That it was printed in 1970 says a lot. Stonewall had just happened and gay liberation was in it's infancy. But .... you knew there was a but coming ... I would have thought that a editor of Harper's would have been more thoughtful given the civil rights movement. Apparently he reiterated it in 2002, and that does say a whole lot more. It would appear he hasn't given any thought to how our lives are now, really any more than he did in 1970.
For myself, I think, "Who the fuck is he to speak of and qualify/quantify someone else's pain...?"
I wish more people would invest in discussing their own business, and not everyone else's.
I think to speak of pain on earth, he is an ass to imply that we might be the only group to walk around with it. I would add that the comment about his sons would imply that he carries more pain than I do, or have, which at times has been considerable, even if not all directly related to my sexuality.
Beyond all that, he is an ass, perhaps mostly for thinking he has any authority to speak on such things. and, a question: when a person acts according to the definition of a word, is it still necessary for others to debate their stance on the fact that the fellow fits the label...?
I take some solace in knowing how difficult it would be to get a hateful screed like this published today*.
As for the charge of homophobia, I invite readers to ponder the difference between "I don't understand it, but they're not harming anyone so I'll let it be" and "I can't come to turns [sic] with this, and would erase it from existence if I had the power."
*At least about gays & lesbians. I am less sanguine about bi, trans, Arab, Muslim, etc.
I'm not so sure. In a 2002 book, the asshole doubled-down, standing by his earlier statements and claiming that anyone who those he was homophobic wasn't capable of "textured thought".
He seems to have remembered the come-ons well enough and he seems far more intrigued with what two men might do in bed together than is healthy for a healthy, homosexual hating heterosexual. I have never been that convinced by the argument that many homophobes are deeply closeted. Mostly I just think many heterosexuals will always hate us because there are more of them and they think they run shit. In this case, he actually really does protest too much.
Interestingly, he also seems to be a failure as a father potentially.
Besides, writing for Harpers is hardly a real man's work.
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But .... you knew there was a but coming ... I would have thought that a editor of Harper's would have been more thoughtful given the civil rights movement.
Apparently he reiterated it in 2002, and that does say a whole lot more. It would appear he hasn't given any thought to how our lives are now, really any more than he did in 1970.
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I wish more people would invest in discussing their own business, and not everyone else's.
I think to speak of pain on earth, he is an ass to imply that we might be the only group to walk around with it. I would add that the comment about his sons would imply that he carries more pain than I do, or have, which at times has been considerable, even if not all directly related to my sexuality.
Beyond all that, he is an ass, perhaps mostly for thinking he has any authority to speak on such things. and, a question: when a person acts according to the definition of a word, is it still necessary for others to debate their stance on the fact that the fellow fits the label...?
I think not.
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As for the charge of homophobia, I invite readers to ponder the difference between "I don't understand it, but they're not harming anyone so I'll let it be" and "I can't come to turns [sic] with this, and would erase it from existence if I had the power."
*At least about gays & lesbians. I am less sanguine about bi, trans, Arab, Muslim, etc.
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http://ehrensteinland.com/htmls/library/epstein.html
Joseph Epstein is still out there, and still writing essays.
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I have never been that convinced by the argument that many homophobes are deeply closeted. Mostly I just think many heterosexuals will always hate us because there are more of them and they think they run shit.
In this case, he actually really does protest too much.
Interestingly, he also seems to be a failure as a father potentially.
Besides, writing for Harpers is hardly a real man's work.
Reply
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