I have something I've been meaning to say

[rhymephile]

This is mostly directed to the kids (and I do mean kids) on Tumblr, who have grown up in a different generation in which being gay or lesbian is steadily being more accepted, and who have also grown up in a technologically connected age

Comments

[scissorknot]

I have to agree 100%. When I was in high school (and even sometimes now) I was cobstantly having to get on to my friends about what they said. "That's so gay." Got thrown around a whole hell of a lot. It was like people are completely oblivious to the power that words can and do have. What you say even in a joking way can hace a major effect on others. Times are a heck of a lot better than the use to be equality wise but there is still a hell of a lot of mountain to climb and just taking a second to just think about what you say and the effect it can have can do wonders to help the cause.

[rhymephile]

I get that kids are generally dumb and they don't think about things before they say them. It's this posting of stuff all over Tumblr that bothers me. It's bizarre to me that they don't think this is problematic.

I'm glad you're on your friends about the shit they say.

[crystalsc]

I completely get where you're coming from. For me, personally, I don't mind that people want to slash characters or even create het relationships that aren't canon - what bothers me is the inability to understand intimacy that isn't sexual. Not all words & actions of tenderness, compassion and sympathy are sexual. It seems large portions of fandom can't understand a deep relationship between characters without turning it into a romance.
And with that, as in the above gif, when you take every small moment of tenderness and caring out of context, you miss the whole point of the scene/character's journey. You miss what the show is trying to tell you or show you, you miss the experience that the character is truly having.
In this scene, that the gif is showing, what it meant to me is that Dean still considers Cas his best friend and most importantly, has forgiven him. I think it probably also will be important to what has yet been shown to us of Dean and Cas in Purgatory. *meep*

[rhymephile]

Not all words & actions of tenderness, compassion and sympathy are sexual. It seems large portions of fandom can't understand a deep relationship between characters without turning it into a romanceI agree about certain characters on certain shows. But I fully admit to shipping Dean and Cas in fiction because of that same compassion and tenderness you speak of. I have two views of it: there's what we see on the show and how canon portrays that Cas has become like a brother to Dean, and that FINALLY we see Dean having some understanding for what went on between them (and is not as OOC as he was in Season 6/7) and is choosing to forgive him the way he forgave Sam. That's saying a lot because we know Dean doesn't get close to people. In that scene I think we finally got the proof of what Cas means to Dean, that's he's important to him and he won't leave him behind

[crystalsc]

I definitely understand people choosing to see what they would like. And I can feel that way sometimes too. I love the idea of a Dean/Buffy crossover. I have for a long time.
When it bothers me is when people do it with every.single.relationship in a fandom. I feel like that's when they can't seem to understand human relationships and I feel like it undermines the story trying to be told.

I enjoy a good Dean/Cas video. Personally, I think Dean would've felt like any of his friends were important and wouldn't have wanted to leave them behind. If it were Jo or even Ash, I can't imagine Dean just saying, "Okay. Well, good luck."

[colleendetroit]

This is especially concerning to me because in general, Tumblr is full of teenage girls who tend to fetishize homosexuality. They don't understand the reality of the things they are creating and posting when throwing around these words.

Yeah, they just don't get it...I mean, it's good that acceptance is slowly trickling into society, but to go beyond acceptance and start throwing around offenses as if they are now ok is ignorant. As a mom, I know how kids can be let loose on the internet and you might not know what the fuck they're doing at times, but holy hell, I sure hope kids are being taught those words aren't right to throw around off the interweb0z as well. I've heard my kids' friends use 'gay' a lot, I tell my kids I wil not accept that word as a joke or insult in this house and they know better. The parents of this new generation have to get off their asses and teach their kids was acceptance *really* is.

[rhymephile]

All the forms of "gay" are thrown around Tumblr like crazy, but the one in the gif above kinda pissed me off because I *know* it's teenaged girls making this shit. They have no idea what real life is like as a gay person, as an adult, in this society. Hell, I'm cautious of my girlfriend and I sitting on our balcony and holding hands.

I think that because homosexuality is becoming more accepted, that they think joking around like this is okay. It's even more irritating to me that these 15- and 16-year-old girls have NO idea what it's really like to be GLBT. Some of them may say they are, but within the confines of high school and mom and dad's house, they know nothing.

[ladymidath]

Well said. I agree completely.

[mf_luder_xf]

OMG, THANK YOU!! I've been loathing all those gifs. I don't care if it's more acceptable to be gay or whatever now that these people think justifies this, but legit, WTF. I don't understand why they're just popping up now and also why I've been seeing people who normally go on rants (rants not suggesting they aren't warranted) about things like queer baiting and trans-acceptance and other similar things. It makes no sense. And I'm glad at least one other person agrees with me. UGH.

[rhymephile]

I know people are a lot more open-minded, and in fandom especially. But this shit? I can't stand it. And I KNOW it's these little teen girls who talk about and create these gifs and somehow see gay people like some pretty dolls to play with or something. It's bizarre to me. It's like because things have gotten better when it comes to talking about being gay, things have gotten worse because now people think it's okay to push the limits of that.

The above gif was especially irritating to me. Stupid kids.