Monday 16 April 2012

The logic of hate


Two major parts of my life are my sexuality and my belief system. That's not to say they should be a big part of my life, but we live in a world where these two things are brought to the forefront of politics, day to living, how some people perceive others and how we are grouped, defined and labelled in society.

Perhaps I have become a perpetrator of this same problem myself. I have always been opinionated and I have always felt the need to share those opinions. I'm happy enough to admit if I am proven wrong, but when that doesn't happen, I will continue to fight for what I believe in. When people are attacking homosexuality, I feel forced to defend myself. Defending myself has got to a point where I am actually somewhat on the offence too, because remaining quiet and NOT trying to make people change their ignorant and illogical views, as well as shouting out "I'm here and I want to be counted!", would make me a part of the problem.

Most mainstream religions have a rather unusual interest in the sex lives of others, so changing my atheist view to one of an anti-theist was a very natural progression that I didn't really make consciously. When someone is telling me that they hate me, because God hates me, my logical response is "Well, he's not fucking real anyway!". With religion creeping into politics, it has stopped being harmless. I no longer feel able to live and let live. I feel that I am at a point where they have got out of line. If your illogical belief is working against me (and decency), then I'm afraid I need to stamp on that belief. That's not to imply I like quieter, more accepting faith. I dislike it far less, but I still dislike all barriers to science, logic and common sense. I think education is one of the most important aspects of humanity.

Now, my problem isn't with hate. Oh no, I have plenty of hate in my heart. Perhaps that's not a good thing, but it's a fact. My problem is with ILLOGICAL hate. Hate that is based on someone's choices, we can talk about. However, if you hate someone for something they have no control over, where is the logic or sense? For me, this means I don't hate people of any sexuality, gender or race, for starters. It also leads me to be more judgemental of ethnic minority homophobes and racist LGBT people, because I would have thought they would be more compassionate and understanding of being in a similar situation. Alas, no, some people are just too stupid to make the connection, but I guess stupidity is often a trait of a the homophobe or the racist.

Now, the problem with accepting all "sexuality" as natural and not a choice; that is to say the problem with accepting that a reason not to hate or disapprove of them, becomes cloudy in some areas. For example, are paedophiles and zoophiles to be embraced? Where I start to find my answer is by looking at what is natural; not just what is a choice. To the best of my knowledge, in the animal world, sex with sexually immature animals isn't common-place. Also, although cross-breeding occurs, it is between similar animals and I think it is usually between animals that are able to reproduce together. I'm no expert on this though. Homosexuality, on the other hand, is perfectly natural and occurs in nature quite a lot. What's more, it isn't just sexual gratification, but love/partnership.

Furthermore, we have also progressed beyond our primitive instincts. Now, is this a contradiction of my last point? I don't think so, because that was about whether it is natural. Now we look at how it fits our humanity. If we allowed ourselves to be completely animal, rape would not be taboo, let alone considered immoral or made illegal. That's now how we have socially evolved though. We realise that rape actually hurts the victim, mentally/emotionally. We also recognise the unfairness of theft, dishonesty, murder etc., because of our instincts as pack animals, perhaps. Whatever the reason, we value the happiness of others and have the ability to feel sympathy and empathy. Where is this all leading? Consent.

So can we really compare paedophilia and zoophilia to homosexuality? In the respect that they may not choose their desires, they are comparable. However, a child is regarded (correctly, in my opinion) as not having the capability to properly consent to sexual activity. Similarly, an animal does not possess the ability to understand and consent. Therefore, the practices are immoral. Perhaps it is unfair to judge these people for their feelings and desire. However, acting upon them is no better than a rapist ignoring their rape instinct. Homosexuality (and bisexuality) is entirely different, because it is among consenting adults (assuming that particular person isn't ALSO a paedophile or zoophile - they are entirely separate). Homosexuality is not harmful to anyone AND is natural, so this is something that should not be hated.

Do I really need to add reasons why race isn't unnatural or a choice? I sure hope not.

In my experience, homophobia and racism come from ignorance, lies and misinformation. Sometimes it can come from or lead to something of a superiority complex too. Never assume that what you are being told is the truth. In fact, if you accept everything I have said, you may believe things that aren't true, because I might have made a mistake. Check EVERYTHING. Question EVERYTHING. Think for yourself.

That brings me back to religion. I could go on and on about why I am an atheist and anti-theist, but that is a whole other post waiting to happen and I've probably bored you enough already, so let's stick to the point that religion sometimes teaches homosexuality as a sin, but it also ignores other sins that are mentioned in whichever holy text. Let's take the bible. If someone preaching about homosexuality being evil and they're wearing mixed fabrics, who decided that one was more important that the other? Who decided that it was ok to pray in public (something Jesus forbade), but it's not ok to be gay (something Jesus never though to even mention - let alone condemn)? Again, you need to base your morals on rationality and logic. Think for yourself.

If someone does something or IS 'something' that doesn't harm you, hating them for it is stupid. If you think it is harmful, are you SURE it is?



2 comments:

  1. Have I mentioned I love you bunches, and one day I will come to the UK and we will have the bestest time ever??????? teeheeeheeee <3
    Again, will recommend Superfurry Animals (band) , RUN CHRISTIAN RUN (song) off the album Rings around the world.... make sure you watch the version that has flames and a bouncy ball, you will love it.
    Silly **nt.... glad you have a blog. MWAH

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  2. Very good points and I am with ya when it comes down to stomping on people who think their religion means they can impede your life. What happened to "Love thy neighbor" or "live and let live"? I remember those from Sunday school.

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