How do you define homophobia?

[SphinxnihpS]

Trying to convince someone with an illogical viewpoint using logic is illogical.

Whenever you are dealing with fear, you are dealing with something both irrational and more deeply embedded than a simple line of reasoning can dispatch. Until he actually confronts his fear, the homophobe will continue to fear the homo.

 

[HAL9000]

Great post. But refresher implies an original exposure. I doubt it.

I approve this comment.

 

[dpodblood]

If you're talking about homosexuality, I agree, if you are talking about homophobia I disagree, it is contagious amongst the ignorant or unintelligent.

I was talking about homosexuality. Though statistically I suspect homophobia is more "normal" than homosexuality. 😛

 

[dpodblood]

I approve this comment.

Made me LOL as well.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Agreed. I'm all for educating children in different moral/ ethical theory, utilitarianism etc. As well as philosophy, but teaching moral absolutes is wrong. Everyone should make up their own mind on morality, obviously parents need to teach their children morality, but that will obviously be relative to the parents.

ORLY?

We should not teach our children that murder is wrong? That's a moral absolute. I could argue it either way, but your saying we should not teach our children this lesson, correct?

 

[dank69]

An irrational fear of vitamin D milk.

 

[HAL9000]

I was talking about homosexuality. Though statistically I suspect homophobia is more "normal" than homosexuality. 😛

Interesting, that's very possible. although after some research (in the UK)

A study performed in 2007 in the UK for the charity Stonewall reports that 90 percent of the population support anti-discrimination laws protecting gay and lesbian people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophobia

Six per cent of the population, or about 3.6 million Britons, are either gay or lesbian, the government's first attempt to quantify the homosexual population has concluded. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/dec/11/gayrights.immigrationpolicy

Interesting, I'm surprised it's so low!

 

[HAL9000]

ORLY?

We should not teach our children that murder is wrong? That's a moral absolute. I could argue it either way, but your saying we should not teach our children this lesson, correct?

Valid, yes we should teach that murder is wrong, as without this moral absolute society would collapse.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Anyone who bashes or stereotypes gay people or condemns them for their "choices" and then claims to have gay friends is a flaming homophobe...and is probably gay themselves.

 

[HAL9000]

Trying to convince someone with an illogical viewpoint using logic is illogical.

Whenever you are dealing with fear, you are dealing with something both irrational and more deeply embedded than a simple line of reasoning can dispatch. Until he actually confronts his fear, the homophobe will continue to fear the homo.

Very true, I'm not trying to change homophobes fears, It's like trying to argue with an arachnophobic until they aren't afraid of spiders, but defining homophobia is an important thing, as the original definition of just fear (is I believe to narrow) either that we need a new word.

 

[HAL9000]

Anyone who bashes or stereotypes gay people or condemns them for their "choices" and then claims to have gay friends is a flaming homophobe...and is probably gay themselves.

I know a homophobe who has just realised he's gay. I laughed.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

An irrational fear of vitamin D milk.

Learn some fucking Latin you inbred hillbilly! This "joke" has already been used a few times in here, and it's only funny to those who find the retarded generally amusing.

 

[dank69]

Learn some fucking Latin you inbred hillbilly! This "joke" has already been used a few times in here, and it's only funny to those who find the retarded generally amusing.

Why else would I be browsing ATOT? 😀

 

[dpodblood]

Valid, yes we should teach that murder is wrong, as without this moral absolute society would collapse.

Murder, and homosexuality ain't the same ballpark, ain't the same league, ain't even the same fuckin' sport. ...

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Very true, I'm not trying to change homophobes fears, It's like trying to argue with an arachnophobic until they aren't afraid of spiders, but defining homophobia is an important thing, as the original definition of just fear (is I believe to narrow) either that we need a new word.

It is just fear. Fear is a prime motivator though. It is BY FAR the most powerful emotion. It is the fear that motivates all of the other things you wish to define, and because of human nature being infinitely varied, you will always have trouble making these broader definitions. You don't really even want to define homophobe, you want a list of all of the things which would indicate a tendancy toward homophbia; if Johnny does X, this makes him a homophobe; you want a list of all of the Xs.

 

[HAL9000]

Murder, and homosexuality ain't the same ballpark, ain't the same league, ain't even the same fuckin' sport. ...

Completely agree, which is why when I said that at school we shouldn't teach morality, I was talking about things like homosexuality, not murder.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Murder, and homosexuality ain't the same ballpark, ain't the same league, ain't even the same fuckin' sport. ...

Yeah, but would you give a man a foot massage? 😉

 

[HAL9000]

It is just fear. Fear is a prime motivator though. It is BY FAR the most powerful emotion. It is the fear that motivates all of the other things you wish to define, and because of human nature being infinitely varied, you will always have trouble making these broader definitions. You don't really even want to define homophobe, you want a list of all of the things which would indicate a tendancy toward homophbia; if Johnny does X, this makes him a homophobe; you want a list of all of the Xs.

I agree that fear may be the primary motivator behind homophobia but it can present as emotions other than fear, such as hostility, religious belief etc etc. Although fear is normally the basis for all these things.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Murder, and homosexuality ain't the same ballpark, ain't the same league, ain't even the same fuckin' sport. ...

Yes, because in nature we find homosexuality to be an infrequent occurrence; muder on the other hand is universal and pervasive.


Actually, I was making a point about what he said about teaching children A but not B, point being that he hadn't thought through his point very well.

You on the other hand have jumped to wild conclusions!

 

[SphinxnihpS]

I agree that fear may be the primary motivator behind homophobia but it can present as emotions other than fear, such as hostility, religious belief etc etc. Although fear is normally the basis for all these things.

I think you get it, but I'll state it anyway, I do believe that fear is the basis for all negative emotion. Anger, rage, disgust, sadness, etc are all just derivitives of fear.

 

[jonks]

Murder, and homosexuality ...ain't even the same fuckin' sport. ...

Ah, you've never played Flamerthrower have you

 

[HAL9000]

Yes, because in nature we find homosexuality to be an infrequent occurrence; muder on the other hand is universal and pervasive.


Actually, I was making a point about what he said about teaching children A but not B, point being that he hadn't thought through his point very well.

You on the other hand have jumped to wild conclusions!

OK then let me rephrase.

What I'm saying is that for me morality that should be taught in school is that everyone has the right to do as they please as long as it doesn't negatively effect others, thus killing is wrong, homosexuality is fine.

 

[dpodblood]

Ah, you've never played Flamerthrower have you

What now? PM me if it's off topic. 🙂

 

[HAL9000]

I think you get it, but I'll state it anyway, I do believe that fear is the basis for all negative emotion. Anger, rage, disgust, sadness, etc are all just derivitives of fear.

Yep that's a perfectly valid theory, I would however argue that homophobia is one of the few "phobias" that rarely presents itself as pure fear.

 

[dpodblood]

Yes, because in nature we find homosexuality to be an infrequent occurrence; muder on the other hand is universal and pervasive.


Actually, I was making a point about what he said about teaching children A but not B, point being that he hadn't thought through his point very well.

You on the other hand have jumped to wild conclusions!

Sorry; I found a way to weave a pulp fiction quote into this thread and I had to to it. 😛

What I mean is most people know that murder is wrong, long before they hit grade school. It is a basic moral understanding, and we understand how murder negatively impacts others. Homosexuality on the other hand does not have a negative impact on the lives of others. At least nothing that I can think of.