Since someone’s already mentioned Dobson’s advice that boys shower with their dads to keep them straight, I’ll fire at this one…
[QUOTE=Guinastasia]
Huh. I wonder if someone here would be willing to send a phony letter in and see if she prints it?
[/QUOTE]
This already happened at least once. Someone sent in a letter to Abby about her insensitive, bowling-loving husband buying her a bowling ball for her birthday. Out of spite, she decided to use “her” present and go bowling. She fell in love with a handsome bowling instructor. Now what should she do? Abby’s advice: admit your misdoing to your husband. To win you back, he may be willing to change back to the man who bowled you over in the first place. (Her bad pun, not mine.) However, very few (if any) papers ran this column- Universal Press Syndicate pulled it after someone there realized the story sounded suspiciously like an old Simpsons episode.
[QUOTE=Ensign Edison]
Nothing makes a person “more prone” to homosexuality. What an odd way to put it.
[/QUOTE]
Guin was spot-on. I know there’s nothing that will influence a person’s sexuality; they are what they are.
My point was that, to the extent that anything does influence sexuality, it would seem counterintuitive to expose a boy to male genitalia, especially to the exclusion of female genitalia.
[QUOTE=Frank]
I was doing OK until the pile of beer cans buried the telephone, so now I can’t call for food anymore. I figure I’ve about a week left. I’m hoping the pizza place (or the Chinese place) calls the police and does a welfare check on me (Officer, he hasn’t ordered for two weeks!), or else I’m doomed.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Frank]
I was doing OK until the pile of beer cans buried the telephone, so now I can’t call for food anymore. I figure I’ve about a week left. I’m hoping the pizza place (or the Chinese place) calls the police and does a welfare check on me (Officer, he hasn’t ordered for two weeks!), or else I’m doomed.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=mobo85]
This already happened at least once. Someone sent in a letter to Abby…Universal Press Syndicate pulled it after someone there realized the story sounded suspiciously like an old Simpsons episode.
[/QUOTE]
Would it be unethical to have a contest to see who can get their bogus Dear Abby letter published first?
[QUOTE=Loopydude]
Would it be unethical to have a contest to see who can get their bogus Dear Abby letter published first?
[/QUOTE]
I think we should make it bogus Simpsons Dear Abby letters. With 375 episodes or so, there’s got to be enough in there to eventually get one past Universal Press Syndicate. We’ll just pull it from one of the recent seasons that nobody likes.
[QUOTE=mobo85]
This already happened at least once. Someone sent in a letter to Abby about her insensitive, bowling-loving husband buying her a bowling ball for her birthday. Out of spite, she decided to use “her” present and go bowling. She fell in love with a handsome bowling instructor. Now what should she do? Abby’s advice: admit your misdoing to your husband. To win you back, he may be willing to change back to the man who bowled you over in the first place. (Her bad pun, not mine.) However, very few (if any) papers ran this column- Universal Press Syndicate pulled it after someone there realized the story sounded suspiciously like an old Simpsons episode.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Otto]
Sadly, fake or not, there are innumerable parents out there who are truly that rock-stupid. I mean, someone’s buying the books from a man who endorses the idea of fathers showering with their sons to be sure that the sons see penises as a way to prevent homosexuality, so if it’s not “Worried Mom” it’s people just as idiotic.
As for Dobson himself, I heartily recommend James Dobson’s War on America by Gil Alexander-Moegerle. Gil was a co-founder of Focus on the Family, the co-host of Dobson’s radio show and a member of the board of directors before Dobson turned on him and forced him out. Certainly he has a bit of an axe to grind, which he acknowledges in the book, but it’s still the first and AFAIK only look at FoF from the inside.
[/QUOTE]
Wow!! Checked out the link. The guy is a real case. Interesting and scary the way he weaves his crap in there as if it’s all scientifically researched and factual.
[QUOTE=MsRobyn]
Guin was spot-on. I know there’s nothing that will influence a person’s sexuality; they are what they are.
Robin
[/QUOTE]
I’m not sure I agree with this. I had a friend years ago who lived much of his adult life being rejected by woman and eventually sought comfort and companionship in the gay community.
What about Anne Heche?
In the messed up society we have it’s hard to tell how much environment and societal pressures play a role but I think that someone who might otherwise be straight can be emotionally wounded by the opposite gender to such an extent that they seek comfort, emotional support and sex from the same gender.
I think the two extremes of “being gay is a choice and something you can be cured of” and “all gay people are born gay” are incorrect.
[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net]
Personally, I thought the response from Dear Abby was pretty lame.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t. She’s not a hard-hitting reporter, nor a major radical social reformer, nor a gay-rights activist. She’s the most well-established white bread flavorless advice columnist alive(?) today. It’s her job to dispense sound if bland advice that does not seriously offend Middle America.
[QUOTE=cosmosdan]
What about Anne Heche?
[/QUOTE]
I don’t think Anne Heche can be used as an example of anything except how much it sucks to miss the shuttle back to the mothership.