Re: [wc] Re: Gallaudet

[k8]

Nit:  My "lifestyle" is how many nights a month I'm at my local dive bar; what time I get up every morning to go to work; when during the day I read the paper; what paper I read; how I choose to cut my lawn and when; the car/truck I drive; the clothes I wear to work and out; the restaurants I choose and how often I choose them; my cocktail choice....

 

My life is my marriage and family.

 

That word rankles some people, me being one.

 

Sorry- back to funny.

 

On 10/25/06, Ray Bradley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Well, Eleanor, it makes perfect sense - your view and lifestyle
aren't wrong, they're simply different from most of society. Of
course you're going to notice obvious differences.

Part of human nature and the basis of survival in the wild is to
notice the differences from ordinary patterns - changes in climate,
available food and water sources, shelters, predators, unfriendly
tribes, etc... . Anything different from the norm was cause for
concern.

It's like travel - you notice how Texas highway interchanges are done
differently than Pennsylvanias, or how Florida's traffic lights are
entirely different than Iowa's. You notice how some grocery store
chains dominate some regions, but not in your home area (personally,
I'd love a Piggly-Wiggly near here just for the funny name on the
bags...). Some chains are in the south, others the midwest...it's
what makes us different.

The majority of us are straight. The majority of us in America are
white. There are more women in the world than men...though China's
working on that. Of course we don't notice typical behavior and
social mores - they're just that - typical behavior!

Cue the soundbyte from the next-door-neighbor of a serial killer -
"he was a quiet guy, kept to himself." If the dude was doing naked
Kabuki dances in the street, somebody would have probably said "You
know, that dude might not be right in the head" and called the cops.

Same thing with any minority in any society. Amputees notice how hard
daily commuting can be. The blind find out how hard it is to watch
TV. Hispanics find out how dauting the English language can be.
Austistic folks struggle with some basic tasks and shine brilliantly
at others that most people take for granted. Little kids can't reach
the top shelf where Mom keeps the cookies and older Elderly folks
outside of Florida complain about the dearth of dining options at
4pm. Hipsters stuck in Nebraska complain about the lack of good
coffee shops, farmers in New York complain about the lack of quality
farm land, yet New York's hipsters have too many coffee shops to
choose from, and Nebraska farms are so fertile that some are paid NOT
to farm at all. We notice these differences.

So, I can't see getting upset about an innocent comment about a 4
year-old little girl, who statistically speaking will probably get
married one day...and chances are good that it might even be more
than once. Heck, when I was 4, everybody figured I'd be a doctor and
married by now. When I was 17, everybody figured I'd be a pro cyclist
in Europe and married by now. When I was 22, everybody figured I'd be
a big-market morning show disc jockey and divorced by now. I'm 33, a
telecom contractor and not married.

Why?

All the good girls are gay or taken.

- Ray

--- In weingartenchatters@yahoogroups.com, Eleanor Keyser
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> I'm going to second this comment--I almost made a similar point.
As a gay woman I do feel I notice and understand things differently
than a straight person. It always stuns me how little most straight
people notice the overwhelming influence of sex, sexuality, and
gender roles in our society. When you don't fit in these categories
you not only notice them everywhere, you make fewer assumptions about
other people (in general). Collectively, these assumptions and
influences form a hetero-normative bias that is deeply felt by those
who don't fit the mold. I'm including not just gays and lesbians,
but bisexuals, transgender people, gender queer people, asexuals, and
even people whose sexual lifestyle is considered really "kinky," like
BDSMers and polyamorous people in this group. Some of these people
never identify as queer, though I suspect most of them feel somewhat
isolated in the same way those who do identify as queer feel
isolated. And yes, even though I live in a
> generally tolerant area and have tons of straight friends, I do
feel safer and more comfortable in a queer space. Queer people have
their own spaces not just to meet lovers, but to feel at home. There
is also a whole queer culture with its own politics, decorum, slang,
art, and history that I think is far more extensive than straight
people realize. Not to say that straight people can never understand
these things, but queer people understand them inherently.
>
> denisesudell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: --- In
weingartenchatters@yahoogroups.com, "Ellen"
> wrote:
> >
> > gay vs. deaf is apples and oranges--I'm not talking about
acceptance
> > vs. discrimination like is the issue with the gay community, I'm
> > talking about being able to to fully participate in society. Gay
> > people can fully participate in society, except for getting
married.
>
> Uh . . . no, we can't. Or at least I can't.
>
> Being gay gives me an entirely different perspective on society.
> Events or activities that straight non-thinking people can fully
enjoy
> have been known to make me ill.
>
> Take a stray comment somebody may make about a four-year-old girl,
> implying that she'll have a wedding someday. I frequently get
pissed
> off when I hear comments like that. Who's to say that the girl is
> straight? Or that even if she is, she'll definitely get married?
>
> Just one very small example -- my overall point being, don't make
> statements about subjects you know nothing about.
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>

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