This blog is going to be kinda lighthearted, and more or less just a question of what your opinions are.....
Do you think that gay stereotypes on television, in movies, and in the media in general have been a good thing for the gay community, not such a good thing for the gay community, or somehow both? What I am getting at is do you think that gay people are stereotyped fairly in the media platform or not quite as accurately as we should be? Several questions here wrapped up into one I realize, but take a stab at it.. I would really like to hear what you think. I am not going to get into giving my opinion on this one yet because frankly I don't feel like getting chewed out and name called over something as silly as just my opinion. Plus I want to see what you guys think first!
So be honest, leave comments, PLEASE be respectful of one another as well as respectful of me, and share your thoughts on this. For the time being my comments are administrator reviewed, but I will post all comments received fairly and equally so long as they are not offensive to someone elses comment or offense in regard to me. If this works out, eventually I will go back to just allowing comments without review, this is yet to be seen however. So far I have learned a lesson from this... which is that it is one thing to be disagreed with, and another to be attacked and name called. This is not a forum for this behavior and I certainly won't tolerate it. Again, there are responsible ways of disagreeing with someones opinion.
With that being said, feel free to tell me what you think about these questions and say what you feel. I am considering this for a topic on my Examiner page and honestly Internet research just gets a little boring sometimes. I figured I would take a new approach to this and post the questions and get real responses. If nothing else, we can at least get a good conversation going out of this and maybe learn a thing or two.
Take Care Folks
E
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Debunking Gay stereotypes and myths
GOOOD morning folks! I am hoping everyone is having a great day... third shift at the lab is calling my name for tonight, so sleep is on my agenda for the moment. (You didn't think that all of us freelancers only had one source of income did you)!
Anyway, I have a new article up on Examiner.com titled: Debunking Gay stereotypes and myths.
Please feel free to check it out, as well as my contribution to RUSE the.magazine which is still running titled: The TRUTH about staffing agencies.
Take Care
E
Anyway, I have a new article up on Examiner.com titled: Debunking Gay stereotypes and myths.
Please feel free to check it out, as well as my contribution to RUSE the.magazine which is still running titled: The TRUTH about staffing agencies.
Take Care
E
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
On a cold November night downtown..
This is a paste of one of my older Myspace blogs from around Easter that I thought about today for some reason. I was just sitting here thinking about what in the hell I am going to drum up for my examiner.com page to publish tomorrow.. and this experience entered my mind again as it does from time to time. When it does I realize how much I have to be grateful for and that I should never take for granted anything that I have.
I was laying in bed this morning, kind of half way asleep and half way awake and both of my cats kept hopping up into bed struggling to get comfortable. As I was incoherently groaning for them to get off of me so I could fall back asleep, I thought about something I had not thought about in awhile.
It was, maybe the beginning of November, and my friend and I were driving around downtown. I had just moved back to New Richmond from living in Northside and it was just starting to really feel COLD out at night. I remember this evening was one of the colder ones of the fall season so far and certainly the coldest night since summertime had ended. It wasn't freezing, just cold. We had been out driving around all night all over the place, listening to the radio, singing, talking, having a great time really. We were being thoughtless and carefree, and intentionally so because we both felt like we deserved a night of relief from our worries and concerns of life.
As we drove passed the stadiums and around to Pete Rose Way to head passed The Dock, we noticed this homeless man laying on a bench. He was lying there, covered up with newspapers. The part of this that really cemented this into my brain was the fact that lying with him on the bench was his yellow/orange cat. This visual of a homeless man on a cold night in the city covered with newspapers but still having enough compassion to keep the cat safe, it is etched into my memory permanently.
I remember that night feeling such a profound sadness for this man. I remember feeling very helpless seeing this situation, and I remember feeling almost angry because not only did I not feel there was anything I could do about it, but I wouldn't have even known where to begin. Its a fact of life downtown that a lot of times homeless people are not exactly homeless. They stand places and beg for money to support their habits and in a lot of circumstances this turns them violent towards people which in turn keeps people at bay. I have encountered many situations like this when I lived in Northside prior to seeing this man downtown, and I have had experiences with people SINCE seeing this man where it was clear the person was lying to get money for whatever habit they have. So I am embarrassed to say I did nothing for this man on this night, out of the very realistic fear that he could get violent towards us.
The part that bothers me about that is it sounds like such a cop out and an excuse but its neither of which. Its a very sad reality, and an excused and accepted reality because it is how most everyone handles it. As long as it is out of site then it is out of mind, and it is almost like the quicker we get away from seeing it, the quicker we can forget what we saw. I remember after we saw this man, we didn't hang around long, nor did we go somewhere else and continue our night and avoid it. It was time to call it a night period and that is exactly what we did. It was out of site, but it certainly is not out of mind.
