has any hair, it may not be blond, lol.
Uh, my hair is still blond. Not bald. Just saying.
Um, though if it gets as hot this summer as last summer, I might actually go wild and shave my head. If the price of haircuts goes up again, I might rethink the long hair thing. Would a braid make me look appropriately artsy, pensive, and rakish? I dunno!
"Far out, dude."
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If you've ever read some of the goings-on in early US political debates, federal, state, or local, and campaigning, you'd be amazed. Some of the behavior, between office-holders and citizens, or between fellow officials...pretty rowdy. Fistfights, name-calling, duels, caning, swords, pistols. Then there were the articles in newspapers, magazines, and handbills. Whew! You didn't want to get mixed up in those. By those standards, Rick's comments are very mild. The current paranoia by officials, bureaucrats, and badges is yet another symptom of the underlying problems our governments (at home and abroad) face.
There was a time when all government, or at least most government, was local. If you didn't like something, you could go see the head of the village, walk in, and say you thought his/her actions and ideas stink, or even punch him/her in the nose without too much more than maybe a punch back to your own nose. Of course, some places, you might not wake up from that. But by and large, you could say so. You could do that with the local craftsman or shop owner too. Really, you should probably not hit anybody in the nose as a preferred and regular solution. Not only does everybody have a sore nose and want to punch you out, but in general, it does not overly endear you to them in future interactions.
But somewhere along the way, we decided you weren't supposed to be able to tell the guy or girl in charge that he or she was doing a lousy job and straighten up and fly right. It was somehow disrespectful, not done, too dangerous, and you could be a dangerous threatening element if you so much as told the guy or girl off. If you went so far as to make any comment that could be construed as a threat, you were really someone to watch, and if you actually did something physically, well, welcome to the modern-day equivalent of the dungeon, and have a nice day.
Citizens of our own country ought to have the right to object verbally and say what they think should be done. Citizens of foreign countries ought to have the same right. In fact, it's guaranteed among the Bill of Rights. But unfortunately, many, including those elected or appointed or employed by, this government or that government, seem to have developed the opinion that is a quaint old document. The Founding Fathers would not have agreed, and said so at some length, and often. If only present-day officials and their employees would remember that and perhaps reread those quaint old documents written by those men and women in the funny costumes, perhaps we'd be better off.
To the point: I took Rick's statement to be a general expression, not a specific intention of action.
If someone (Joe) gets irritated and says, "I could just strangle you!" we don't immediately expect Joe to go over and start choking Jack or Mary at work or Joe's wife or young kid, no matter what trouble Joe's kid just got himself into, like wrecking the car or getting Suzy pregnant or perhaps kissing Johnny. -- If Joe does in fact attempt to strangle someone, then we can hope someone knew Joe really meant it and took action to stop it, or we can all be surprised that Joe would do such a thing. But there *is* a difference between saying something like that and actually meaning to do it and carrying it out.
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Good luck and best wishes to the Aussies. I wouldn't mind hugging (kissing?) a nice Australian guy.
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I wish Pres. Obama would be clear and say something like what Pecman suggested. It is clear and direct, and doesn't leave the opposition a lot of room to wiggle and refute. Unfortunately, politicians on all sides seem loath to be that plainspoken. I like plainspoken and direct, even if I don't always do so myself. I want to know where I stand with someone. I want to know, really and truly, where a candidate stands on an issue, and I do not want him or her to say one thing while campaigning and do another when elected. Above all, I want some common sense and the ability to cooperate and compromise, the willingness to work with the other guy, not just demonize him. I'll acknowledge I'm not perfect on that, but I want my elected representatives to be. I want them to know and practice things like "diplomacy" and "public service" and "statesmanship" and "compromise." I want them to find ways of doing things, to try solutions, and not simply talk the other guy's plan into the ground. There are real problems out there in the real world, at home and overseas. We have to live with our neighbors in our own country, with our neighbors in nearby countries, and with people half the globe away. We have to live with them and deal with them, even if we don't agree with them, even if we think they are wrong, as much as if we like 'em and think they're right.
I haven't seen a lot to be thrilled about from either major party or from the Tea Party or others. I know who I'll vote for for president, because despite some things I wish were handled better, the one choice seems better than the others, and some of the others currently vying for the job...freak me the heck out, they seem to lack much sense.
