Aaron Swartz "Why I'm Not Gay"

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

The difference with that is that everyone here would agree that hot or ugly is subjective and that each person is entitled to their own decision about the label when looking at an individual.

folk no entitled

humans no figa dat 1 yet too

anyway

keep up da thinkin ans discova --------

thankyou

 

[xbuzzerx]

Nobody has said that here. But the text quoted in the OP DOES that.

That's fair enough. Perhaps I misunderstood the thread as opening a discussion about labels rather than just calling for attacks on the quote writer.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

psychobabble < is da lingua sumthag 1st world ans internet 2

just babbles

so wot 1st world gonna do? spend anoda 10000 year invent babble?

it hint

thankyou

 

[xbuzzerx]

^Buzzer, his dismissal of sexual identity throws victims of gay-bashing under the bus on a massive scale, and in my opinion points to a certain thoughtlessness on the part of the author.

Think about it: did Mr. JX get the bloody poop beat out of him because he'd had sex with another man that day? No. He got the poop beat out of him because the assailant saw him as a "faggot"-,an identity that the assailant perceived, not an activity that he saw.

This leads me to see Aaron's opinion as the revisionist psychobabble of a man in denial.

I know very little about the quote writer and I'm not in this thread to defend his personal viewpoints or motivations, at all. If that needs to be made crystal clear.

I raised the greater issue about labels in general, and/or the choice of how prominently an individual weighs sexual preference as a function of their identity. On that topic, I can't agree that someone choosing this label or that, or even saying they dislike labels altogether, for any reason, to be fair to condemn on the grounds of "you are betraying people who got gaybashed."

 

[Rolyo85]

Having sex with other people of your gender isn’t an identity, it’s an act.
yes, and the gay identity isnt based on those acts, its based on attraction. a man can fuck women all his life, if he was thinking about men all that time, hes gay.

This.

 

[Rolyo85]

I know very little about the quote writer and I'm not in this thread to defend his personal viewpoints or motivations, at all. If that needs to be made crystal clear.

I raised the greater issue about labels in general, and/or the choice of how prominently an individual weighs sexual preference as a function of their identity. On that topic, I can't agree that someone choosing this label or that, or even saying they dislike labels altogether, for any reason, to be fair to condemn on the grounds of "you are betraying people who got gaybashed."

Well, I agree with you. It's not fair. But like I pointed out, I don't think it's done generally (though I admit I WOULD think less of people who fight against labels, especially against the "gay" label). In this particular case, the opinion was framed in a hurtful and harmful way, and that's what people are talking against.

 

[xbuzzerx]

Well, I agree with you. It's not fair. But like I pointed out, I don't think it's done generally (though I admit I WOULD think less of people who fight against labels, especially against the "gay" label). In this particular case, the opinion was framed in a hurtful and harmful way, and that's what people are talking against.

Yeah, I know this is a very thin ice subject, so while I don't think we really disagree, I knew it would come off like I was defending gaybashing closeted gay people-- I raised the subject only academically on the subject of labels, sorry if I confused anyone about that.

 

[refujiunderground]

you know what i also find funny about some of these people that chose not to throw a label on themselves when their sexual activity may indicate that they might not be straight? straight is NOT a label to them BUT gay, bi, pan or whatever else is. i bet you he and some of these folks deep on labels wouldn't mind identifying with something that is widely acceptable throughout the world and society. they wouldn't explain themselves or dedicate essays to explain their sexuality which is basically them denying who they are.

i never HEARD anybody argue about how heterosexual and straight is just as much as a label as gay is. NOT to say that there aren't people outthere BUT how many people you know are denying or have a problem with identifying as straight? how many straight people you know outthere that are angry that they're NOT gay?

 

[Laufey]

Well it is usually bi or gay people who are against the label.

People who are only attracted to the opposite sex won't do the whole "I don't believe in labels" routine when someone calls them straight/heterosexual.

 

[refujiunderground]

Well it is usually bi or gay people who are against the label.

