The US can be a frustrating place to live in for anybody who is left leaning, especially if you are non-Christian, but this recent election wasn't a complete disappointment. I'm not going to talk about the Presidential election, because we all know what happened there, and being a moderate libertarian, I wouldn't have been happy no matter if it were Romney or Obama elected, but at least with Romney's loss, the extreme right/fundamentalist movement was given a major defeat. Here's a few overlooked victories that you may not have heard of, mostly at the state level:
Marriage Equality:
Maine, Maryland and and Washington state have all approved of equal rights for gay couples!
This means that 9 states now have full equal recognition for gay couples, and 10 states, (including Illinois, where I live), have some form of "civil unions", which are not fully equal to marriage, but legal recognition none the less.
Marijuana Ballot Measures:
Colorado and Washington state passed ballot measures to legalize marijuana completely. Massachusetts voted yes on medical marijuana. It's unclear how these laws, and medical marijuana laws in other states will hold up in federal court, since this is likely to become a court case because of the federal government's complete ban on marijuana use for any purposes.
Missouri Voters Reject Todd Akin's Attempt to get a Senate Seat:
This is a race that I watched closely, not only because I live only 10 miles from the Missouri border, but because this race was of national interest. Todd Akin is the man who claimed in an interview with a St. Louis Fox TV station's news/commentary show that the female body has natural mechanisms in place to prevent pregnancy if the woman is raped, without any form of birth control.
I talked about him and other extremist Republican politicians in my post, Is This Trend Starting to Scare You Yet?. Shockingly, his wasn't the worst comment of the 2012 election, that post also talks about a politician who said that slavery wasn't all that bad for African Americans.
See? The US is starting to show some signs that's there's hope after all.
Showing posts with label gay rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gay rights. Show all posts
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Obama says he is not offended by Clint Eastwood's "empty chair" RNC convention speech
Obama recently publicity stated that he was not offended by Clint Eastwood's empty chair speech at the Republican National Convention this past week. According to USA Today , Obama said that he is "a big fan" of Clint Eastwood, and when asked if he was offended by his remarks, said : "One thing about being president or running for president — if you're easily offended, you should probably choose another profession."
Good for Obama that he didn't take this too seriously, and after all, if you have ever seen just one Clint Eastwood movie (whether he starred in it or directed it), how could you not be a fan? :) (One of my favorite movies is Gran Torino).
What I don't understand, though is why a self-described libertarian like Clint Eastwood would speak at a Republican convention, and why he seems to support Mitt Romney. The ideals of the Republican party for the most part go against everything libertarians stand for. Time and again, the Republican party has supported bigger government and more government spending, more interference in people's personal lives, opposition to homosexuality/gay rights, and more war/interference in world affairs.
Maybe he just sees this as an opportunity for a platform to speak out against President Obama, but if he doesn't support Romney and the Republican party, why doesn't he just say so?
Good for Obama that he didn't take this too seriously, and after all, if you have ever seen just one Clint Eastwood movie (whether he starred in it or directed it), how could you not be a fan? :) (One of my favorite movies is Gran Torino).
What I don't understand, though is why a self-described libertarian like Clint Eastwood would speak at a Republican convention, and why he seems to support Mitt Romney. The ideals of the Republican party for the most part go against everything libertarians stand for. Time and again, the Republican party has supported bigger government and more government spending, more interference in people's personal lives, opposition to homosexuality/gay rights, and more war/interference in world affairs.
Maybe he just sees this as an opportunity for a platform to speak out against President Obama, but if he doesn't support Romney and the Republican party, why doesn't he just say so?
Secret(s) of the week
One of my internet obsessions is the site Postsecret, where people can anoymously send in postcards with their most deeply held secrets to the site's founder for publication. For more information, read my last post about Postsecret. I think I may make a weekly tradition out of posting my favorite secret(s) from each week's batch of postcards each Saturday/Sunday night (the site is updated every Sunday morning at midnight).
