thank you, docwebster
Washington Bans Gay Sperm and Michigan Preparing to Let Doctors Refuse to Treat Gays
This is absolutely atrocious. For one thing, all sperm is tested prior to donation acceptance, and heterosexual transmission of AIDS is just as possible as homosexual transmission of AIDS. If you really want to get into that issue, wouldn't an intravenous drug user be just aas likely to try to donate sperm for the money? Why single out a population that incurs no more risk than already exists? As far as doctors denying patients on ethical, moral, or religious basis, well, provided the bill is actually worded like that, I don't think I have a HUGE problem with it. When you're talking about work as personal in nature as that of a doctor, I think any doctor should have the right to deny service to anyone on ANY grounds. I don't want someone touching my naked flesh (even my goddamn elbow, OK?) who isn't perfectly comfortable doing so. I admit, it's a little childish to be skeeved by someone just because they're gay (or a convicted felon, or a Muslim), but people should be comfortable in the doctor's office -- it's tense enough in there as it is.
But beyond the specificities of these two articles, a larger issue is brought to light: that of our society's tendency toward lack of acceptance of ANYTHING uncomfortable anymore. I mean, we preach tolerance, tolerance, tolerance in schools; we're told to be "color-blind", and that real beauty is beneath the skin, and to be accepting of other people's practices and beliefs, and blah blah blah blah BLAH. But when are we ever going to accept that (*gasp**shock**horror*) WE have our OWN feelings and beliefs and opinions, too? I mean, really. We're supposed to curtail our own enjoyment of an event because someone else might be offended by what we do. We're expected to deny ourselves the very foundations of our own beliefs just because someone might not agree with them. I mean, if you want to get graphic, they took the goddamn Christ out of goddamn Christmas.
And at the same time that we're supposed to be learning about the Jewish and Muslim faiths (but not the Buddhists, fuck 'em, they won't complain), we're supposed to be honoring the "good Christian beliefs that this country was founded on" and not put the gays into concentration camps, take all the sex out of our lives, and take all our "rough language" and shove it up our collective asses. Every once in a while I forget that the first European colony that actually made it in the US was one that ran away from the Church of England because they weren't uptight enough. "Ooh, our Founding Fathers wanted to keep God in the equation." HA! Most of our Founding fucking Fathers were deists. Deism, essentially, is the belief that while God may have started it all, when he was done setting up the train set, he just sat back and watched it run. So, as a matter of fact, they really DIDN'T want to keep God in the equation. When saying "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion", they not only meant that the US can have no mandated religion; they also meant that they shouldn't be bringing religion into the government. That doesn't mean that one's religion isn't allowed to influence one's personal choices; it DOES mean, however, that your PERSONAL religious beliefs should not influence the judgments you make for your constituents.
How are we supposed to be so tolerant of everyone when we can't even tolerate ourselves? What's so wrong with allowing gay people to fight in our military -- do they love our country any less than the good ol' boys just because they think boys are cuter than girls (or vice versa)? Why are gay people being forced through the same spiteful hatred that black people were forced to endure for generations (and many still do today)? In all seriousness, where is the love? If we can't practice what we preach, how can we possibly expect anyone else to take us seriously?
And while we're on the topic, if I want to see two naked people swearing until they're blue in the face when I turn on the TV, that's my choice, and if that aired, I would probably watch it. If you don't like it, change the fucking channel. Don't censor my TV and my radio and my newsprint and my entertainment just because you're so uptight you pee in bricks. There are 45 other radio stations, a bare minimum of four other TV stations (up to 1000 if you have digital cable), and 9000 other newspapers/magazines/whatever that you can listen or watch or read that won't offend your personal tastes; why should I lose my enjoyment just because you don't want to hear the word "schlong"? That's what the "OFF" button is for, too -- to take you away from all the things you don't want to expose yourself to. "But what about the children?", you say? If you don't want them to see it, DON'T FUCKING SHOW IT TO THEM! How hard is that? Take a goddamn interest in your goddamn children; fucking spend time with them, instead of letting the TV do it for you. I watched more goddamn National Geographic and NOVA and Wild America when I was little, just because that's what my dad would let us watch. (Actually, most of it was really cool, and he would always watch with us. But that's beside the point.) My parents made sure we knew what was going on, and they fucking disciplined us, so that for all the swearing I do and all the sex I watch and all the offensive things I enjoy listening to, seeing, and doing, I have respect for other people and I have the dignity to not impose my beliefs and values on others. All I ask is that you treat me with the same respect and dignity that I do you. And if you don't, well, a hearty "FUCK YOU" to you.
