Dear "Straight Pride" Jerk . . . .

[MRT144]

A lot of us that were nerds in high school got beat up by the jocks for being nerds. We didn't respond by having parades. We went out in the real world, made money, stole their women, and relegated them to picking up our trash. That's the way it's done. Well I guess it would be silly for the gays to steal our women. But you get my point.

Living well is the best revenge, but revenge doesn't rectify that it's safer to hide who you are for a great portion of your life out of fear for safety, career, family etc.

Would it be better if they were "Not Afraid (to be Gay) Parades?" Is the hangup really the semantics of the matter?

[rah]

At least if you were gay, you had a chance to hide it. Most nerds didn't have that option.

I'm not trying to diminish the plight of gays. I'm just pointing out that they weren't the only ones picked on and beat up in high school. Almost everyone that wasn't part of the top 5% of the social scale were picked on/beat up at some point. I just think if they want to be treated like everyone else, they shouldn't spend quite as much time showing how they're different.

[MRT144]

At least if you were gay, you had a chance to hide it. Most nerds didn't have that option.

I'm not trying to diminish the plight of gays. I'm just pointing out that they weren't the only ones picked on and beat up in high school. Almost everyone that wasn't part of the top 5% of the social scale were picked on/beat up at some point. I just think if they want to be treated like everyone else, they shouldn't spend quite as much time showing how they're different.

One parade that's a safe place to be openly gay and share that with friends and outsiders alike shouldn't really be poisoning the well to the extent that you suggest. Seriously, if the thing that is getting in the way of gay people not being treated like second class citizens is that they want to have a parade to celebrate the aspect of their life they can't always be open about, I'd say there is a far greater pathological problem with people who treat gays like second class citizens.

"Well I'd accept gays more if I just didn't have to acknowledge that they even existed"

And the nerd/gay analogy is really just not cutting it rah. people getting picked on is wrong no matter what. But that you have people actively fighting legislation to help prevent it on the basis that gay students might be protected is inconceivable and has no analogue.

[Tuberski]

So, your argument is that it would take substantially less than the # of American Troops required to liberate Western Europe in WW2 in order to successfully invade the United States?

Also, **** off and die in a fire Sloww, I was an actual factual vet in a combat zone. How much action did you see driving a truck around that air force base?

Ummm, I was in that same combat zone in the 90's, I bet we got shot at as many times as you did. It sucked when we ran out of soda in the soda machines.

Oh wait, what was the ribbon you got?

I got the Southwest Asia Expeditionary Medal with 2, count 'em, 2 bronze stars.

Meaning, I was in the Gulf twice between '91 and '95.

ACK!

[Hauldren Collider]

Considering only a tiny fraction of soldiers see combat, this dickwaving contest seems pretty stupid to me.

[SlowwHand]

You should really learn some facts, Lonestar. I don't guess you have to. It's not really a requirement for blabbering bull****.

[rah]

One parade that's a safe place to be openly gay and share that with friends and outsiders alike shouldn't really be poisoning the well to the extent that you suggest.

And the nerd/gay analogy is really just not cutting it rah. people getting picked on is wrong no matter what. But that you have people actively fighting legislation to help prevent it on the basis that gay students might be protected is inconceivable and has no analogue.

I agree that it is inconceivable. But I disagree that it's that different. No one should be bullied.
And I've already said that I don't have problems with a parade since most parades about about a little partying. But it should be more about partying than a political statement.
I think it's wrong that anyone thinks that being gay make you less than anyone else.
But we have to be careful of the opposite. Being gay doesn't make you special.
Gays deserve equal treatment (which I have supported wherever possible) but they don't deserve special treatment. My point was, they do themselves a disservice if they appear to be asking for special treatment even if that's not their intention. I think that it can backfire. They've already made good progress, popular opinion is turning in their favor. I'm not saying they should totally back off, but I think they could be a bit more strategic in how they approach it sometimes.

[MRT144]

I agree that it is inconceivable. But I disagree that it's that different. No one should be bullied.
And I've already said that I don't have problems with a parade since most parades about about a little partying. But it should be more about partying than a political statement.
I think it's wrong that anyone thinks that being gay make you less than anyone else.
But we have to be careful of the opposite. Being gay doesn't make you special.
Gays deserve equal treatment (which I have supported wherever possible) but they don't deserve special treatment. My point was, they do themselves a disservice if they appear to be asking for special treatment even if that's not their intention. I think that it can backfire. They've already made good progress, popular opinion is turning in their favor. I'm not saying they should totally back off, but I think they could be a bit more strategic in how they approach it sometimes.

I'd agree with you if They was Mr Fun solely.

[MrFun]

Nope simply pointing out only a bigot would find it amusing enough to post. But then again this is old news as the poster in question has been widely noted as being an extreme racist/bigot.

Oh come on. That GIF that Dinner posted is somewhat accurate, in how United States has conducted its foreign policy in the past.

[rah]

Yeah MRT, I guess it does depend some on the people you're friends with. All of my gay friends are more laid back about it. Yes, they cheer the victories when they happen and do attend the parade, but they're more mellow on the activist side. Their thinking is that the trend is going in their favor and there will always be a % of bigots that will never change and sometimes the more you push, the more that small percentage will push back. They also think, now that the ball is rolling down hill, it's best to just let it roll on it's own. They seem to have convinced me on that front.

[Al B. Sure!]

Another big problem with the nerd analogy, rah, is that frankly people choose to be nerds. The vast majority don't choose to be gay. You're not biologically predisposed to being a nerd.

[rah]

I beg to disagree. I was your typical 98 pound weakling with a high IQ. That sounds pretty genetic to me.

[Al B. Sure!]

I beg to disagree. I was your typical 98 pound weakling with a high IQ. That sounds pretty genetic to me.

Nope. You change your interests, your dress, and do pushups every day before bed for like 2 months and you'll quickly evaporate that nerd perception. At the very least, you don't have to scream nerd; and if you don't, no one will treat you like one.

[rah]

Easy for you to say. I was eating 5 meals a day just to keep my weight even. I caddied, so I was carrying 60 pounds for a 10 miles hike at least 150 times a year. Add on another 40 times a year with just 30 pounds when I was playing golf. So it's not like I wasn't doing any physical activity. I was still a skinny looking nerd. My interests were nerdy, and I wasn't going to deny those interests. That's like saying gays should ignore their feelings for other men.


And I'm not saying it was exactly the same, but there are many similarities and I don't know if one makes a person more special than the other. We all just wanted to be treated normal.

And have you never seen any nerd revenge type movies? The gay kids always teamed up with the nerds against the jocks like you, since they were targets also.

[MRT144]

Yeah MRT, I guess it does depend some on the people you're friends with. All of my gay friends are more laid back about it. Yes, they cheer the victories when they happen and do attend the parade, but they're more mellow on the activist side. Their thinking is that the trend is going in their favor and there will always be a % of bigots that will never change and sometimes the more you push, the more that small percentage will push back. They also think, now that the ball is rolling down hill, it's best to just let it roll on it's own. They seem to have convinced me on that front.

I think that might also be an age thing where they're mellow because they're older. One of my neighbors is gay but he's in his 50s and still does some of the fun things but hasn't be into activism since the the mid 90s. I think part of it is that he wanted to advance his career which took him out of opportunities to engage with people and politicians (he started working the graveyard shift in the ER). It's hard to stay energized for so long when there is only marginal improvement. At some point everyone of every generation passes the torch.