Here's the more interesting postcards from this week, and my comments.
The text on this card (it is hard to read): "My mom insists on having a party for my 23rd birthday. I wish she would kick me out of the house instead"
Sad statement, but not surprising, seeing as how the economy has led to more people living with family in young adulthood, and the friction that it causes. Especially if a parent still sees an adult son or daughter as a child instead of as an adult.
This one confused me at first, I had no idea what a "furry" was, when I started looking it up, here's what Wikipedia told me about it.
From the Wikipedia article:
"The furry fandom is a subculture interested in fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics.[1] Examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, the ability to speak, walk on two legs, and wear clothes. Furry fandom is also used to refer to the community of people who gather on the Internet and at conventions.[2]
"A survey conducted in 2007 suggested that, when compared to a non-furry control group, a higher proportion of those self-identifying as furries liked cartoons "a great deal" as children and recalled watching them significantly more often, as well as being more likely to enjoy works of science fiction than those outside of the community.[13] "
"Fans with craft skills create their own plush toys, sometimes referred to as plushies, and also build elaborate costumescalled fursuits,[14] which are worn for fun or to participate in parades, convention masquerades, dances, or fund-raising charity events (as entertainers).[15] Fursuits range from designs featuring simple construction and resembling sportsmascots[13] to those with more sophisticated features that include moving jaw mechanisms, animatronic parts, prosthetic makeup, and other features. "
OK, sounds harmless enough, don't know why this would be such a secret enough that someone would feel compelled to write to Postsecret about it, unless there's more to this....
and there is.
More from Wikipedia:
"Role-playing also takes place offline, with petting, hugging and "scritching" (light scratching and grooming) common between friends at social gatherings.[8] Fursuits or furry accessories are sometimes used to enhance the experience."
That's well, odd..... don't have more words for that at the moment.
"In their 2007 survey, Gerbasi et al. examined what it meant to be a furry, and proposed a taxonomy in which to categorise different "types" of furries. The largest group — 38% of those surveyed — described their interest in furry fandom predominately as a "route to socializing with others who share common interests such as anthropomorphic art and costumes."[13] However they also identified furries who saw themselves as "other than human", and/or who desired to become more like the furry species which they identified with.[8][13]"
So some of them actually see themselves as non-human?
"Of the furry fans that reported being in a relationship (approximately half of the surveyed population), 76% were in a relationship with another member of furry fandom.[10]Examples of sexual aspects within furry fandom include erotic art and furry-themed cybersex.[32][33] The term "yiff" is most commonly used to indicate sexual activity or sexual material within the fandom—this applies to sexual activity and interaction within the subculture whether in the form of cybersex or offline.[34][35]
Sexual attraction to furry characters is a polarized issue within the fandom; in one survey with 4300 furry respondents, 37% answered that sexual attraction is important in their furry activities, 38% were ambivalent, and 24% answered that it has little or nothing to do with their furry activities.[36] In a different online survey, 33% of furry respondents answered that they have a "significant sexual interest in furry", another 46% stated they have a "minor sexual interest in furry", and the remaining 21% stated they have a "non-sexual interest in furry". The survey specifically avoided adult-oriented websites to prevent bias.[12] "
So it's also a type of fetish for some people?
Now I understand why someone would consider this worthy of a Postsecret submission. I had no idea that this subculture even existed, despite Wikipedia stating that it has been around since the early 80's. It's unusual to say the least.
My rebuttal: It isn't just a few Christians that hold hatred towards gays, unfortunately, at least in the US, it's the majority, trying to fight back against this prejudice and discrimination is not an "obsession", it's fighting for what's right, and recognizing reality. The secret sender does have a point in that the gay community shouldn't lose sight of the fact that there are Christians that are pro-gay rights, and they should try to make them feel included in the movement, don't alienate them, they may very well be the future of the new face of Christianity (though it will probably take a generation or two more before they become the majority).
Here's the more interesting postcards from this week, and my comments.