I expect a lot of polarization on the gay marriage / gay rights issue. I expect many people to be so blinded by their preconceived notions and prejudices that they don't see it as a wedge and smokescreen to avoid dealing with other issues which our elected government ought to be dealing with. Yes, I want to have equal rights as a gay person, including equal rights if I should have a partner, and the right against mistreatment or discrimination because I'm gay. But very frankly, I also want some idea that I can find (or make my own) good job, keep it and make a living, have home and health insurance, pay my bills and taxes, put food on the table, keep a roof over my head, and so on. Oh, and not have some idiot, either home-grown or foreign, try to hurt and kill people he doesn't like/agree with, just because they don't do what he says. -- I don't want to see some demonstration devolve into a Kent State, Ohio situation, for instance. I don't want to see martial law. I don't want yet another war. I do recognize, sometimes there are things you can't avoid, either because someone else won't stop or because you have your own principles. Oh yeah, and I'd like to be able to get benefits some day when I'm too old or unwell to work. -- Above all, I don't want to wake up some day and not recognize the country I love, either because it's been damaged from within or by outside interference. I count paranoia as one of those threats, from within and without. Why give up freedoms and assumptions of innocence and rightness, just because somebody somewhere is afraid of the bogeyman? Yes, even if that bogeyman is really out there somewhere, I can't live in fear of him every day, any more than I can live in constant fear of illness or injury or poverty or any of those other scary things. I have a life, dang it. I'm a free citizen. I don't have any desire to do something wrong to threaten or hurt anyone, so why should people, here or elsewhere, be so worried I *might* do something, when I have no reason to. It *is* possible to push ordinary people so far, they can't abide it anymore. We're not there yet. I just hope some idiot doesn't do something stupid, whatever side he's on.
(By the way -- I'd really recommend watching the film, 1776, if you haven't recently. The Founding Fathers (and Mothers) had what would currently be seen as a very unpopular and dangerous view on freedom and such, and yet we look up to them as examplars of what to do, how to form and run a government. I wish today's fear-mongering politicos would go back and pay attention to what that was like, what those people meant.)
I think it's highly likely many people will pay too much attention to the gay rights / gay marriage issue, instead of others that are more urgent, or at least, more within the realm of what government ought to concern itself with. Who you make love to, have sex with, live with, partner with, have a family and kids with, is more your own business than the government's or the local religious groups' (plural) or the homeowner's association...or anybody else's damn business, thank you.
I don't want to see the election turn into pro-gay versus anti-gay and be decided mainly on that. I have seen too much of the nonsense by people who are homophobic and who are all too happy to mix their religion and their politics, and who would be all too willing to give up Constitutional rights or the separation of Church and State, just to get what they think they want.
I will say, I'm very surprised, even shocked to see any figure saying the public is anywhere near 40% to 50% in favor of gay rights or marriage. If it's not a fluke, if it's believable, then I'm very surprised and heartened.
As much as I would love for it to be legal in my state and nation for two gay people to be (partners, civil union, marriage, whatever word you want to call it) and as much as I want equal rights, period, without discrimination, for gay people, I have to say that there are other things just as important or *more* important to our country and the world. I would much rather if people understood that it ought to be up to the persons involved, and not an issue for religions or governments. But the reality is, people will not let it be, because so many do insist on prejudice and harm towards gay people.
Bottom line, and a very dry, cynical, misanthropic statement coming from someone like me?
It's all just words, no matter who the politician is and what side he or she is on. Until I actually see it put into law, actual practice, real action, real support, then I know better than to believe any of them, no matter how much I may want to believe words that sound good. Since being old enough to vote, I've seen good presidents and bad, good and bad other elected officials, good and bad policies. I have heard good words that I wanted to believe, from politicians, religious leaders, even friends and relatives. And I have seen time after time how often it's all just bull. I've come to be very surprised when someone carries through and means what they say and does what they say. I value that more than ever. And yes, I feel disenfranchised, burned, hurt, by what I've seen in the public arena (politics and religion and business and interpersonal actions) and by things in my personal life, people I had trusted as friends and family, who proved not to be who I thought (I don't mean just gay issues, either). So I want *very* much for there to be real progress, real people I can trust as being in it for the common good or my personal benefit, and...I just want things to get better. -- I value enormously the people who've proven worthy of trust, friendship, love, reliability. I want more of that in my life.
I want there to be a world where all the hot air about gay rights and marriage and "family values" settles down into what's real and what matters, instead of rampant lunatic fears and superstitions.
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Purple Sky
in Video Views
Posted
I had heard "Waiting Outside the Lines" by Greyson Chance and knew it was something special.
I got his CD, Hold On 'Til The Night by download, when it came out, and somehow got it through both iTunes and Amazon MP3. The two have a different bonus track. One has "Purple Sky." I hadn't heard the track until tonight. I wasn't paying full attention until I realized the significance of the names at the end, and then I had to listen again.
Folks, he has written songs that are sympathetic, understanding of the plight of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people, fellow teenagers like him. He has alluded to girlfriends in his songs too. It isn't really any of our business to speculate, but I think we can say he's friendly rather than unfriendly. Or at least we can say he cares and has put thought into things. He writes his own tracks.
Yes, he's really working it in interviews and publicity ads, but to me, that shows he's trying hard, working at it...and probably nervous at the sudden fame and trying to do a good job.
I just hope that he is as passionate in ten or twenty years as he is now.
Here are the lyrics to "Purple Sky."
Edit: And here's a YouTube link: