Oooooh! This oughta be fun!
Okay, I’ll just second some things that’ve already been posted that come to mind, then I’ll offer my own. But first, I’d just like to say this about rooster circle:
WTMuthaF? Actually, this deserves to be spelled out: What the MuthaFuck?!
And, thanks, DianaG–you took the words right out of my mouth. Rooster circle will indeed be thought a troll not because it’s his/her first time posting here (and though I’m not quite sure why, I’m guessing that it’s “he” and not “she”, so I’ll just go with that), but because of his beliefs. For me, it’s numbers 2, 4-5, and 7-11.
Anyway, moving right along:
Abortion: Oughta be safe, legal, and affordable/free where necessary. Trust me, folks, you *really * don’t want women who don’t want children to have children. Or am I living in a parallel universe, and everyone else is living somewhere where no unwanted child grows up to be a sociopath? Hell, it’s bad enough that so many wanted children grow up to be that way. Now, does that mean that I believe that women should be able to abort throughout the entire pregnancy? Well, I don’t know. I guess we can talk about that when there’s universal agreement about fetal viability. But, yeah, women’s bodies, women’s decisions, and it should be this way for anyone, IMHO. Oh, and that goes for teenaged girls, too. Parental *notification * I think I get, but parental *permission * for an abortion, not so much.
Drugs: Absolutely should be legalized, especially pot and other non-freaky drugs (shrooms, etc.). I also think this should apply to the Class-F(reaky) drugs like heroine and crack. Especially when you take into considering the irrefutable connection between the illegality of drugs and criminality/violence in this country. Don’t get me wrong–I think that crack, meth, and heroine, given what we know about the effects that they have on people, are really bad drugs of choice, but honestly, I’d rather have my tax dollars diverted from this bullshit and ineffective and never-will-be-effective (in terms of the *stated * purposes) war on drugs and towards helping people who really want help and building a society where not so many people feel the need to take such drugs in order to escape reality. I mean, come on, those of us who live in the States and know the shit for what it really is know that this is one fucked up and scary place. Hell, who wouldn’t want to escape *that * reality?
Prostitution: Absolutely ought to be legalized, and everyone else who doesn’t approve of it should mind their own goddamned business. If your S.O. is stepping out on you with a prostitute (or with anyone else, for that matter), then that’s a conversation for you and your S.O.–not you and the prostitute. Don’t want to engage the services of a prostitute? Then don’t. See how simple that is? And no, I don’t believe that female prostitutes diminish women–it’s men (and women) with fucked up attitudes who diminish women.
Smoking: Look, I know it’s a dirty habit (and yes, I smoke), but the fact is, it’s legal, and it will probably always be that way, so you folks who believe that it should be illegal and that it should be illegal to smoke even in the open air ( :eek: ) really need to get a superglue grip. And, really, the world is making accommodations for you with a variety of anti-smoking legislation. The number of bars in which I can smoke is dwindling? Okay, I can handle that. I don’t like that the owners aren’t allowed to make that decision for themselves, but I can deal with it. And you should be able to deal with the reality that you don’t own the open air. Sheesh. And no, I don’t hate non-smokers.
Death Penalty: Needs to be abolished wholesale. Immediately. Should never have happened to begin with. And why is this even up for debate?! And please don’t tell me how I’d feel if someone murdered my mother, child, whoever. Trust me, I know how I’d feel, but my feelings wouldn’t/shouldn’t trump my belief that, apart from imminent danger to my life or to someone else’s life, I don’t have the right kill anyone. And neither, for that matter, should the state.
Religion: Sigh. I am a kippah-wearing Jew. I am also an atheist. Yep, really, I am. The thing is, though, I don’t have much patience for organized religion, at least not the way that I’ve seen it promulgated and practiced currently and throughout world history. There are, indeed, religious individuals of, in my opinion, impeccable (within the constraints of human fallibility) spirit and intention (e.g., John Shelby Spong, to name just one), but those people, it seems to me, are either outnumbered or cowed into effete or non-existent protest by the more arrogant and definitely dangerous extremists who think they share a “faith.” Oh, yeah, and trust me—I really and truly am an atheist, and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t try to convince me otherwise.
Der Trihs: Yeah, he sometimes (or often, or always, in other people’s mileage) comes (or, rather, seems to come) from out of left field, but you know what? I really don’t have a problem with him, and I appreciate his presence here. And though I might not always agree all the way with his ultimate conclusions, I think I get where he’s coming from. For instance, I don’t agree that U.S. soldiers should be slaughtered by the Iraqi insurgents (I don’t believe that anyone should be slaughtered by anyone else), but if the basis for his reasoning is that we shouldn’t be the fuck over there to begin with, then, yeah, I totally get what he’s saying, b/c we shouldn’t be the fuck over there. I’m also with him on that whole human-beings-being-replaced thing, too. (And Ensign Edison is correct—Der Trihs most certainly did not advocate for the extinction of humankind.) I mean, really, we’ve had awhile to get our shit together, and we simply. Refuse. To. Do. It. I don’t want to sound overly simplistic, but there’s famine, poverty, homelessness, racism, religious hatred, sexism, heterosexism/homophobia, and a bunch of other shit, and we’ve proved ourselves utterly incapable of—oops, woefully uninterested in seriously doing anything about—these things. How much fucking time do we need, folks?
