(no subject)
Now, we must remember that I come from Virginia, which Lambda Legal classified as "hostile"...
Anyways, I am looking for opinions, theories, agreeing/disagreeing examples:
Robbin has always said that people are more aggressively against us when their children are present. I didn't believe it at first, and now I've watched them take little hands and tug them urgently in the other direction, whispering not-quite-quietly-enough 'don't stare'. I get that 'you're odd to me' look on my face, because what they're saying to their children, is not that staring is rude, but in this case, that it's dangerous. I don't know why.
The woman in the laundromat last week urgently telling her toddler 'no honey, stay near mommy'. Letting the little girl wander over to every other stranger in the place, letting her slip out of sight into the parking lot on her own, but keeping her safe from the two lesbians in the place. God forbid.
I wonder why. Why would someone who would normally quietly ignore me become like that around their children? That means to me that they have developed a set of limits and ideas and tolerances that they operate under normally, but they are trying to make sure their children don't develop the same tolerances. At least not yet. As though prejudice is a healthy childhood thing, like an essential vitamin or mineral. As is prejudice is going to protect them from the horrors of thinking for themselves. If only they can keep their children away from the differences of the world, then their children will never be the ones to turn out 'different' in the end. Like the 5 second rule when you drop your snack on the floor, if you pick it up quick enough, the germs won't sink in...
Robbie says she thinks it's because an average single adult is self-centered. They live for themself, think about themself. Look straight ahead on the sidewalk, not even noticing what it around them because it's irrelevant to them. Then they have kids and they no longer look in just one direction, they look left and right and up and down, and then they SEE us, feel the need to deal with us. I disagree. We walked into a restaurant together today for lunch and I guarantee that all ~12 people we passes SAW us. They saw us so well that i felt compelled to wave or give out autographs or something. I don't think seeing is the problem.
I asked a trashman once if he ever had trouble with dogs. He told me 'never. Unless the owner comes outside and the dog feels like it had better do it's job and protect something.'
Food for thought.
-L
Anyways, I am looking for opinions, theories, agreeing/disagreeing examples:
Robbin has always said that people are more aggressively against us when their children are present. I didn't believe it at first, and now I've watched them take little hands and tug them urgently in the other direction, whispering not-quite-quietly-enough 'don't stare'. I get that 'you're odd to me' look on my face, because what they're saying to their children, is not that staring is rude, but in this case, that it's dangerous. I don't know why.
The woman in the laundromat last week urgently telling her toddler 'no honey, stay near mommy'. Letting the little girl wander over to every other stranger in the place, letting her slip out of sight into the parking lot on her own, but keeping her safe from the two lesbians in the place. God forbid.
I wonder why. Why would someone who would normally quietly ignore me become like that around their children? That means to me that they have developed a set of limits and ideas and tolerances that they operate under normally, but they are trying to make sure their children don't develop the same tolerances. At least not yet. As though prejudice is a healthy childhood thing, like an essential vitamin or mineral. As is prejudice is going to protect them from the horrors of thinking for themselves. If only they can keep their children away from the differences of the world, then their children will never be the ones to turn out 'different' in the end. Like the 5 second rule when you drop your snack on the floor, if you pick it up quick enough, the germs won't sink in...
Robbie says she thinks it's because an average single adult is self-centered. They live for themself, think about themself. Look straight ahead on the sidewalk, not even noticing what it around them because it's irrelevant to them. Then they have kids and they no longer look in just one direction, they look left and right and up and down, and then they SEE us, feel the need to deal with us. I disagree. We walked into a restaurant together today for lunch and I guarantee that all ~12 people we passes SAW us. They saw us so well that i felt compelled to wave or give out autographs or something. I don't think seeing is the problem.
I asked a trashman once if he ever had trouble with dogs. He told me 'never. Unless the owner comes outside and the dog feels like it had better do it's job and protect something.'
Food for thought.
-L