Homophobia. A misleading label

[DeistPaladin]

Either im misunderstanding something or America needs to sort it's shit out.

The latter. We've needed to sort our shit out for some time now and it doesn't look likely to happen anytime soon. I fear third world nation status will arrive sooner.

[Existentialist]

We've needed to sort our shit out for some time now and it doesn't look likely to happen anytime soon. I fear third world nation status will arrive sooner.

If it means you can abolish homophobia from your shores, it would be a price worth paying!

[Dotard]

How is a persons sexual preference ever a danger to you?

They might touch my penis?

[Existentialist]

They might touch my penis?

With theirs?

[Dotard]

I will make the point that I am turned off by watching two men have sex(or even kissing) but, by the same token I'm also turned off by watching two old people have sex.

That quote may carry in my quest for self-understanding far longer than any of the heterophobia statements throw out here.

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They might touch my penis?

With theirs?

AAUUGGH!! THAT just set me back a decade or two.

[DeistPaladin]

How is a persons sexual preference ever a danger to you?

They might touch my penis?

Is this an expression of a fear of being sexually assaulted?

Is this fear simply based on their sexual preference alone? Just being in the presence of one who is gay or bisexual is enough to provoke this state?

Do you have similar fears around heterosexual but unattractive women whom you would not consent to?

If your answers are, in order, "yes, yes, yes, no", are you beginning to understand how these feelings of rape anxiety qualify as a phobia, however mild, of gays?

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They might touch my penis?

With theirs?

Frotting FTW!

[Skipper]

I don't think homophobia is a bad thing, in and of itself. My insectophobia isn't necessarily a bad thing either.

But the "phobias" don't mean the same thing do they!? Homophobia is widely excepted as the term for negative attitudes and prejudice against gay people. How is that in any way "not a bad thing"?!?!?

Three Americans now on here seem to be defending homophobia, as "ok" or the "norm". Either im misunderstanding something or America needs to sort it's shit out.

Please get this through your head - when I said homophobia was considered the norm, I was stating a fact of culture. Under no circumstances did I say it was right, rational or should be.

You have willfully misinterpreted what I've clearly said, so let me be perfectly blunt. Homophobia as a phobia is irrational. Irrationality is irrational. Controlling irrationality comes with understanding.

The public has got away with not understanding gays - so their homophobia will be the norm. When it changes, it changes. But don't go placing shit on other people just because they observed something poignant.

Homophobia, despite ending in "phobia" isn't an irrational fear of gay people though is it?!!? Thats not what the word means! It is a prejudice, an unfounded, bullshit, narrow minded prejudice.

[Existentialist]

Homophobia, despite ending in "phobia" isn't an irrational fear of gay people though is it?!!? Thats not what the word means! It is a prejudice, an unfounded, bullshit, narrow minded prejudice.

True phobias aren't just about fear. I should elaborate - I mean true psychological phobias, of which homophobia is one. Phobias are about a mix of troubling emotions. They manifest themselves as fear, but contain strong elements of anger and real grief. They are almost always about a situation in one's external reality, which usually reflects something going on internally that threatens the cohesion of the personality of the individual. At some level, homophobes always have a fear of some bisexual or gay feelings that they have at some level experienced. That level need not always be very obvious. Stereotypes about gay or bisexual people tend to get in the way of finding that.

[Violet]

I rather think he's rather philosophically secure. "Rationalizations" are good... would you prefer he not at least try to understand why he is the way he is? I find that if you ask 'why?' enough times... you discover that all of your reasons are based on faith. I don't think homophobia is a bad thing, in and of itself. My insectophobia isn't necessarily a bad thing either. It is only in context of some situations that we can really show either of these to have been bad... or good... and conditions can just as easily exist for these to be good things as they do for the bad things.

Remember... genocide can easily be the very best decision that could be made. Though one must be very creative in the use of it, and there are usually better options, rape too can be the best decision. Failing that, such things can remain very good decisions. I would try not to throw away tools with unusual applications, and rather store them some distance away from your usual tools. But then, it might be better for me if you don't know that they are available to you in the first place

I understand that Sae, some phobias do not affect one's life much, some might prove to be just annoying. But like I said, defining feelings with other words won't really take away phobias, it may somewhat work in the short run, but knowing phobias like I do, avoiding the core issues (the 'whys' like you said) only gets the problem agravated. IMHO he should adress his homophobia directly, but in an non emotional basis.

I think it would be much better to not be in terror of things that really can't harm me (most insects). Most gay people wouldn't harm Dotard in any way. The only benefit phobias of such things can be expected to provide is odd cases like helping avoid Malaria and rape. Given the low likelihood of either in America... unless I intended to travel to some place like Brazil: I would personally consider it beneficial to be rid of my insectophobia.

I rather don't fully understand why Dotard is discomforted by gays (though I have several ideas as to why, it could easily be a combination of the lot, or something else entirely)... but I also certainly don't see why he should experience comfort or non-concern with their presence either.