Secret # 1:
The text on this card (it is hard to read): "My mom insists on having a party for my 23rd birthday. I wish she would kick me out of the house instead"
Sad statement, but not surprising, seeing as how the economy has led to more people living with family in young adulthood, and the friction that it causes. Especially if a parent still sees an adult son or daughter as a child instead of as an adult.
Secret # 2
This one confused me at first, I had no idea what a "furry" was, when I started looking it up, here's what Wikipedia told me about it.
From the Wikipedia article:
"The furry fandom is a subculture interested in fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics.[1] Examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, the ability to speak, walk on two legs, and wear clothes. Furry fandom is also used to refer to the community of people who gather on the Internet and at conventions.[2]
"A survey conducted in 2007 suggested that, when compared to a non-furry control group, a higher proportion of those self-identifying as furries liked cartoons "a great deal" as children and recalled watching them significantly more often, as well as being more likely to enjoy works of science fiction than those outside of the community.[13] "
"Fans with craft skills create their own plush toys, sometimes referred to as plushies, and also build elaborate costumescalled fursuits,[14] which are worn for fun or to participate in parades, convention masquerades, dances, or fund-raising charity events (as entertainers).[15] Fursuits range from designs featuring simple construction and resembling sportsmascots[13] to those with more sophisticated features that include moving jaw mechanisms, animatronic parts, prosthetic makeup, and other features. "
OK, sounds harmless enough, don't know why this would be such a secret enough that someone would feel compelled to write to Postsecret about it, unless there's more to this....
and there is.
More from Wikipedia:
"Role-playing also takes place offline, with petting, hugging and "scritching" (light scratching and grooming) common between friends at social gatherings.[8] Fursuits or furry accessories are sometimes used to enhance the experience."
That's well, odd..... don't have more words for that at the moment.
"In their 2007 survey, Gerbasi et al. examined what it meant to be a furry, and proposed a taxonomy in which to categorise different "types" of furries. The largest group — 38% of those surveyed — described their interest in furry fandom predominately as a "route to socializing with others who share common interests such as anthropomorphic art and costumes."[13] However they also identified furries who saw themselves as "other than human", and/or who desired to become more like the furry species which they identified with.[8][13]"
So some of them actually see themselves as non-human?
"Of the furry fans that reported being in a relationship (approximately half of the surveyed population), 76% were in a relationship with another member of furry fandom.[10]Examples of sexual aspects within furry fandom include erotic art and furry-themed cybersex.[32][33] The term "yiff" is most commonly used to indicate sexual activity or sexual material within the fandom—this applies to sexual activity and interaction within the subculture whether in the form of cybersex or offline.[34][35]
Sexual attraction to furry characters is a polarized issue within the fandom; in one survey with 4300 furry respondents, 37% answered that sexual attraction is important in their furry activities, 38% were ambivalent, and 24% answered that it has little or nothing to do with their furry activities.[36] In a different online survey, 33% of furry respondents answered that they have a "significant sexual interest in furry", another 46% stated they have a "minor sexual interest in furry", and the remaining 21% stated they have a "non-sexual interest in furry". The survey specifically avoided adult-oriented websites to prevent bias.[12] "
So it's also a type of fetish for some people?
Now I understand why someone would consider this worthy of a Postsecret submission. I had no idea that this subculture even existed, despite Wikipedia stating that it has been around since the early 80's. It's unusual to say the least.
Secret # 3:
My rebuttal: It isn't just a few Christians that hold hatred towards gays, unfortunately, at least in the US, it's the majority, trying to fight back against this prejudice and discrimination is not an "obsession", it's fighting for what's right, and recognizing reality. The secret sender does have a point in that the gay community shouldn't lose sight of the fact that there are Christians that are pro-gay rights, and they should try to make them feel included in the movement, don't alienate them, they may very well be the future of the new face of Christianity (though it will probably take a generation or two more before they become the majority).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)