People who are only attracted to the opposite sex won't do the whole "I don't believe in labels" routine when someone calls them straight/heterosexual.

exactly, that's what's crazy. i wonder if some of lgbt people that have an issue with labels would have a problem being called "closeted" because that's what it is. they may not be deeply in the closet BUT they are closeted where they don't want to identify and connect with the rest of us on that aspect of themselves. they don't identify as lgbt so they feel that what the rest of us are dealing with doesn't apply to them.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

maybe 1st world brain shurnk ta prison of supa noise so much no hear aythang wot in front nose
* or not *
% not anoda sherlock? &
* how you noseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee *
% wot? %
* nothin *
% ooh nose dat Ya wanna alight?%
* nah got laser match *
% mind ya nose %
* OW *
% can be hard a find ha %

world leadurs sign on planet read ---- -------

thankyou

 

[Telstra]

maybe 1st world brain shurnk ta prison of supa noise so much no hear aythang wot in front nose
* or not *
% not anoda sherlock? &
* how you noseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee *
% wot? %
* nothin *
% ooh nose dat Ya wanna alight?%
* nah got laser match *
% mind ya nose %
* OW *
% can be hard a find ha %

world leadurs sign on planet read ---- -------

thankyou

maybe 1st world brain shurnk ta prison of supa noise so much no hear aythang wot in front nose
* or not *% not anoda sherlock? &* how you noseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee *% wot? %* nothin *
% ooh nose dat Ya wanna alight?%* nah got laser match *
% mind ya nose %* OW *% can be hard a find ha %world leadurs sign on planet read ---- -------
thankyou * how you noseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee *% wot? %* nothin *
% ooh nose dat Ya wanna alight?%* nah got laser match *
% mind ya nose %* OW *


Your thoughts ?

 

[PreTTy PeTe]

he's dead and it sucks because he was brilliant

was it a conspiracy that did it. who knows?

did he like gays? yea because most intelligent people don't worry other peoples sexuality

what was this thread about?

 

[youfiad]

^I wonder if his sexual identity led, in part, to his tragic decision.

I think bisexuals have it the worst. I thank the ^ everyday that I don't qualify as a bisexual, because I see it as a curse.

He killed himself over a possible 20-30-40 year prison sentence and 1 million dollar fine.

 

[Sausy]

He killed himself over a possible 20-30-40 year prison sentence and 1 million dollar fine.

The prospect of which was senseless in itself.

 

[legend145]

Being gay or bi is still a stigma in society that's why people who are gay or bi don't want that label. Straight is considered normal.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

cooor 1 day folk disicova moon

* ice cubes *

thankyou

 

[palbert]

he's dead and it sucks because he was brilliant

was it a conspiracy that did it. who knows?

did he like gays? yea because most intelligent people don't worry other peoples sexuality

what was this thread about?

I join PreTTy PeTe's question. I detect volumes of personal pique, which is probably all a thread such as this one can generate.

Those were his opinions and evolving thoughts. Was he among the first "free" -- eschewing labels -- men? Seems pretty open to me, but I doubt he meant it as a Manifesto.

 

[Críostóir]

In case anyone still doesn't know, this is the young computer genius who invented RSS when he was FOURTEEN and founded Reddit. He was hounded to death by overzealous prosecutors (essentially bullies with legal enforcement powers).

He's objecting to sexual identities as such. They ARE a relatively new thing. The idea of an innate "sexual orientation" is essential for the political changes we need to end our oppression. Like gender, it's a social construct to a certain extent, but such an intensely-felt one, and so immutable once established, that it might as well be innate (and that reasoning helped us win Lawrence v. Texas).

He didn't feel that way about his sexual orientation. It's easy for us to say he was bi, and that sure seems accurate to me; but he was talking about how it felt to him.

 

[Rolyo85]

Well, I think most of this discussion has been about how relevant exactly is what a certain individual feels? If I don't feel I am a white man, am I any less a white man? Skin color as an identity is also a social construct, even if perhaps the oldest there is.