I think what made me think about this today was the fact that here I am, always with something to complain about (just like the rest of us btw), and I never really think about my problems in comparison to people who clearly have REAL problems. I am lying in my bed this morning MAD because my cats are waking me up and I am harping and hollering for them to get out of the bed and go lay somewhere else.. YET I think back to this homeless man, who was lying on a bench on a cold night in the city with nothing but newspapers, and he wasn't shewing that cat away, complaining, or getting angry because it was making him uncomfortable. Instead he was keeping it safe by letting it take up with him and there was something very precious about that to me. Regardless of what happened to put this man in his situation, he still thought enough about something other than himself that even with NOTHING.. and with NOTHING to GAIN, he was able to care for something other than himself just because it was the right thing to do. That is SOOO much more than I can say for the rest of us. I thought about that this morning as I was yelling at my cats to leave me alone. I wanted them out of my face because they were disturbing my comfort by moving around as I was warm and covered up in a comfortable bed. This man had no comfort, no blankets, no bed, no anything.. and he had no reason to keep that cat with him and keep it safe from being killed on the city streets somewhere, but he did so anyway, because it was the right thing to do.
We harp and bitch about all the everyday things that bother us and annoy us, then we hit up a store and buy whatever we want so we can boast about what we have, as if that is somehow important in the long run, or somehow a representation of self worth. We buy certain cars because of how they compliment our "image". We live in certain areas because they make us "look better". Sometimes.. a lot of times, we even pick who we date and who our friends are based on what type of person this makes us look like towards others. Why? Why is so much importance placed on such meaningless things. I personally don't care what someone perceives of me based on anything I have or the car I drive or the friends I have. I can be adult enough and honest enough to admit that I haven't always felt this way. There were points in my life where those things were very important to me because I cared more about what other people thought about me than I cared for what I thought about myself. At some point though I realized that this doesn't equate happiness.
This man with nothing but newspapers showed more compassion towards a stray cat than most of us do towards one another. To me, regardless of how little he has materialistically speaking, or what put him in the situation where he has no where else to go.. he has more compassion and true self worth than anyone I know, myself included. Even though he was trying to sleep on a cold night on a bench covered with newspapers in the city, he has succeeded further than most of us ever will just because of the fact that in spite of having nothing, in some small way, he was still able to give with no desire to gain. Most people go their whole lives and never understand the concept behind this or the concept behind most of what I am writing about today.
So, tomorrow on Easter Sunday, think about this man and think about yourself in comparison to him. Think about your life and where you are, and where you want to be, and think about the fact that other people have it much worse off than we do, but still somehow end up being a better person, maybe not in spite of it, but because of it. There is SO much more to life than a hot car, or a 300,000 home, or a big screen TV or the best cell phones, the best computers, etc. With all of these people that have these things, and more.. they still haven't found whatever that homeless man with the cat downtown has found, and there isn't a value high enough to place on that.
I was laying in bed this morning, kind of half way asleep and half way awake and both of my cats kept hopping up into bed struggling to get comfortable. As I was incoherently groaning for them to get off of me so I could fall back asleep, I thought about something I had not thought about in awhile.
It was, maybe the beginning of November, and my friend and I were driving around downtown. I had just moved back to New Richmond from living in Northside and it was just starting to really feel COLD out at night. I remember this evening was one of the colder ones of the fall season so far and certainly the coldest night since summertime had ended. It wasn't freezing, just cold. We had been out driving around all night all over the place, listening to the radio, singing, talking, having a great time really. We were being thoughtless and carefree, and intentionally so because we both felt like we deserved a night of relief from our worries and concerns of life.
As we drove passed the stadiums and around to Pete Rose Way to head passed The Dock, we noticed this homeless man laying on a bench. He was lying there, covered up with newspapers. The part of this that really cemented this into my brain was the fact that lying with him on the bench was his yellow/orange cat. This visual of a homeless man on a cold night in the city covered with newspapers but still having enough compassion to keep the cat safe, it is etched into my memory permanently.
I remember that night feeling such a profound sadness for this man. I remember feeling very helpless seeing this situation, and I remember feeling almost angry because not only did I not feel there was anything I could do about it, but I wouldn't have even known where to begin. Its a fact of life downtown that a lot of times homeless people are not exactly homeless. They stand places and beg for money to support their habits and in a lot of circumstances this turns them violent towards people which in turn keeps people at bay. I have encountered many situations like this when I lived in Northside prior to seeing this man downtown, and I have had experiences with people SINCE seeing this man where it was clear the person was lying to get money for whatever habit they have. So I am embarrassed to say I did nothing for this man on this night, out of the very realistic fear that he could get violent towards us.