The black President Thing: I am so totally with Stuffy on this one. Really, folks, who the fuck are we trying to kid here? A BLACK President? Elected by the folks in THESE United States? Sheeeeee-it, please. ‘Nuff said.
And now, to my own. I believe…
That any black person who uses the word “nigger” (or any of its permutations) in mixed company (i.e., company where not everyone is black) is a shameless minstrel and deserves, at the very least, the worst beat-down of their fucking lives. There is such a thing as taking this whole reappropriating-the-symbols-of-our-oppressors stuff too far. Furthermore, I believe that rappers/hip-hop “artists”/whatever the fuck they’re calling themselves these days need to be shot for incorporating that word into their lyrics so that other people can discover yet another way in which some black people are dip-shits. The same goes for the record company executives who distribute this shit, thereby ensuring that people the world over can bear witness to this insanity.
That any black person who uses that word as a term of endearment, especially if they’re referring to me, needs to be shot. I may not care that much what words we use among ourselves, but I sure as hell will not cotton to being called anyone’s “nigger,” “niggah,” or any variation thereof. No. Not. Ever. (And be careful when you use that word around other black people, too, 'cause we don’t all feel the same way about it.)
That any white person who asks, “Well, if black people can use that word, why can’t I?” deserves just as serious a beat-down. Why would you even want to use that word in the first place? And fuck how “down” you think you are, and fuck what your “keepin’ it real” homies say in your presence; you just need to stay away from that word.
(This does not apply to scholarly or satirical uses of the word. For instance, Chris Rock has used that word in one of his routines for a specific purpose, and I certainly wouldn’t expect anyone to refer to either Dick Gregory or Randall Kennedy’s books—both bearing the same title, for those who don’t know—as “The N-Word Book.” Really, how stupid would that sound?)
That anyone who stays in an abusive relationship (especially one of those drag-down-knock-out-gettin’-your-ass-kicked ones) is, on some level, an idiot. And if you allow your children to be exposed to this shit (especially if they’re getting their asses kicked, too), and you don’t move the entire goddamned universe to get them away from it, then you are, on some level, not much better than the abuser. And yeah, I really and truly get that low self-esteem and whatever other psychological shit that people have going on keeps them in such relationships, but…damn! (And before someone decides to put their foot up my ass, I assure you that my POV here is not merely academic.)
That many white Americans who adopt children from foreign white countries do so because, bottom line, they don’t want to raise black children. And those who don’t actively hate black people take this route because they’re too weak/scared shitless to stand up to their families, their friends, their co-workers, and their society, because they know what the real deal is WRT to blacks for many white people in America. And they’re afraid to stand up to idiot blacks who’ll treat them as if they’re Aryans in sheep’s clothing (see the next paragraph). And that’s a goddamned shame, because there are so many black children here who need good homes and who need to know that they’re loved and valued. And that shit about how adopting an Asian or a Latino baby from outside of the States is the same as adopting a black baby? Bullshit. Not without it’s own difficulty, mind you (I’m no fool), but still, on some level, bullshit. And please stop throwing out this line about how American adoption laws are so rigid, odd, uncertain, or whatever. Just admit what the deal really is, ‘cause I believe that if you could get a healthy white baby in the States, you wouldn’t be adopting outside of the country. (NOTE: I am perfectly aware that another Doper and her husband, as has been mentioned in another thread, are currently experiencing adoption difficulties here in the States, so my “I believe” here is in no way meant to trivialize the emotional trauma that a fucked-up, lying-ass adoption agency and, yes, fucked-up laws, are needlessly and cruelly subjecting them to. My heart truly goes out to them.)
That black people who bitch and moan that adoption of black children by white people is tantamount to cultural genocide are stone-cold idiots. Oh, and bigots, to boot. Got proof? No? Then either shut the fuck up, or adopt all of the unwanted black children yourselves. See how simple that is? (Friends of mine from my shul—a white lesbian couple—raised a black daughter who is now in college, and this kid turned out pretty damned great. Better than most teenagers I see, as a matter of fact.)
That the Democrats are pussies, and they’ve been pussies for quite some time now. Grow a fucking backbone, take a fucking position, and let the chips fall where they may. You might not always win, but at least I’d be able to have some respect for you. (This does not mean that I am a friend of the current crop of Republicans. Not by a long-shot.)
That anyone who says that they support civil unions for gays, and not gay marriage, are not friends of the gay community. Well, not, that is, unless they also say that they support civil unions for all and marriage for none. Here’s me, not holding my breath.
That gays who haggle over the word “marriage” need to take a step back, take a deep breath, and look at the larger picture. If the state/court gives us the right to ALL of the benefits of marriage, even though it’s not called “marriage,” then that’s a lot. And yeah, I understand that words have emotional power and that the word “marriage” means a lot to some people. But you know what? For now, take those rights wherever you can get them and run with them. We can deal with that other shit later on. And hey, what’s to stop you from calling your partner “wife,” “husband,” or “spouse?” Years ago, I referred to my then-partner as my husband, and hell, we didn’t even have a civil union, a domestic partnership, or anything like that (he was not a U.S. citizen). And today, I refer to him as my ex-husband, and I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks about it.
That anyone who’s old enough to vote, be charged as an adult in a criminal case, and be sent to fight in a war is certainly old enough to drink legally.
Let’s see…that’s all I got for now, but I’ll come back with more as they occur to me.