The gay-bashing capital of Europe

[Kathryn]

I've heard a few variants of that snake and mouse story too. I've never liked the story's suggestion that people can't change. One of Jesus' teachings I've always liked is that we should be willing to forgive since people can change. Just because a person made bad choices in the past it doesn't mean that they have to keep making them in the future.

That's all well and good, but as a Christian, I apply Jesus' teachings to MYSELF and don't expect others to necessarily follow them.

The way this plays out is that I am responsible for my own actions and I allow other people the freedom to be whoever they want to be. Sometimes this means that I have to accept that they are not going to change - at least not on my terms and timing.

That's why we have credit scores, background checks, and risk management departments. The best indicator of future performance is usually past performance.

 

[Midnight Pete]

I started to say, No, that's Bucharest. But on second thought I'm going to agree with you.

This is a fun game for you, isn't it?

 

[Kathryn]

What's that about?

 

[Midnight Pete]

What's that about?

The perverse pleasure Smoke derives from being a gay victim.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

The perverse pleasure Smoke derives from being a gay victim.

Oh, honey....not cool.

 

[Sunstone]

This thread is absurd and possibly racist.

Prove it. Words are cheap.

 

[Sunstone]

This is a fun game for you, isn't it?

What's that about?

The perverse pleasure Smoke derives from being a gay victim.

I think you're fantasizing, Pete. I don't get that vibe from Smoke at all.

 

[Midnight Pete]

Oh, honey....not cool.

Let me elaborate on that last thing I said. The fact of Smoke's homosexuality is not what upsets me. What upsets me is someone who always finds a way to relate everything back to their real or perceived victim status.

Do I deny that gays are abused and killed and treated with unfathomable cruelty?
No.

Am I hardened against them as human beings?
No.

Do I wish them any kind of ill?
No, no, and no.

Smoke suggested that I should treat him as an equal and not with any special treatment. Me, I'm a 31 year-old unemployed bachelor with no money, no car, no girlfriend. I have Asperger's Syndrome as well as Bipolar, depression, anxiety, etc. I have two sisters who are both much more successful than me. They have jobs, cars, money, and in Paula's case a family of her own. So I have plenty of reason to present myself as an object of pity. I have plenty of reason to feel like a victim, but I don't. I'm content with what I have and I don't curse God for making me the way I am.

 

[Duck]

Let me elaborate on that last thing I said. The fact of Smoke's homosexuality is not what upsets me. What upsets me is someone who always finds a way to relate everything back to their real or perceived victim status.

Do I deny that gays are abused and killed and treated with unfathomable cruelty?
No.

Am I hardened against them as human beings?
No.

Do I wish them any kind of ill?
No, no, and no.

Smoke suggested that I should treat him as an equal and not with any special treatment. Me, I'm a 31 year-old unemployed bachelor with no money, no car, no girlfriend. I have Asperger's Syndrome as well as Bipolar, depression, anxiety, etc. I have two sisters who are both much more successful than me. They have jobs, cars, money, and in Paula's case a family of her own. So I have plenty of reason to present myself as an object of pity. I have plenty of reason to feel like a victim, but I don't. I'm content with what I have and I don't curse God for making me the way I am.

Can you point out where Smoke has cursed God for making him gay? I think that you confuse cursing religious people (and perhaps religion itself) for treating LGBT people with "unfathomable cruelty" (good phrase there) for cursing God.

 

[tomato1236]

Let me elaborate on that last thing I said. The fact of Smoke's homosexuality is not what upsets me. What upsets me is someone who always finds a way to relate everything back to their real or perceived victim status.

OOOOOoooooh! This is pretty bold.

 

[Midnight Pete]

OOOOOoooooh! This is pretty bold.

Yeah, I was getting tired of being the timid polite RF poster.

 

[Panda]

Let me elaborate on that last thing I said. The fact of Smoke's homosexuality is not what upsets me. What upsets me is someone who always finds a way to relate everything back to their real or perceived victim status.

Do I deny that gays are abused and killed and treated with unfathomable cruelty?
No.

