Whats the deal!

Originally Posted by Hypancistrus

Couple things... first off, "fag" is a word that is generally considered offensive and not something one likes to hear in polite conversation. Something akin to the n-word. You will hear some gay people use it for much the same reasons that you will hear some African American people use the n-word... to take control of the word, take ownership of it, so that it cannot be used to hurt them. My personal feeling on that is that we should not use the word because doing so "makes it okay."

As for the rest of your comments... much of what you mention has to do with community. If you desire to understand it better, we do have a closed social group here where, from time to time, we discuss issues affecting the gay community and our personal lives as well. You can look us up... we are GLBT Herpers.

*hops off soap box and departs*

Dear Lauren,
I clammed up and thought over what you'd said for awhile. Really thought long and hard about it, rather than just replying with the first thing, which inferredly is usually the wrong thing.

This morning I woke up with desirous thoughts about one of my girlfriends who's African American with some Native American blood in her, which I feel compelled to point out are also genetics I possess. (and also some Slavic Portugese Latin Gypsy blood, amongst 14 additional genetic lineages). And then I thought again of your post. I was having lesbian feelings for this wonderful woman, and considered visiting the GayBLT forum. But then I got to those forums, and wondered if I should perhaps seek counseling on the Metrosexual Herpers forum, but there wasn't one. I also couldn't help but notice there were not forums for: Caucasian Herpers, African American Herpers, Heinz57 Herpers, Passing for White Herpers, Native American Herpers, Gypsy Herpers, New Age Herpers, or Heterosexual Herpers. Then it occurred to me that the GayBLT Herpers had singled themselves out of the General Herpers and decided to have their own forum. But this struck me as kind of odd, because I did not believe they liked to be singled out themselves, but then there they are, singling themselves out, so the comment about taking control of a word, or in this case, an Acronymn, so it cannot be used to hurt them. And so while I had considered seeking counsel from the Lesbian community, what if my thoughts had been those of another nature-- Then I would have been even more confused. Fortunately at that moment, I got a phone call to confirm my appointment with a psychological Clinic for myself later on this week (really, no kidding).

Originally Posted by RobbiesCornField

Running in the special olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded for doing it.

Friend Robbie, taking ownership of the phrase "Special Olympics" and using the r-word to describe persons with cognitive disabilities. My newly adopted personal feeling on that is that we should not use the word because doing so "makes it okay." One of my buddies stopped by the other day to show off his blue first place ribbon he won in the Special Olympics, he was just a normal guy like you or me, well, make that like you or someone else...Anyways, there was a tragic incident that happened to him, but he is a fully realized individual who has a full time job and is living here in our area, lives an independent life on his own. He also got himself a pet turtle at the Daytona2009. But that's besides the point. But I get where you're coming from, it is a phrase that has been seen, read, repeated often...something people have learned to say, learned to think. So while people learn to think within their little boxed in communities, groups, etc, I cannot help but to think, what if all the ways we have learned to think about ourselves is not 100% correct. If I join one of those forum groups and adopt in my brain other peoples ways of thinking things and doing things, so I can fit in with their "collective", and then later much of it turns out to be merely mirrored behavior with undertones of codependant behaviors,
oh well, it wasn't a program I designed for myself, so I am not obligated to it. Wasn't my fault I thought like that. So I can easily blow it off and insulate myself within a new collective.
================================================== ========

I'd like to apologize for taking ownership of all of the words I've ever used in speech and in writing. I apologize for enslaving the language I speak, and am sincerely sorry for my admittedly political incorrectness. And I also forgive everyone else who has ever taken ownership of words or phrases. God Bless Each & Every One Of You!
Warm Regards,
Dave

Originally Posted by RobbiesCornField

Running in the special olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded for doing it.


And if ANY Obama supporter has issues with that statement, don't forget, he said damn near the same thing!

I remember the "lipstick on a pig" imbroglio, but this is one that I've not yet heard.

Source, please?

Thanks in advance!


Dale

I think he means this:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/160...20/story.jhtml

Originally Posted by jazzgeek

I remember the "lipstick on a pig" imbroglio, but this is one that I've not yet heard.

Source, please?

Thanks in advance!


Dale

Okay, so maybe not quite the same thing. But he DID make a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=7129997&page=1

Originally Posted by RobbiesCornField

Running in the special olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded for doing it.


And if ANY Obama supporter has issues with that statement, don't forget, he said damn near the same thing!

Running in the special olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded if you win.

Originally Posted by RobbiesCornField

Okay, so maybe not quite the same thing. But he DID make a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=7129997&page=1

Ah yes, I remember now...thanks for posting this.

Fan of irony that I am, I got a kick out of reading a section in this very linked article entitled....
Palin Criticizes, Schwarzenegger Defends Obama

...seeing as how Ahhhnold is married to the daughter of Eunice Shriver.

And what did Eunice Shriver do, might you ask?


