HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Nov. 24, 2004 Prejudice is something that goes back as far as history does. The people of today like to flatter themselves and say that we, unlike our forefathers, now know that it is wrong, and we like to say that we’ve fixed the problem by making multiple anti-prejudice laws and such. But there are more types of prejudice than just that of race or gender. Discrimination against a person’s sexuality is a huge problem today. Nearly 40% of American’s today suffer from something called “Homophobia”. The actual word homophobia was coined in the late 1960s by George Weinberg in his book Society and the Healthy Homosexual. Weinberg used homophobia to label heterosexuals' dread of being in close quarters with homosexuals as well as homosexuals' self-loathing. The word itself is pretty strait forward and self explanatory, and actually the only synonym in Roget’s Thesaurus was hatred. Not a very pleasent word to be compared to, I'll have to admit...but that's what it is. Homophobia is often considered an acceptable prejudice. I know kids, even adults that I simply pass on the street using words like "fag" and "homo", even if it's just to be a light- hearted insult. Winking jokes about being gay are still a common element found on television and in movies today. Probably the most to point quote about homophobia I've found was from Dr. Leon Hoffman. Hoffman simply classified homophobia as "a 'family values' prejudice." And with the way people are brought up now-a-days, its true. I recently read a poem by Robert Merrell called "The Wickedness of Man." Basically through the entire poem he is saying that God is going to punnish homosexual people. In fact, he goes as far as to say "the homosexual, the lesbian have turned from the natural way... their practices are the damnation, God has given them over to Satan." Well, with a piece like that is there any question on his moral standards? While I understand that Mr. Merrell is saying that in the Bible is says homosexuality is wrong, I have to disagree entirely with his writing. Mr. Merrell implies that if you are homo or bisexual, you are going to Hell. In the Bible it does say homosexuality is wrong, but it also says that any sin is wrong. Would you then, therefore, be sent to Hell for lying? In the Bible it says that in God’s eyes sin is sin, He sees no distinction between them. So, Mr. Merrell, if you would just kindly prove to me that you have more of a right to go to Heaven than any homosexual person, then I will gladly apologize. But for now I will stand next to my opinion and simply say that this poem is just another example of homophobia in the world. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not homo or bisexual, and I'm not trying to promote homosexuality. I've been brought up in a Christian family, and I know the Bible front to back... but I don't believe in hate. Prejudice, put most simply, is people hating other people just because they might be a little differnt from yourself. Well, I've got news for you people: That's the way the world works! You're not going to find someone who agrees with you about everything! Are we going to start discriminating against the color of people's hair soon? Is that what really classifies you as a person? I don't think so, and I certaintly hope you don't either. But as I see it, homohphobia not only consists of hate, I think a lot of it has to do with fear, and lack of understanding. What does that mean? Basically, what people don’t know scares them. Since a majority of people in the world through the ages have been brought up learning that the only way to have a relationship is between a man and a woman, anything else is just wrong, weird, and unnatural. So naturally people are against it. My only hope is that someday, we'll get over our prejudices, immaturity, our ignorance... and realize that we need to accept people just the way people are. ------------ About the author: Callie Lawrence is a high-school student from Norman, Ohlahoma. She's involved in the Honor Wind Ensamble, Concert Choir, and the Competative Acting Team. She's a member of the Internation Thespien Society, and the National Forensic League. She's a proud member of the Young Democrats at her school, and volunteers at the Clevland County Demorcratic Headquarters. She's also been a member of First Baptist Church for sixteen years. Email: MajesticMooseEh@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