Am I hardened against them as human beings?
No.

Do I wish them any kind of ill?
No, no, and no.

Smoke suggested that I should treat him as an equal and not with any special treatment. Me, I'm a 31 year-old unemployed bachelor with no money, no car, no girlfriend. I have Asperger's Syndrome as well as Bipolar, depression, anxiety, etc. I have two sisters who are both much more successful than me. They have jobs, cars, money, and in Paula's case a family of her own. So I have plenty of reason to present myself as an object of pity. I have plenty of reason to feel like a victim, but I don't. I'm content with what I have and I don't curse God for making me the way I am.

Neither does Smoke. He is just a bit ****** off, and rightly so, that people are being targeted just because they are gay. I think you need to read an awful lot more of Smokes posts before you makes such a blatantly wrong and off the mark comment.

 

[Panda]

This thread is absurd and possibly racist.

Agreed.

How so? Because it is pointing out that the majority of attacks are by Muslims?

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Let me elaborate on that last thing I said. The fact of Smoke's homosexuality is not what upsets me. What upsets me is someone who always finds a way to relate everything back to their real or perceived victim status.

Do I deny that gays are abused and killed and treated with unfathomable cruelty?
No.

Am I hardened against them as human beings?
No.

Do I wish them any kind of ill?
No, no, and no.
Smoke suggested that I should treat him as an equal and not with any special
treatment. Me, I'm a 31 year-old unemployed bachelor with no money, no car,
no girlfriend. I have Asperger's Syndrome as well as Bipolar, depression,
anxiety, etc. I have two sisters who are both much more successful than me.
They have jobs, cars, money, and in Paula's case a family of her own. So I
have plenty of reason to present myself as an object of pity. I have plenty of
reason to feel like a victim, but I don't. I'm content with what I have and I
don't curse God for making me the way I am.

Here.

But now I'm going to place the proverbial frying pan next to your head.

Whether or not you believe glbtq's are allowed to complain only so much, the fact remains that in this story, we have a group that is targeted violently. I find it odd that the discussion changed from awareness of the lack of protection the queer community has in a seemingly tolerant society to a discussion about how you think Smoke is delusionally playing the victim card.

I've conversed with Smoke for a while here - years, in fact - and as caustic as he can be, I've never seen him gripe about being a victim when he has had the means to not be one. And as much as I can sympathize with the frustration of people who DO play victim when they have the power and the means to choose otherwise for themselves (and knowing Smoke well enough to assume he gets just as annoyed with self-appointed victims of circumstance), the queer community has on the whole ample room to complain about the injustices within the government and how these injustices result directly in the suffering of glbtq's.

So, your rhetoric smacks of the old sentiment: "queers are okay if they know their place." That we should only gripe so much. And that we're not REALLY victims of anything horrible. No?

*puts down proverbial frying pan*

Fine by me if you don't want to be timid. You don't scare me. I gotz ninja skillz. :ninja:

 

[Midnight Pete]

Neither does Smoke. He is just a bit ****** off, and rightly so, that people are being targeted just because they are gay. I think you need to read an awful lot more of Smokes posts before you makes such a blatantly wrong and off the mark comment.

Maybe I was wrong and off the mark. I'm human.

 

[dust1n]

Unfortunately sometimes groups of people reinforce stereotypes.

That being said - Dustin, if you saw a gay person attacking a redneck or an Arab, would you retaliate against them with open force as well?

No, I would idly stand by and cheer him on, especially if he was the instigator.

 

[dust1n]

Let me elaborate on that last thing I said. The fact of Smoke's homosexuality is not what upsets me. What upsets me is someone who always finds a way to relate everything back to their real or perceived victim status.

You obviously didn't grow up in America gay.

 

[Midnight Pete]

No, I would idly stand by and cheer him on, especially if he was the instigator.

That's not exactly taking the moral highground, is it?

 

[dust1n]

Maybe I was wrong and off the mark. I'm human.

Maybe...

 

[dust1n]

That's not exactly taking the moral highground, is it?

The face palm is a symbol of sarcasm.