OK, I'm done, really. No, really, I have to gather up trash yet, and it's taken me an hour to get this much out.
This is absolutely atrocious. For one thing, all sperm is tested prior to donation acceptance, and heterosexual transmission of AIDS is just as possible as homosexual transmission of AIDS. If you really want to get into that issue, wouldn't an intravenous drug user be just aas likely to try to donate sperm for the money? Why single out a population that incurs no more risk than already exists? As far as doctors denying patients on ethical, moral, or religious basis, well, provided the bill is actually worded like that, I don't think I have a HUGE problem with it. When you're talking about work as personal in nature as that of a doctor, I think any doctor should have the right to deny service to anyone on ANY grounds. I don't want someone touching my naked flesh (even my goddamn elbow, OK?) who isn't perfectly comfortable doing so. I admit, it's a little childish to be skeeved by someone just because they're gay (or a convicted felon, or a Muslim), but people should be comfortable in the doctor's office -- it's tense enough in there as it is.
But beyond the specificities of these two articles, a larger issue is brought to light: that of our society's tendency toward lack of acceptance of ANYTHING uncomfortable anymore. I mean, we preach tolerance, tolerance, tolerance in schools; we're told to be "color-blind", and that real beauty is beneath the skin, and to be accepting of other people's practices and beliefs, and blah blah blah blah BLAH. But when are we ever going to accept that (*gasp**shock**horror*) WE have our OWN feelings and beliefs and opinions, too? I mean, really. We're supposed to curtail our own enjoyment of an event because someone else might be offended by what we do. We're expected to deny ourselves the very foundations of our own beliefs just because someone might not agree with them. I mean, if you want to get graphic, they took the goddamn Christ out of goddamn Christmas.
And at the same time that we're supposed to be learning about the Jewish and Muslim faiths (but not the Buddhists, fuck 'em, they won't complain), we're supposed to be honoring the "good Christian beliefs that this country was founded on" and not put the gays into concentration camps, take all the sex out of our lives, and take all our "rough language" and shove it up our collective asses. Every once in a while I forget that the first European colony that actually made it in the US was one that ran away from the Church of England because they weren't uptight enough. "Ooh, our Founding Fathers wanted to keep God in the equation." HA! Most of our Founding fucking Fathers were deists. Deism, essentially, is the belief that while God may have started it all, when he was done setting up the train set, he just sat back and watched it run. So, as a matter of fact, they really DIDN'T want to keep God in the equation. When saying "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion", they not only meant that the US can have no mandated religion; they also meant that they shouldn't be bringing religion into the government. That doesn't mean that one's religion isn't allowed to influence one's personal choices; it DOES mean, however, that your PERSONAL religious beliefs should not influence the judgments you make for your constituents.
How are we supposed to be so tolerant of everyone when we can't even tolerate ourselves? What's so wrong with allowing gay people to fight in our military -- do they love our country any less than the good ol' boys just because they think boys are cuter than girls (or vice versa)? Why are gay people being forced through the same spiteful hatred that black people were forced to endure for generations (and many still do today)? In all seriousness, where is the love? If we can't practice what we preach, how can we possibly expect anyone else to take us seriously?
And while we're on the topic, if I want to see two naked people swearing until they're blue in the face when I turn on the TV, that's my choice, and if that aired, I would probably watch it. If you don't like it, change the fucking channel. Don't censor my TV and my radio and my newsprint and my entertainment just because you're so uptight you pee in bricks. There are 45 other radio stations, a bare minimum of four other TV stations (up to 1000 if you have digital cable), and 9000 other newspapers/magazines/whatever that you can listen or watch or read that won't offend your personal tastes; why should I lose my enjoyment just because you don't want to hear the word "schlong"? That's what the "OFF" button is for, too -- to take you away from all the things you don't want to expose yourself to. "But what about the children?", you say? If you don't want them to see it, DON'T FUCKING SHOW IT TO THEM! How hard is that? Take a goddamn interest in your goddamn children; fucking spend time with them, instead of letting the TV do it for you. I watched more goddamn National Geographic and NOVA and Wild America when I was little, just because that's what my dad would let us watch. (Actually, most of it was really cool, and he would always watch with us. But that's beside the point.) My parents made sure we knew what was going on, and they fucking disciplined us, so that for all the swearing I do and all the sex I watch and all the offensive things I enjoy listening to, seeing, and doing, I have respect for other people and I have the dignity to not impose my beliefs and values on others. All I ask is that you treat me with the same respect and dignity that I do you. And if you don't, well, a hearty "FUCK YOU" to you.
OK, I'm done, really. No, really, I have to gather up trash yet, and it's taken me an hour to get this much out.