Obviously enough, following applies to minorities in general.
So, earlier today I was browsing around tumblr, when one of my friends I follow reblogged certain article. This article, in all it's simplicity, was picture of man and woman (the kind you see public places, like bathroom or elevator signs) holding hands, followed by text "Straight Pride". Below the picture, original creator raised a question of why doesn't Straight Pride (as opposed to Gay Pride) exist.
Now, obviously (at least for me) this was somewhat ironic post, since we live in a world where you don't have to keep your heterosexuality a secret in fear of your friends and family abandoning you. That fear doesn't exist, since being straight is widely acceptable norm.
Regardless, that question was worth asking, and since homosexuality is constantly becoming more and more acceptable worldwide, this could have turned into pretty good debate of whether or not gays have become "more equal" in some ways.
First response was, to summarize the whole comment: "**** you ***hole, you have NOTHING to be proud of, you haven't suffered like we have, I can't believe people like you exist, go **** yourself!"
This particular post had about 15 000 responses. About 1000 of them were among the same lines, about 200 were peaceful responses to first group, such as: "Please calm down, that's not what he meant." and about 400 were hateful responses to the second group, such as: "**** you also for taking his patriarchy-defending side!" Rest were people liking and reblogging this fight all over tumblr.
Now, I've been in internet for a long time, so I'm familiar with trolls, flame wars, and overall people fighting over nothing for nothing. Usually I tend to not participate on any online arguments, even to try to calm the situation down, and even if I go as far as to write something, I rarely get to the end before I decide to press delete, let the whole thing slide, and go do something else, like eat ice cream.
That being said, I'm pretty ****ing angry and disappointed how individuals of such widely acknowledged minority as gays (and people who support them) choose to represent itself.
It's widely known how much gays have had to fight in order to get even as much acknowledgement as they have today. Less than 100 years ago homosexuality was not only illegal, but considered mental disorder, and even today it's considered sin in many religions.
People who have come out of the closet have been abandoned by their best friends.
Children have been kicked out of their homes because they were foolish enough to think that their parents, who raised, cared of, and loved them for years, would accept them.
Even today, in some corners of the world, people are being shot and stoned to death by mere assumption of them being gay.
And now it's year 2013, and world is heading closer to equality in every front. Gays are more accepted and respected -admired, even- than ever before, gay marriage is getting legalized all over the place, and overall, public opinion is pretty encouraging. You would think that sun is shining.
And then your average "you" goes to the internet, visits your average chat forum, notices topic about "Straight Pride", and finds that the first response is "**** you!"
A little bit of browsing later, it occurs that this is not an opinion of one angry teenager (or grown adult, fair enough), but there are thousands of people who support this opinion.
Now, wouldn't-
No, shouldn't this individual think: "Such disrespectful and angry community as this doesn't deserve to be respected."
Following applies to every group ever:
If you have been fighting for decades to gain public acknowledgement and respect, you cannot afford to ruin the whole thing by attacking someone who doesn't respect you, with same anger and disrespect you have received over the time!
Personally? I don't hate any community.
Not any religious group. Not internet trolls. Not telemarketers. Not nazis. Not grammar-nazis. Not gays. Not Justin Bieber-fans or haters. Not goths. Not cartoonists. Nobody.
If I ever hate someone, that someone is/will be individual person, not the group s/he is part of, or represents, and my hatred will be based on his/her actions towards me or people I care about most, not his/her opinions.
I will not stop supporting gay rights -or any group that strives for equality- because of this, but I am pretty damn enraged of how this community seems to treat people who don't share it's opinions.
Fuck you, tumblr.
