The Simtropolis Closet Thread - deux!

[Benedict 3,119]

Actually, it's Greek. Homo meaning 'human' is Latin. What is funny is that the words 'heterosexual' and 'homosexual' are Greek-Latin hybrids. Ah, language.

I always thought the word 'sex' had a germanic root, so good to learn the correct deriviation. And in the good old English tradition, the noun was turned into a verb!  

[ROFLyoshi 1,760]

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=sex

And that's true Linoa. But the question is was the brutality occurring especially because it was homophobic?

[timmie 988]

Any homophobic act is an act of hate. As a matter of fact, I once sent my sister to the hospital for that, because the law here doesn't reckoning that as "hate speech."

 

You are right of course, homophobia is a form of hate. The problem is determining if something is hate. Sometimes it is obvious of course, but if people use violence against someone without calling them names it can be tough to prove it was homophobic inspired violence.

Aren't there laws about that in Germany?

 

Actually, it's Greek. Homo meaning 'human' is Latin. What is funny is that the words 'heterosexual' and 'homosexual' are Greek-Latin hybrids. Ah, language.

I always thought the word 'sex' had a germanic root, so good to learn the correct deriviation. And in the good old English tradition, the noun was turned into a verb!  

 

According to etymonline.com:

sexual (adj.) 1650s, "of or pertaining to the fact of being male or female," from Late Latin sexualis "relating to sex," from Latin sexus (see sex).

 

This one is quite funny:

homosexual (adj.) "Homosexual"

is a barbarously hybrid word, and I claim no responsibility for it. It is, however, convenient, and now widely used. "Homogenic" has been suggested as a substitute. [H. Havelock Ellis, "Studies in Psychology," 1897]

 

A barbourously hybrid word

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Any homophobic act is an act of hate. As a matter of fact, I once sent my sister to the hospital for that, because the law here doesn't reckoning that as "hate speech."

I'm sorry but I don't understand what you said. Do you mean that you injured your sister because she offended you? Also, how is violence against a (straight) white Christian man any less hateful than a callous remark about a homosexual man?

Anyway, I am not sure if I have mentioned this before but I am opposed to any kind of cosmetic surgery other than those that fix deformities and increase quality of life (cleft pallets, restoring sight, etc). I have decided not to date anyone who has had "work done." In my sharp distinction between what is acceptable to me and what is not, the following are unacceptable: breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, giant gage piercings, liposuction, and various surgical body sculpting techniques.

--Ocram

[timmie 988]

Anyway, I am not sure if I have mentioned this before but I am opposed to any kind of cosmetic surgery other than those that fix deformities and increase quality of life (cleft pallets, restoring sight, etc). I have decided not to date anyone who has had "work done." In my sharp distinction between what is acceptable to me and what is not, the following are unacceptable: breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, giant gage piercings, liposuction, and various surgical body sculpting techniques.

--Ocram

 

 

What do you think about orthodontics? Often that's not necessary either (in my case, it wasn't medically necessary). Do you feel the same in cases where people have had cosmetic surgery after a serious car crash or fire?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

The police, worldwide, have now finally got the answer to the famous question "Who will watch the watchers?".  With all the mobile phones equipped with cameras, they are now in the position of everyone watches you.  This is one of the sure benefits of the Internet and social media.  (That's one!)

 

Misbehaviour by authorities is more likely to be recorded by many witnesses these days.  The town clowns have to toe the line or be exposed.

 

On the other hand, the Vancouver police were/are inundated with footage from the Hockey riot.  Several charges have resulted.  This is a two way street.  (That's two!)

 

On three we shoot the horse?

[Linoa06 1,374]

Any homophobic act is an act of hate. As a matter of fact, I once sent my sister to the hospital for that, because the law here doesn't reckoning that as "hate speech."

 

You are right of course, homophobia is a form of hate. The problem is determining if something is hate. Sometimes it is obvious of course, but if people use violence against someone without calling them names it can be tough to prove it was homophobic inspired violence.

