I wasn't referring to you. And I have been known to use the Lord's name in vain a lot. It's one of my faults. So I'm pretty sure you'd still make a good drinking buddy.
Thanks R, that is really honest and so true, for blacks as well. Sometimes I overreact, but it is a snap reaction to skin color instead of the issue, I've gotta truly work on that. ----------- My dad is sexist, women yada yada, but my wife is his constant antagonist and he is getting better. I, on the other hand wish for a Hillary Clinton/Sheila Jackson Lee ticket in 2004... but don't tell my dad. ----------- I think this bumper sticker says it best, "I'm not religious, I just love the Lord" Great thread.
I'm of the opinion, too much of anything is bad. Too much religion Too much food Too much booze Too much spending Too much of anything is a bad thing.
I'm somewhat of a religicist these days, and although I try not to be racist, the fact that I have to try is quite telling. As for being sexist or a homophobe, my wife is more successful than I am.....and she's worked hard to get there. As for all of the couples that we hang out with, we're far and away closest to a gay couple. In fact, I think of my wife and these friends as being better than me. They're all just the greatest people in the world....so it's hard for me not to extend this to other women and other gay men and think they're they're all somehow superior.
Sexist- I am in one way. I have had 5 college interns over my last 8 years working and each time I try to pick the brighest, most qualified person I can. However each time I ended up hiring the best looking female who had reasonable intelligence. Luckily for me each has done a fantastic job, so no complaints about the quality of their work. Racist- I'll be honest that I don't have any gay friends and more honestly don't even know if I would want one. I have clients who I strongly suspect may be, so I can work with them in a professional manner, just not interested in being friends. Religious- I am all screwed up! I grew up Baptist, then in high school when my parents let me pick my own church I tried Catholic once (gf was Catholic) and got too confused, and eventually went to a very lax Nazarene church which I loved (no getting dressed up) but I suspect much of the reason I liked it so much was because alot of my friends were there. Finally I have gone to a Southern Baptist church. I know it's weird, too much singing, very conservative and maybe it's some structure in my life. Probably someday I'll end up at another church (again I realize the Southern Baptists are a bit too far to the right even for me!)
Sexist. Professionally I treat people in the same manner. Personnally, I treat men and women different because the relationship is different. Poker night and girls don't mix from a comfort standard. Its tough impressing a girl while you merciliy take money from your friends or have it taken from you. Racist. I believe everyone is a little racist one way or another. I wouldn't say I'm too bad, except when I feel I'm being discriminated against. I do have a bad knee jerk response to affirmative action and other programs that are race based which I feel should be more economic based. Religicist. I'm more an anti-religicist. I'm Catholic, but I'm much more comfortable with other people that believe in God, Allah, etc than I am with atheists since I don't know what they consider good and bad. Overly religious people annoy me, too.
Racist: Not really, although I often don't want to be around white people. I know, it is odd...hard to explain. Sexist: I generally like women better and think that they are the better sex, but I am perfectly happy being a man. Religicist: I don't really care. If they are annoying then they are annoying. Of course I think that my views are superior, but that is just because they are not me, it is nothing personal, otherwise I would not like most of my family. Well, I don't like most of my family, but that is for different reasons.
Hate to get incredibly odd, but while we're being honest, I used to have a very similar feeling. I grew up in a predominantly non-white area, and even though I'm mainly white (mut, but mainly white), I remember thinking as a kid that white people SMELLED BAD. And it isn't something anyone told me, that I remember. But I'll never forget thinking all my African American childhood pals, for instance, smelled a lot better than the white ones. I feel like that's a freaky thing to post, but it's honest. A lot of my white buddies were really poor, already worked with their parents in fields and on shrimping boats, so maybe they actually did smell bad for a tangible reason. Racist attitudes can change though. In SF, a supposedly wonderful happy liberal everybody-gets-along city, people are actually more segregated than in Houston, IMO. Everybody ethnic group has their definitive neighborhoods. I don't get to interact with many people of color at all, so now I'm less comfortable in mixed race situations.
