Brain hurting to think anymore...

[vejiicakes]

I do my best to keep an open mind, whilst maintaining a balance between what logic tells me as well as what an examination of my feelings tell me on any given issue. When given two opposing viewpoints where one or the other isn't complete bullcrap, even if both sets of arguments make sense to me I can usually pretty easily find myself on one side

Comments

[terrayndian]

And this is where I get annoyed with the whole situation in which people seem to get stuck on the words and not what is being said. Whenever people say that they're straight and still supporting gay rights, I take it to mean what you've already said - it's a show of external support. More often than not, it's simply an innocent statement that is meant to be an identifier of the person's point of view.

Bleh, I suppose I mostly get hung up on this because I say things where the words can mean one thing, but the intent was entirely different. My sister was particularly picky about it, pointing it out at every turn when it was obvious I meant something else. Sometimes, words are just words... until someone points it out and makes a big deal about it.

[vejiicakes]

YES. And yet, no, at the same time. I mean, I've heard it used in a way that I would consider supportive and sensitive. I've also heard it used in a way that I would consider condescending and sort of desperately ("..and I'd like to repeat that I AM NOT GAY, but...") and it really is in the manner (or frequency, for that matter) that it's said. And unfortunately that's a nuance you just can't parse that from a freaking sign at a protest or blog meme D:

[terrayndian]

And I can completely understand that, but then you're getting back to the meaning of those words. When it's something you hear as condescending or deceitful, then the words ultimately don't matter. Unfortunately, that ability to 'hear intent' is severely limited in the world of blogging, but little can be done about that. =P

[vejiicakes]

Well, there is the fact where that bit I paraphrased was actually from an informal article I'd seen written up on the internet in the OLLLLD fandom days. Something to do with the DBZ fandom and that song "I'm Blue" by Eiffel 65, if you can believe it.. basically it was some blogger reacting to his homophobic roomies thinking the lyrics were, "I'm in need of a guy," leading to his eventual write up that, "it's not that big of a deal," and, "I want to start this post by saying that I'm NOT gay," and, "In concluding, I want to repeat the fact that I AM NOT GAY, but..") And his heart was obviously in the right place, or at least potentially headed toward the right place, but even with me being like 15 years old and not nearly as sensitive to this kinda shit, I still got this niggling sense of, "Wow, he's being awfully defensive about that being gay thing, if he doesn't think it's a big deal."

Er, the point being that I WANT to be mindful of people's feelings, because I know that just because I don't mean to hurt someone doesn't mean

[terrayndian]

Heh, I always love those 'protest too much' type of statements. ;)

I suppose my problem is that, sometimes, people seem to want to be offended and outraged, no matter what you're saying. Look at the media and that attempt to create a frenzy over Obama saying the whole 'lipstick on a pig' statement and the media associating it to Palin's 'hockey mom'/'lipstick on a bulldog' joke.

I think it's fine to be mindful of people's feeling and to do your best to say things meaningfully, but to break your brain over something you don't even say yourself... I guess I feel like it's too much to stress over innocent words.