Aren't there laws about that in Germany?

 

> 

Actually, it's Greek. Homo meaning 'human' is Latin. What is funny is that the words 'heterosexual' and 'homosexual' are Greek-Latin hybrids. Ah, language.

I always thought the word 'sex' had a germanic root, so good to learn the correct deriviation. And in the good old English tradition, the noun was turned into a verb!  

 

According to etymonline.com:

sexual (adj.) 1650s, "of or pertaining to the fact of being male or female," from Late Latin sexualis "relating to sex," from Latin sexus (see sex).

 

This one is quite funny:

homosexual (adj.) "Homosexual"

is a barbarously hybrid word, and I claim no responsibility for it. It is, however, convenient, and now widely used. "Homogenic" has been suggested as a substitute. [H. Havelock Ellis, "Studies in Psychology," 1897]

 

A barbourously hybrid word

 

 

I'm actually not sure, but in many occasions I've seen people getting sent off for reporting minor hate speech. But I'm pretty radical, so maybe I should loosen up. I don't think so, though.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Germany has some rather stringent hate laws stemming from the activities of the Third Reich.  It is hard to say what you can say in a pejorative way in that country.  Yet it seems to have rather a lot of Neo-NAZI movements.

 

In Canada, you can get in a lot of trouble for saying the wrong thing if you are a public figure.  One of the members of the Order of Canada may have or may already have had his membership revoked.  The OC is the only honour order in Canada at the federal level.  There are some provincial ones.  To accept a foreign one like an OBE you have to get permission from the feds.

 

Because of our cultural mosaic and official bilingualism, hate speech is rare and very much disapproved.

[flatron 83]

There are surely not more neo-NAZI's in Germany than in any other country of that size, but as soon as somebody is one, everybody will know and it gets public. And yeah, using a swastika is illegal, just as is owning/selling "mein Kampf". Of course, many things are forbidden and calling someone a Nazi is about the biggest offense you can do to them. Thus, if you call a German a lawn-nazi, he/she will start wondering what bad thing they might have done to you...

[timmie 988]

Buying and owning the book is legal, as is selling an old edition (as long as the purpose isn't to incite hatred). Printing and copying it is prohibited to prevent the circulation (but I read that in 2015-2016 a new annotated edition will be published - when the book becomes public domain).

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

^ No doubt a limited edition, scholarly version.  It is a historical artifact of considerable value.

 

Swastikas, by the way, are a North American native symbol of good luck.  Too bad it has now become a symbol of hate.

[timmie 988]

You can see that earlier use clearly in the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm. It is decorated with swastika's (built for the 1912 Olympiska Spelen).

[Zelgadis 638]

My mother has a pitcher with a swatstika on it. It dates from the mid-1800s. 

 

Japanese use the symbol to denote Buddhist temples.

 

What does it mean in Sweden?

[timmie 988]

I don't think it has a special meaning in Sweden, it is more a matter of decoration, probably inspired by the Hindu and Buddhist meanings. In Belgium, there has been a short debate about swastikas after the city of Ghent asked a builder to remove what seemed like a swastika from a building. The building was built after the war, in the 1950s. Link for image

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Actually, it isn't quite.  The builder should have known better.  Maybe he hired the wrong architect.

[Duke87 1,070]

Maybe it's just that I'm from a generation that is completely removed from the horrors of WWII... but seeing swastikas in a context that obviously has nothing to do with Nazis does not incense me. If it's black on a white background, OK, complaints valid. But if it's carved into stone in a building... so what? The symbol has been around for millennia and can mean many things that are in no way hateful.

[timmie 988]

That's what I think too. Context is relevant, not all swastikas mean the same. It is not the swastika an sich that's a problem, it's the meaning related to certain depictions of it. It somewhat surprises me the swastikas haven't been removed in Sweden, the politicians there have a tendency to be über-correct.