Dale

Hypancistrus really couldn't have made a better point in regards to owning terms, and being courageously open about her beliefs. Whenever I hear people say the "F" word, "N" word, "R" word, or other, I think about how easy these words become acceptable to say. They're easy to say behind closed doors, and whenever the group consensus makes it acceptable. These are words you will NEVER hear me say, even in the midst of my greatest frustration in private.
Certain communities have adopted these words as their own, and use them as a means of taking power away from the word. Although they can not be used hatefully by the group they target, they still send perpetuate the terms value in mainstream society. The "N" word is often used by African Americans, and in ways it has been used as a means of taking control of the word to stop it's power against them. I find it's strange when you see non African Americans use the popular form of the "N" word, because to them, in that certain form, it is a term they would love to incorporate to themselves as a means of being accepted into the culture that has now adopted the word. What was (and still very much is) a hateful word used by non African Americans, has now been turned into a coveted word by some as a means of defining acceptance, as I'm sure the "F" word does as well.
To me, I find the words to be completely unacceptable, but also have no clue what the word itself, in any form or adopted intent, means to the group it was initially targeted at. I think it is amazing that certain groups have found ways to take power away from these hateful words, but overuse has seemed to desensitize some people to how inappropriate the words really are.
I was most disappointed by Obama not signing off for the "don't ask don't tell". I think we cannot possibly be the nation that leads by example if we don't fix the most simple of issues in our country, such as civil rights.
I really felt that voting for Obama was empowering. Not because I follow his every belief, but because the outcome of not voting for him seemed so dire. Someone who claims the word of god cannot lead our country in a way that I feel is right. To have Al-Queda fighting their word of god against our leaders would have been scary. Not to mention all of the battles at home that "god's word" would have fought against, such as equal rights for all. I really admired McCain as a person in many ways, and still think he is an honorable man. But Palin would have the world be gods army by her logic, and that is as scary as any other terrorist organization to me.
People preach the "sanctity" of marriage, and the importance of a mother and a father. Well, news flash, there is no "sanctity" in heterosexual marriage that can't be found in homosexual relationships, as well as proper parenting. How can we have such a staggering divorce rate, reality TV shows where a surgically created model marries a drug addicted rock star, and millions of single parent homes, and preach "traditional" marriage.
There is no more important issues in the world today than equality. Whether it's women covered in sheets in the middle east, or civil rights right here in America, we cannot fight any war with conviction without solving these most simple of crisis's. I never even liked the term "tolerance" in school, but it will do. I think acceptance is better, as though we should just tolerate minority groups. At least tolerance isn't filled with hate and prejudice, but acceptance is understanding that we are ALL equal in every way. If heaven is a real place, I feel some people will be in for a rude awakening when they are judged as they judged others. I personally have no clue whether the bible is true, or what the afterlife truly is. I know that nobody really does, and those who do are scary because there insatiable craving for power will never stop, and it's all under "gods law".

Michael...P.S we're still at war, but I love your Palin comment she's a real crackerjack box,lol

Originally Posted by ghosthousecorns

Posting your political opinion on a cornsnake forum isn't really going to change the world and doesn't make everyone who does so a patriot and a freedom fighter. All it does is alienate others.

Bingo!!!.

Originally Posted by Susan

Typical of a liberal to see a term only as racial. The definition says nothing about race and lynchings have been performed on and by every race, creed and color throughout history around the world:

We are not stupid and playing naive won't convince me at all. When I say Swastika what do you think of?.....Exactly!!. Don't play the run around on alternate meanings, because "lynching" is a term synonymous with the KKK and with the murder of black people for the evil intentions of racist Caucasian Americans throughout the late 19th to early 20th centuries!. You've exposed it yourself, so there's no sense in trying to play like you don't know the difference!.

Originally Posted by Susan

Socialist/communist leaders that are "voted" into power have a tendency to remain there. We often call them dictators. Sometimes, the only way to get rid of them is to kill them without due process of law. The fact that Obama is black was only an added bonus to my comment, but not the reason behind it. And in my personal opinion, I don't classify Obama with African Americans (or whatever the current politically correct term is for today). I place him with the Al Qaeda terrorists.

So your supposed to moderate us, yet you can't even moderate yourself?....."added bonus"?. To think your giving advice to someone on American history a few pages back yet you say stuff like this?; Go read about Harriet Tubbman, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., James Baldwin, Marcus Garvey, Tupac Shakur, and all the great people in our history that lead to a more diverse and prosperous nation; Stuff like this is just tough to read when you break it down!. Some seriously "racially insensitive" undertones for sure...

Originally Posted by Susan

There are always 2 sides to everything. It all depends upon which side is the "winner". To some, our founding fathers are heroes. To others, they are traitors. It may come to pass that what I have posted on this forum will lead to my execution. Some will consider it due justice for a traitor. Some will consider it a travesty of justice. None of that matters to me. What DOES matter is how God judges my words and my actions, and I am confident in what that judgment will be.

Lead to your execution?. Sacrificing a life means nothing without pure intentions, and the whole "confident of gods judgments" is bizarre, especially when your own judgments do not reflect godliness. I judge myself solely on the love I provide to my friends and family, and I'm not just doing lip-service in hopes of getting back-stage passes, or anything like that. It might be a long line, and I'd rather do some good instead of waiting around for a report card!!.

Originally Posted by Susan

Typical of a liberal to see a term only as racial. The definition says nothing about race and lynchings have been performed on and by every race, creed and color throughout history around the world:



Socialist/communist leaders that are "voted" into power have a tendency to remain there. We often call them dictators. Sometimes, the only way to get rid of them is to kill them without due process of law. The fact that Obama is black was only an added bonus to my comment, but not the reason behind it. And in my personal opinion, I don't classify Obama with African Americans (or whatever the current politically correct term is for today). I place him with the Al Qaeda terrorists.

There are always 2 sides to everything. It all depends upon which side is the "winner". To some, our founding fathers are heroes. To others, they are traitors. It may come to pass that what I have posted on this forum will lead to my execution. Some will consider it due justice for a traitor. Some will consider it a travesty of justice. None of that matters to me. What DOES matter is how God judges my words and my actions, and I am confident in what that judgment will be.

I'm not sure I follow this, Susan, so I have to ask; You want the current president to be lynched, you don't mean that in the 'strange fruit' way, but it's a bonus that he's black anyway for the purposes of lynching him?
And by 'execution' you surely mean a metaphor for removal from being a moderator? But that's ok because God wants the president lynched too?
Surely incitement to assassinate a serving president is a little bit strong for a cornsnake forum?