i think i've been racist most of my life, but not in the traditional sense. i've never wanted to hang out with people of my OWN race b/c of their behaviors. I was raised in a predominantly white neighborhood in Houston, with very few people of my own race. When I went to college, I deliberately stayed away from people of my own race for the first two years. Individually, they are fine people... but when we get into groups, we become so cliquish and snobby and look down on others... and don't even get me started on the women of my race... i didn't date them for the longest time... finally i met some really cool people my junior year of college and got over my whole "racism against my race" idea. just goes to show you racism works in all kinds of ways. i can be somewhat sexist when it comes to being friends with people, b/c i find that being a friend with a woman is so much tougher than being one with a man... with a female friend, they want to know the inner you... something i choose not to delve into and don't explore much myself... my guy friends just want a beer, some nachos, and a big TV. easy enough. a lot of times when my female friends call me, i won't pick up the phone on purpose. i know that sounds really mean, but there are a lot of times that I just don't feel like sitting around and talking about their problems and them wanting to talk about the meaning of life, love, and relationships. Yeah, I guess I can be an ass... but sometimes you just don't feel like talking, ya know?
Why is it sad? Am I going to hell now? Sorry, but you were being a huge douche with the caplocks. I apologize to you if I'm going to hell now. I realize thats a great burden on you. Please enjoy your milk and honey in heaven.
Good point Sir. Excuse me Sir. I have some posts to which I should be responding to, with only this: To quote Forrest.. "Stupid is as stupid does." ****er. (The ****er part was mine... )
No...you're not going to hell because of that. You're probably going to hell for so many better reasons than that. It was sad because you chose to "poop" on an entire religion. It was just a dumbass comment to make.
Religion is an interesting thing, and certainly worthwhile for many people, and in some ways society in general... it makes for great societal unity. I'm an atheist, but I honestly don't have anything against a very religious person. The only people that I have problems with are fundamentalists who can't see the truth staring them in the face. These are the people that say they believe say, that the creation story in the Bible is true. Well, umm, excuse me sir, but there are two creation stories in there, and THEY CONTRADICT EACH OTHER. The usual fundamentalist response to this: "It's a mistranslation." BULLS***! OPEN YOUR EYES! Anywho, I think that in the end religion merely denotes your purpose in life. I really think that you can narrow it down to that. In my case, I believe that THERE IS NO PURPOSE to life. Depressing, huh? But you know what? In the end, we're all dead, and no one 100 years later is going to care. Some people hate that idea... they want to be remembered. I find it liberating. Being alive is purpose enough for me. I don't feel the need to believe that all the good people go to a good place and all the bad people go to a bad place, and that we'll all see each other again someday in heaven. I just don't buy that; it just sounds bogus to me. I mean, come on, doesn't anyone find it interesting that the Church got rid of limbo? Where did all those unbaptised babies go to? To me, that says that limbo never existed, and by extension, I find it doubtful that purgatory, heaven, or hell exist. I don't feel I need to serve a particular cause; I'm just going to finish my 70 years or so on this Earth (if I'm lucky) and return to oblivion. As Douglas Adams said: "So long, and thanks for all the fish." Sorry for being so off-topic.
It is really difficult to say if I am more racist, religist, or sexist. I like to think I am a perfect combination of all three. I am what I call a 'preferential socioeconomist' Ok, Word Up! I just made that word up. What I mean is I tend to turn a cold shoulder not to blacks or whites or jews or gays--I am snobbish and have a general disliking or fear of select impoverished people. Wow. That was honest. I don't mean people who are down on their luck or are poor because they were disfigured and cannot find work. I'm talking about people who are poor by choice or ignorance. People that 'ride the system.' Or people that have been dumbed down by generations of ignorance. I know that sounds harsh but it is true. If I am out cruising the projects I am not scared because of the color of a brother's skin. I am scared because of the situation he is in and the environment in which he lives. Whether he is gonna jump me for my $20 or jump me so that he will look cool to his buddies. I don't want to be there. The same goes for the redneck sticks of East Texas or the barrio in East LA. It's not about color, religion, or sex with me. It's about views of the world.