[flatron 83]

Well, the direction is important. If the swatika is counter-clockwise, it's a Nazi-symbol. Otherwise, not(like in the picture of stockholm's olympic stadium). At least here, and I do see it as a symbol of hate and of the cruelties and crimes that the people of my country have, if not committed, then let happening. Therefore, it's hard for me to see anything nice in it.

[Linoa06 1,374]

 

 

Any homophobic act is an act of hate. As a matter of fact, I once sent my sister to the hospital for that, because the law here doesn't reckoning that as "hate speech."

I'm sorry but I don't understand what you said. Do you mean that you injured your sister because she offended you? Also, how is violence against a (straight) white Christian man any less hateful than a callous remark about a homosexual man?

Anyway, I am not sure if I have mentioned this before but I am opposed to any kind of cosmetic surgery other than those that fix deformities and increase quality of life (cleft pallets, restoring sight, etc). I have decided not to date anyone who has had "work done." In my sharp distinction between what is acceptable to me and what is not, the following are unacceptable: breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, giant gage piercings, liposuction, and various surgical body sculpting techniques.

--Ocram

 

Edit on my earlier post

 

Somehow, some people don't reckon SRS increases quality of life. It's not like, you know, let's do this for the lols, or let's do this because I want fake boobs because I'm so scale and boring.  And those who undergo it tend to be braver and be better lovers than scale people who never had work done, but also never had any hardships in life.

 

Food for thought.

[Zelgadis 638]

Something that was shared with me today:  http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/the-queer-community-has-to-stop-being-transphobic/

 

I understand the sentiment up to "I don't understand the trans thing."  After all, how could a non-trans person understand?  That is a feeling I cannot possibly imagine. Beyond that, however, is where the anti-trans sentiment starts falling apart. "They make me feel uncomfortable."  Wait, what?  How do they make you feel uncomfortable?  They're not spiders for heaven's sakes. It's not like you go get a sex change on a whim. It's a decade of hormones and surgery. No way is anyone going to do that unless there is a very, very powerful feeling connected to it.

 

Personally, I demarcate a very clear line as to what makes me feel uncomfortable. Anyone who wants to turn me to their religion makes me uncomfortable. Why?  Because I really don't care for the notion that someone seems to want to transform me into something like them. I know trans people, and one thing is for damn sure is that they wouldn't want to wish what they have to go through on anybody.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Well, in order to earn an Associates of Arts last year, I needed to take some humanities credits and the only one that was available last winter quarter that counted for two categories was Understanding Human Sexuality. There was a day when transgendered people visited, told us their stories and answered questions. It was rather awkward for me. My former (we stopped hanging out when we went to different middle schools) best friend recently transitioned from male to female (although that person is still attracted to women).

So I understand the basics about the transgender spectrum (transvestite fetishist, cross-dresser, transsexual) but I am still uncomfortable with it. I am uncomfortable with missionaries as well (unless their are the kind of Catholic missionaries that go out into less developed areas and help out without trying to convert people). Also, certain religions make me uncomfortable even after reading about them. I am also uncomfortable with a lot of things, especially sex-related. My Understanding Human Sexuality class had a lecture/interview/QA session with a dominatrix. Just because you understand something does not mean you have to be comfortable with it.

--Ocram

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Yes to that Occram.  Comfort levels are something that we have to deal with privately because everyone has built-ins that come from earliest childhood.  No matter how intellectually one approaches it, the imprints of childhood will always be there.

[Zelgadis 638]

"Privately."  Yes, exactly Nonny.

 

If:

A) It doesn't affect me

B) It doesn't harm anyone else

 

Then:

Discomfort is my problem, not theirs, and I keep my mouth shut.

 

My first thought when I first heard about the notion of trans was not "ew," but "Holy crap, what sort of hell is that person going through to want to go through that sort of surgery?"  That has to be a very strong urge that can't be ignored. 

