Moonglow
Diamond Member
Yet when I try that I am arrested...My first grade teacher gave us kids lots of hugs, she was just that kind of person. For all I know there were kids there that really needed it because those were the only hugs they ever got. Now teachers don't do that anymore. Lawsuits? I think there's more to it than that. I named this thread for a reason. I think America really is sick and the only cure for it is love, the only kind that is convincing, the kind that gives great big hugs and great wet kisses. Humans give and receive love through physical touch. Everything else just falls short.No, I'm not talking about the term as it's popularly used, I'm talking about real homophobia, the fear of affectionate gestures between men.
In Asia, men who are friends walk hand in hand while talking. In Europe they greet each other with a kiss on each cheek. Here we fist bump. It got me wondering if fear of homosexuality fuels our obsession with it, whether it be affinity or angry opposition to it.
That's another thing the rest of the world has in common, a lack of passion on homosexuality either way. They have a live and let live attitude toward alternative lifestyle whereas here people are either pushing it in everyone's face or fighting against it. Fathers fear intimacy with their sons because it might turn them gay, friends dread a simple backrub because in our culture that kind of thing is always sexual.
I have to wonder if we really do have a problem with homophobia in America and why our culture is so terrified of the male to male affection that seems to come so naturally to the rest of the world.
What's wrong with us?
I think the fear Americans have towards various groups is all by design. If your people are afraid of others, they give you, the government as much power as you want to keep themselves safe. If we didn't fear others we wouldn't give the government all the power they have.Thus fear is useful to governments.
Nazis used this fear of the other in the 30s to come to power. Governments use it to this day to stay in power. US government has made fear of touching and being touched so prevalaent that it's not even just same sex touching but ALL touching. Look at films and pictures from 50+ years ago and you'll see how much more common touching was. Now, a lot of this innocent contact can get you sued or arrested. By making simple human contact something bad we've become correspondingly much more fearful of other people, even our fellow citizens. And thus given the government unprecedented amounts of power over our daily lives.