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A threesome!

If this continues we'll eradicate homophobia in no time! (like smallpox)

Would not even consider it until my transformation is complete, or at least to the point where I might treat it as so.

Phobias are fucking stupid and 'bad' is a meaningless term (well, almost meaningless. Bad= "I don't like"). And by 'fucking stupid' I mean that they are both irrational (by definition) and that I am also expressing myself at the fact that I despair at the irrational patheticness in general of humanity and at the fact that humans are supposed to be the fucking most intelligent species we (as humans!) know of.

Something doesn't have to be rational for it to be of benefit to you. Hell, if a superpowerful alien race wants to think of my poor race as gods worthy of all their technology... I"m going to fucking take them up on it. Good and bad are not necessarily meaningless... they are of subjective meaning. This could be interpreted to anyone as anything from containing all the meaning they posses... to meaning nothing. And a phobia can benefit you. In most cases it will be a hinderance, but the possibility of benefit remains open to gamblers.

Irrational patheticness? If you've really got such a problem with humankind's intellectual capacity... maybe you should rework schools. Ie:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

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And there are a number of more reasons for that. Single most beneficial long-term plan I've yet to find, though there are other things that can be done to aid making people less nonrational and/or 'pathetic'.

Can you imagine how intelligent the people who first made computers were? I took apart one from the early 1990's today, and helped a friend fix it. I, for one, am very impressed by the incredible intelligence that some of my species has shown in what they have built. And most people, while not incredibly smart, are also not stupid. And among the population that isn't genius level, there are people with other talents or benefits. Use the human population effectively, and your complaints about how 'pathetic' it is should stop very quickly.

The most intelligent people in the world.... are idiots.

They're merely the least idiotic.

Once they get elitist and secure in their beliefs, they sure can waste that intelligence. People that are not so intelligent do it too. But even I don't view other people so fatally.

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I don't think homophobia is a bad thing, in and of itself. My insectophobia isn't necessarily a bad thing either.

But the "phobias" don't mean the same thing do they!? Homophobia is widely excepted as the term for negative attitudes and prejudice against gay people. How is that in any way "not a bad thing"?!?!?

Widely accepted does not mean correct. Islam and Christianity are both VERY widely accepted... shall we take to translating those religions as correct now? I certainly don't think so.

If I am a leader of a nation, it can be a VERY GOOD THING that my people despise my neighbors. Especially if I am a powerful nation and my neighbors less so. That's one way it is not a bad thing... and there are many more.

Three Americans now on here seem to be defending homophobia, as "ok" or the "norm". Either im misunderstanding something or America needs to sort it's shit out.

You're misunderstanding something, but America does need to sort a fair amount of shit out.

And I am fairly certain too that women have had irrational fears that come and go where the irrational thought that a guy who they have no reason to believe will harm them might violate them.

Funnily enough... sometimes a person can have a lack of fear when they are given plenty of reason to fear. Trust feels safer, but is less safe than distrust.

[Dotard]

Is this an expression of a fear of being sexually assaulted?

Is this fear simply based on their sexual preference alone? Just being in the presence of one who is gay or bisexual is enough to provoke this state?

Do you have similar fears around heterosexual but unattractive women whom you would not consent to?

If your answers are, in order, "yes, yes, yes, no", are you beginning to understand how these feelings of rape anxiety qualify as a phobia, however mild, of gays?

Well, my answers would be "No. It was a joke." "Maybe/unsure". "Yes". and "Yes".

Are you beginning to understand I'm not fitting your text-book definition of homophobia?

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I wasn't going to post this but after a bit of thought I thought it may be relevant;


28 Oct. 2010 Dotard was carted to the E.R. at the local hospital. Approx. 10-12 years ago I was in a pretty nasty mountain bike accident. I fell off the damned mountain.

Shattered my spleen, broke 3 ribs, cracked the collar bone (left side) and pretty much jumbled the internals around pretty bad causing some additional internal damages in addition to the splattered spleen.

Years later all the scar tissue within me will cause my gastro system to twist and get caught up in the scar tissue. When it happens it is some major pain. It'll put me on the floor in the fetal position pretty quick. That's how intense the pain can be. I digress. Point is I was carted to the E.R.


A homosexual (how did you know he was homo?, you might say. I'll just say it was pretty obvious.) shoved a tube through my nose down into my throat and was my care giver thru this process of Triage.

Surgery is the last resort to correct/prevent this from happening. The doctor has determined this has occured enough to warrent surgery and we are setting an appointment for this to happen. My doctor/surgeon is a woman. I don't know if she is gay or not, but she sure looks most butch to me.

I would think, and ask our readers to post what they think on this, that if my sexual prejudice qualified as a "Phobia", would I not be refusing a homosexual care taker? Wouldn't I be requesting a change of nurses and doctor if I was truely 'phobic'?