(no subject)

[rm]

http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/who-are-you-calling-gay/

"To not be a man is to not be fully human and that’s terrifying."

Yeah, I've nabbed that somewhat out of context, but it's amazing both in and out of context.

The piece as a whole is riveting. No surprises, I don't think, but relevant to multiple recent discussions here, and really resonated with me from low-level parental paranoia about their kid being gay to the idea that masculinity is some awesome prize in the crackerjack box (that, by extension, should be maintained regardless of cost to self and/or cost to others).

Comments

[sushis.livejournal.com]

hmmmm...I have to say, I don't like the "your oppression is just a sub-species of my oppression" idea I see there. I do suspect that misogyny is a factor in, or at least a close relative of, much homophobia against gay men, but I don't think it's right for a (straight?) woman to tell a gay man what his oppression is all about, as if his experiences might not provide him with additional information or a different point of view.

[ladypeculiar.livejournal.com]

I definitely see what you're saying, and certainly the tone of the quote is too "This is right, other things are wrong" for my tastes. What I appreciate about the idea though, is the notion that hatred of the "other" bleeds into both of these cultural groupings. It's an idea that Fouccault touched on a great deal in The History of Sexuality, and I always find it intriguing when I see it brought up.