The Apple That Didn't Fall Far
this weekend my dad came from my hometown for a much-needed weekend visit. the last time we had seen each other was back at christmas, close to ten months ago. this has been not only the longest amount of time it has been since i have been home, but also the longest amount of time that has passed since seeing my dad since my birth. and as i have stated in earlier posts, my dad is so much more than just my dad. he is one of my best friends.
anyway, the weekend consisted of many great, detailed, in depth conversations. the type of conversations which span over the course of several hours and feel like minutes. conversations in which opinions are stated, taken into consideration and acknowledged even if not agreed with. he recently returned from a 2-week european vacation with his boyfriend. yes, you read that correctly, his boyfriend. get the whole apple not falling far reference??? anyway, he said that the europeans did not blink twice when he and his partner, who is of a different ethnic background than we are, walked the streets, had dinner or visited the museums. in fact, he said that he saw couples of many different backgrounds, both gay and straight walking the streets of paris and barcelona.
let's face facts. our country, for as great as it claims to be, is still a very young nation. we outcast and throw shame on anyone who is different than we are. and those differences span across religious beliefs, politcal beliefs, sexual practices, skin color, backgrounds and even education. so basically, and i use a hypothetical example here, a man in the united states who is educated, holds down a good job and salary, has a nice place to call home, maybe donates money and time to charity and does not have a criminal BUT falls in love with a person of the same gender should be cast out of society and is actually considered to be 'the part that brings the rest of society down.' for a country that considers itself to be 'the melting pot' i would say that is a pretty closed-minded view to have. ultimately, the people in this country do not view people as people. that's all we are. people.
a person's make-up should not be judged or evaluated by who they vote for, who they pray to (or don't pray to), and by no means who sleeps along side them in bed. ever notice that in many movies, plays or stories that are told to us, when a person in power falls in love with someone of a lower rank that it takes place in a foreign country? oh sure, we have it here in america. everyone saw 'maid in manhattan,' right? leave it to us americans to put a comedic spin on issues within our society that many consider to be taboo. that is how we handle the situation...make fun of it. any wonder why suicide runs rampant within the gay community and as a nation, we are extremely overweight? until recently, hasn't the gay person in very movie, television show or play been the nelliest, most feminine queen ever? thank you writers of 'will & grace' for showing some of us as educated, sophisticated, cultured adults who don't stick our puds in everything that moves.
there are so many problems in this world. the irony is that many of the same problems which we see outside our borders really aren't that far from home. we have poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, AIDS and people fighting to be considered equal to everyone else. we have natural disasters within our own country happenening and people we elect pointing fingers at one another. maybe we should stop being the big brother to everyone else and take the time to be the bigger brother to ourselves.
anyway, the weekend consisted of many great, detailed, in depth conversations. the type of conversations which span over the course of several hours and feel like minutes. conversations in which opinions are stated, taken into consideration and acknowledged even if not agreed with. he recently returned from a 2-week european vacation with his boyfriend. yes, you read that correctly, his boyfriend. get the whole apple not falling far reference??? anyway, he said that the europeans did not blink twice when he and his partner, who is of a different ethnic background than we are, walked the streets, had dinner or visited the museums. in fact, he said that he saw couples of many different backgrounds, both gay and straight walking the streets of paris and barcelona.
let's face facts. our country, for as great as it claims to be, is still a very young nation. we outcast and throw shame on anyone who is different than we are. and those differences span across religious beliefs, politcal beliefs, sexual practices, skin color, backgrounds and even education. so basically, and i use a hypothetical example here, a man in the united states who is educated, holds down a good job and salary, has a nice place to call home, maybe donates money and time to charity and does not have a criminal BUT falls in love with a person of the same gender should be cast out of society and is actually considered to be 'the part that brings the rest of society down.' for a country that considers itself to be 'the melting pot' i would say that is a pretty closed-minded view to have. ultimately, the people in this country do not view people as people. that's all we are. people.
a person's make-up should not be judged or evaluated by who they vote for, who they pray to (or don't pray to), and by no means who sleeps along side them in bed. ever notice that in many movies, plays or stories that are told to us, when a person in power falls in love with someone of a lower rank that it takes place in a foreign country? oh sure, we have it here in america. everyone saw 'maid in manhattan,' right? leave it to us americans to put a comedic spin on issues within our society that many consider to be taboo. that is how we handle the situation...make fun of it. any wonder why suicide runs rampant within the gay community and as a nation, we are extremely overweight? until recently, hasn't the gay person in very movie, television show or play been the nelliest, most feminine queen ever? thank you writers of 'will & grace' for showing some of us as educated, sophisticated, cultured adults who don't stick our puds in everything that moves.
there are so many problems in this world. the irony is that many of the same problems which we see outside our borders really aren't that far from home. we have poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, AIDS and people fighting to be considered equal to everyone else. we have natural disasters within our own country happenening and people we elect pointing fingers at one another. maybe we should stop being the big brother to everyone else and take the time to be the bigger brother to ourselves.
posted by notfornothin at Monday, October 03, 2005
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