I'm in the middle of moving so that, combined with all the stuff that Christmas involves is keeping me from this blog. So, this posting is going to be fairly short -
While I do believe that we (the human population on this earth) have polluted and caused some damage to our enviroment; I also know that we've done plenty to try to repair much of the damage. I've seen far too much evidence against the theory that human's are causing "global warming" (a recent study has really caused some damage to folks who hold that view).
I will tell you this much - in this area, we are (and have been for over a week) in the grips of one of the coldest snaps in recent memory (going back a good 5 to 10 years). Based on what this nation appears to be suffering under (via looking at weather throughout the nation), global warming would be welcomed right about now.
How is the weather in your area? Are you convinced that carbon dixoide (the stuff we exhale) is polluting our enviroment?
Comments and opinions welcome
More Later
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Intolerance???
Sorry I haven't written much, but life has been busy; posting will be sporatic during this holiday season - so let me wish each and everyone a very merry Christmas.
Recently I got in a conversation with a friend who thought I was intolerant. She said that in describing some folks that we recently met, that I pointed out (when talking about these new folks) that they were gay. Not that they told us they were gay, not that there was any posters or slogans announcing that they were gay - BUT - based on the conversation ("My life partner"), referring to situations where it was made obvious that they did things together that most same sex friends would never do together (take baths). Add to those indicators the fact that their actions and expressions definitely gave the impression that they were gay.
I did not make light of this fact (at least seemingly obvious fact), I did not denigrade them or belittle them. Just when talking about them, I would typically add the "fact" or adjective that they were gay. I defended my description by stating that if I were talking about someone who was overly "fundemental", someone who used the term "God bless you" or "God willing" after each sentence; that when describing them to a stranger, I would use the term fundamentalist. If I encountered someone who was into the "Goth" scene, complete with black hair, black clothing, black lipstick, too much black eye shadow and eye liner; when talking about them with someone I'd include that "fact" when talking about them. To me, if a person is going out of their way to show a particular side of themselves to you - be it gay, goth, fundamentalist, neo-nazi, alcoholic, whatever - when describing the person, I will be using that term.
To me, being intolerant is developing a "HATE" when you see/realize what a person is (or portrays themselves to be). I do not HATE these gay men, they are not going to be my best friends either. If they were neighbors and I was having a neighborhood BBQ, they would be invited over. By the same token, while I might want to make friends with another hetrosexual couple my own age and invite that couple over for a private dinner; I probably wouldn't invite the homosexual couple over for a private dinner. If they were neighbors and had a problem/situation - a tree fell on their house, or one of them was in some trouble; I would not hesitate to offer help. I would never seek to cause them harm (slash tires, set something on fire, cause bodily harm) but knowing that they are gay also tells me that our values are not the same, we don't have a lot in common, I don't feel a great reason or need to get to know these folks any better than I presently do.
BTW - while they haven't openly announced to us that they are gay, we both agree that if they were asked (by us) that they would openly admit it and probably be proud of it. I am letting you know that so you don't think that I'm over stating how obvious these fellows are making it that they are gay.
At this point I won't tell you if my friend still thinks I'm intolerant or not - I will later in the comments section. My question to you - Does my behavior come across as intolerant? What is tolerance and intolerance in your opinion? If someone makes a concerted attempt to show a particular side of themselves to the world, do you include that "side" of them when describing them to someone who hasn't met them?
Opinions and comments welcome.
More Later
Recently I got in a conversation with a friend who thought I was intolerant. She said that in describing some folks that we recently met, that I pointed out (when talking about these new folks) that they were gay. Not that they told us they were gay, not that there was any posters or slogans announcing that they were gay - BUT - based on the conversation ("My life partner"), referring to situations where it was made obvious that they did things together that most same sex friends would never do together (take baths). Add to those indicators the fact that their actions and expressions definitely gave the impression that they were gay.
I did not make light of this fact (at least seemingly obvious fact), I did not denigrade them or belittle them. Just when talking about them, I would typically add the "fact" or adjective that they were gay. I defended my description by stating that if I were talking about someone who was overly "fundemental", someone who used the term "God bless you" or "God willing" after each sentence; that when describing them to a stranger, I would use the term fundamentalist. If I encountered someone who was into the "Goth" scene, complete with black hair, black clothing, black lipstick, too much black eye shadow and eye liner; when talking about them with someone I'd include that "fact" when talking about them. To me, if a person is going out of their way to show a particular side of themselves to you - be it gay, goth, fundamentalist, neo-nazi, alcoholic, whatever - when describing the person, I will be using that term.
To me, being intolerant is developing a "HATE" when you see/realize what a person is (or portrays themselves to be). I do not HATE these gay men, they are not going to be my best friends either. If they were neighbors and I was having a neighborhood BBQ, they would be invited over. By the same token, while I might want to make friends with another hetrosexual couple my own age and invite that couple over for a private dinner; I probably wouldn't invite the homosexual couple over for a private dinner. If they were neighbors and had a problem/situation - a tree fell on their house, or one of them was in some trouble; I would not hesitate to offer help. I would never seek to cause them harm (slash tires, set something on fire, cause bodily harm) but knowing that they are gay also tells me that our values are not the same, we don't have a lot in common, I don't feel a great reason or need to get to know these folks any better than I presently do.
BTW - while they haven't openly announced to us that they are gay, we both agree that if they were asked (by us) that they would openly admit it and probably be proud of it. I am letting you know that so you don't think that I'm over stating how obvious these fellows are making it that they are gay.
At this point I won't tell you if my friend still thinks I'm intolerant or not - I will later in the comments section. My question to you - Does my behavior come across as intolerant? What is tolerance and intolerance in your opinion? If someone makes a concerted attempt to show a particular side of themselves to the world, do you include that "side" of them when describing them to someone who hasn't met them?
Opinions and comments welcome.
More Later
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