Why don't you do something?

[luminum]

I just want to put this out there because I've been seeing it a lot tonight:

People have been 'apologizing' for offending people lately. But the thing I'm going to focus on is people apologizing if something offends someone because they "just don't get it" or they "just don't understand at all".

If you "just don't understand" someone or something, and because of that, you know your comments may offend someone, why don't you just get off your ass and make it a point to understand or try to understand?

If you "just don't get" trans people (and I only use this as an example I've seen, not to point anyone out or attack anyone), why not contact a local LGBT office and see if you can meet some trans community members and ask them some questions to give you perspective? Is it so hard to broaden one's own horizons? No, it isn't.

Here's another example:

I personally did not understand the 'menstruation lib' community. I figured that the reasons why these women were using 'moon cups' and other mentrual items and very vocally against commercial menstruation products was because they were uber-fems and making a mountain out of a mole hill. Basically, I thought they were over-sentitive whiny bitches.

But a friend of mine introduced me to the site, where I first even learned about it, and I decided to make a post there asking them my questions--What is the problem with conventional MPs? I've never heard about it, please tell me so I can know.

And I found out a lot of things. I found out that conventional advertisements for MPs always make menstruation, a very normal and natural thing, out to be a total embarassment that must be so discreet and ends in shame if ever discovered, which is absurd. I also learned that conventional MPs use large amounts of bleach in their products for all the cotton, pads, and tampons that can cause severe health complications in their users. Menstruation lib was all about teaching girls not to be ashamed of their menstrual cycles and to normalize it in their lives and to promote healthier mentrual products.

So I learned something, and my initial beliefs were unfairly and inaccurately placed.

So if you don't know/understand something, don't just be content to spout what you errantly believe about it and then add that it wasn't meant to be offensive because you just don't know. Because by saying that, you're also showing that you don't care to know and that makes your comments offensive again. So get out there and learn something about the people in our world that you just don't understand and don't just be content to write them off and continue offending them.

 

[justsimon]

Thank you for posting this.

 

[slobone]

Sorry -- but I hope I'm never old enough to lose my sense of humor -- and "menstruation lib" sounds hilarious to me. I could come up with about a dozen gags without even trying.

 

[pausanias_usa]

^^

I won't rag you about it, slobone. Period.

 

[dynk]

Amen.................

Maybe because they don't want to understand or don't care.
Maybe some people want to give the impression that they are cool to everybody else except for the person they are hurting. They want to be seen in a certain light or a certain way.

Touche elvin, I love you dude.

luminum thanks for posting this

 

[Lefty]

luminum,

an illuminating post and one which makes its points clearly and concisely. nice marshalling of salient points and excellent summary.

unpleasant social topic...but sometimes things need to be explained for us lethargic me s

 

[Lube]

Yeah, that was an awesome post, Lumi.

 

[ladygrey]

good call, honey

for instance, I'm all about moon cups

but I have issues with bisexuals.....

so instead of spouting off at the mouth, I did some research with self idenitfied bisexuals..

and while some of my opnions didn't change, I was much more open to further understanding the issue.

 

[luminum]

Sorry -- but I hope I'm never old enough to lose my sense of humor -- and "menstruation lib" sounds hilarious to me. I could come up with about a dozen gags without even trying.

No, it's still cool to joke, but seriously--when you hit a brick wall, don't just stand there, you know?

 

[justsimon]

first of all i just want to say i know your at least somewhat talking about me from what i said about trans people in another thread since u complained about it
and i just want to say meeting with them will not change my mind. i know perfectly well how they feel that they were born in the wrong body and think they were meant to be females and i just think that is bullshit if your born a male u are one no matter what no matter how many surgery u have or how much make up u wear ur dna still shows ur a guy. and even if u get a pussy it doesnt work like one and its just like wearing a mask.

i just think it is not embracing who u are and trying to be something you are not. would u consider someone who dresses up as a monster on halloween really a monster just because they have the makeup on and act like one?

For most trans people, continuing to live their lives as their birth sex is like wearing a mask. Imagine waking up tomorrow and walking out into the world, only to find that everyone out there perceives you as female. Only you know you're male. You're a gay man attracted to other gay men, but now the only relationships you can have with men are as a woman.

Maybe you'd embrace your womanhood, but probably not. What would you do?

Luminum isn't saying that everyone should understand everything, just that we should all give it a good go.

I don't understand Fundamental Christians (they even scare me a bit) so I read about them in an attempt to understand where they're coming from. Will I ever agree with them? Of course not. But I can see their perspective on things and better educate myself on their issues and consider myself a more rounded person as a result.

 

[luminum]

Yes, you were an example, but you said "Sorry, I just don't get it." You already said that you "know" meeting with the trans community and talking with them wouldn't change your mind. So don't apologize for offending people with your staunch and uneducated opinions if you're not even going to attempt to get some real perspective, because you obviously don't really care if you're offending people. It's just a patronizing and terribly transparent attempt to not look like a 'bad guy'. So drop the act. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

[justsimon]

and sinfulsimon if i was a woman i would embrace being a woman, and unlike trans if i was naturally one i would have a working vagina and be a real girl instead of someone who has to spend all of their money on an expensive surgical makeover

You completely missed the point.