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Pointing and laughing.
Jan. 23rd, 2008 10:11 amI love it when people post interesting things. What I've less and less tolerance for is the Jerry-Springer-esque posting of pictures or videos that invite "us" to laugh at "them". It's hard to describe but to me it's really obvious when there's love to feel and when there's not. Amazement and curiosity are not the same thing as trying to share a visceral dislike.
I guess it's probably related to the upcoming elections where all of us will be marketed to in a way that defines us as superior or as an evil that needs to be suppressed. I won't be able to watch TV or read a paper until it's over.
One of the things I love about the vast majority of my friends (in all venues, from meatspace to online zones) is their curiosity and generosity towards things that are different. Examining reactions and responses to see _why_ they come up is huge deal in sorting out what's logically supportable and what's based on prejudice or stereotype.
I know that my reacting in anger when I see it isn't useful (usually) but I know that it comes from being a gay man in a world where a frightening number of people so enjoy their being able to dislike me based on their unexamined assumptions that I have to actively work at not being afraid. When I see that being done to others it makes me cringe. The right thing for me to do, I think, is to just step away and adjust my focus on the things that make me happy.
I guess it's probably related to the upcoming elections where all of us will be marketed to in a way that defines us as superior or as an evil that needs to be suppressed. I won't be able to watch TV or read a paper until it's over.
One of the things I love about the vast majority of my friends (in all venues, from meatspace to online zones) is their curiosity and generosity towards things that are different. Examining reactions and responses to see _why_ they come up is huge deal in sorting out what's logically supportable and what's based on prejudice or stereotype.
I know that my reacting in anger when I see it isn't useful (usually) but I know that it comes from being a gay man in a world where a frightening number of people so enjoy their being able to dislike me based on their unexamined assumptions that I have to actively work at not being afraid. When I see that being done to others it makes me cringe. The right thing for me to do, I think, is to just step away and adjust my focus on the things that make me happy.