 

Dominatrix?  S&M?  Not my thing. But hey, if that rocks your socks, go for it. Even if I were uncomfortable with the idea, it doesn't matter how I feel about it. My feelings don't matter. Expressing discomfort will ultimately do only harm and no good.

 

 

And with that, friendly reminder:  Simtropolis is a safe place, as is this thread especially. If anything in the LGBTQ spectrum makes you feel uncomfortable, you have two choices:

 

1) Keep it under your hat.

2) Ask reasonable, respectful questions to try to understand better.

[Fudou 1]

I consider myself bi, but leaning more towards other guys. I realized this when I was 12, though I am not interested in dating a guy/girl. No idea why, I just never got the idea of dating like it was for me.

[Zelgadis 638]

I consider myself bi, but leaning more towards other guys. I realized this when I was 12, though I am not interested in dating a guy/girl. No idea why, I just never got the idea of dating like it was for me.

 

I understand that. I had zero interest in dating at your age too. I wasn't really interested until I was around 22 and wham-o, suddenly, all I wanted to do was date. Funny, that...

[Fudou 1]

I consider myself bi, but leaning more towards other guys. I realized this when I was 12, though I am not interested in dating a guy/girl. No idea why, I just never got the idea of dating like it was for me.

 

I understand that. I had zero interest in dating at your age too. I wasn't really interested until I was around 22 and wham-o, suddenly, all I wanted to do was date. Funny, that...

Yeah, I just don't feel the need to date. I'm 17 now, so I've been bi for 5 years.

 

I don't discuss it much though considering my Christian enviroment so I worry someone's gonna go crazy and say "LGBT is a sin/abomonation/etc". I'm Christian, but I respect people who are LGBT. Heck, I think gay marriage would be just fine!

[astronelson 339]

I consider myself bi, but leaning more towards other guys. I realized this when I was 12, though I am not interested in dating a guy/girl. No idea why, I just never got the idea of dating like it was for me.

 

I understand that. I had zero interest in dating at your age too. I wasn't really interested until I was around 22 and wham-o, suddenly, all I wanted to do was date. Funny, that...

 

I'm coming up on that birthday this year, guess I should prepare myself then.

[timmie 988]

Yeah, I just don't feel the need to date. I'm 17 now, so I've been bi for 5 years.

I don't discuss it much though considering my Christian enviroment so I worry someone's gonna go crazy and say "LGBT is a sin/abomonation/etc". I'm Christian, but I respect people who are LGBT. Heck, I think gay marriage would be just fine!

You've probably been bi your whole life, it's 5 years since you realized it It may seem nitpicking but it is an important nuance I think.

As a Christian, you can approach homosexuality in different ways. For example, in Sweden, the Church of Sweden (until 2000 the state church, everyone born in Sweden became member!) does same-sex marriages in its churches and even asked for the legalization of it (it is since 2009). It's perfectly normal you support gay marriage

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

"The state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation". - Pierre Elliot Trudeam

 

Getting this into the law took about 50 years, but we did it.

[ROFLyoshi 1,760]

 

I consider myself bi, but leaning more towards other guys. I realized this when I was 12, though I am not interested in dating a guy/girl. No idea why, I just never got the idea of dating like it was for me.

 

I understand that. I had zero interest in dating at your age too. I wasn't really interested until I was around 22 and wham-o, suddenly, all I wanted to do was date. Funny, that...

Yeah, I just don't feel the need to date. I'm 17 now, so I've been bi for 5 years.

 

I don't discuss it much though considering my Christian enviroment so I worry someone's gonna go crazy and say "LGBT is a sin/abomonation/etc". I'm Christian, but I respect people who are LGBT. Heck, I think gay marriage would be just fine!

I think the Christians who support LGBT rights are becoming more popular. Heck, I knew a girl who was a deep Christian and personally against it, but she believed it wasn't her right to force her beliefs onto others and kept it to her own persoanl morals.