The part that bothers me about that is it sounds like such a cop out and an excuse but its neither of which. Its a very sad reality, and an excused and accepted reality because it is how most everyone handles it. As long as it is out of site then it is out of mind, and it is almost like the quicker we get away from seeing it, the quicker we can forget what we saw. I remember after we saw this man, we didn't hang around long, nor did we go somewhere else and continue our night and avoid it. It was time to call it a night period and that is exactly what we did. It was out of site, but it certainly is not out of mind.
I think what made me think about this today was the fact that here I am, always with something to complain about (just like the rest of us btw), and I never really think about my problems in comparison to people who clearly have REAL problems. I am lying in my bed this morning MAD because my cats are waking me up and I am harping and hollering for them to get out of the bed and go lay somewhere else.. YET I think back to this homeless man, who was lying on a bench on a cold night in the city with nothing but newspapers, and he wasn't shewing that cat away, complaining, or getting angry because it was making him uncomfortable. Instead he was keeping it safe by letting it take up with him and there was something very precious about that to me. Regardless of what happened to put this man in his situation, he still thought enough about something other than himself that even with NOTHING.. and with NOTHING to GAIN, he was able to care for something other than himself just because it was the right thing to do. That is SOOO much more than I can say for the rest of us. I thought about that this morning as I was yelling at my cats to leave me alone. I wanted them out of my face because they were disturbing my comfort by moving around as I was warm and covered up in a comfortable bed. This man had no comfort, no blankets, no bed, no anything.. and he had no reason to keep that cat with him and keep it safe from being killed on the city streets somewhere, but he did so anyway, because it was the right thing to do.
We harp and bitch about all the everyday things that bother us and annoy us, then we hit up a store and buy whatever we want so we can boast about what we have, as if that is somehow important in the long run, or somehow a representation of self worth. We buy certain cars because of how they compliment our "image". We live in certain areas because they make us "look better". Sometimes.. a lot of times, we even pick who we date and who our friends are based on what type of person this makes us look like towards others. Why? Why is so much importance placed on such meaningless things. I personally don't care what someone perceives of me based on anything I have or the car I drive or the friends I have. I can be adult enough and honest enough to admit that I haven't always felt this way. There were points in my life where those things were very important to me because I cared more about what other people thought about me than I cared for what I thought about myself. At some point though I realized that this doesn't equate happiness.
This man with nothing but newspapers showed more compassion towards a stray cat than most of us do towards one another. To me, regardless of how little he has materialistically speaking, or what put him in the situation where he has no where else to go.. he has more compassion and true self worth than anyone I know, myself included. Even though he was trying to sleep on a cold night on a bench covered with newspapers in the city, he has succeeded further than most of us ever will just because of the fact that in spite of having nothing, in some small way, he was still able to give with no desire to gain. Most people go their whole lives and never understand the concept behind this or the concept behind most of what I am writing about today.
So, tomorrow on Easter Sunday, think about this man and think about yourself in comparison to him. Think about your life and where you are, and where you want to be, and think about the fact that other people have it much worse off than we do, but still somehow end up being a better person, maybe not in spite of it, but because of it. There is SO much more to life than a hot car, or a 300,000 home, or a big screen TV or the best cell phones, the best computers, etc. With all of these people that have these things, and more.. they still haven't found whatever that homeless man with the cat downtown has found, and there isn't a value high enough to place on that.
Just a friendly first time hello..
Hey folks! So this specific blog platform is very new to me. I still use my Myspace Page for blogging and shameless self promotion for any articles or contributions that I have made to other publications. However, I have decided to give this a shot as well, because frankly I like it better.
So to dive right in, here is a link to my current blog. It contains several other links to my published contributions as well as some decent blogs if you sort through it long enough! After this entry I will post some fresh content on this site as well as links to anything new I have going on at the moment elsewhere.
I can also always be followed on Twitter and my other contact information is listed on my profile. Feel free to check out my Examiner.com page: Eddie Humfleet/Gay relationships Examiner All of my current contributions are listed there. I also have contributions running at Ruse the.magazine. They have a great group of contributors currently going so check them all out and feel free to browse through and check out my submissions as well.
Current and past contributions for RUSE the.magazine:
The TRUTH about staffing agencies
A sexually revolutionized infidelity
Jon and Kate + 8 - a marriage = Ratings Gold for TLC
Stereotypes Twinks and Bears....OH MY
Mr. and Mrs. America's Dream.. of Materialism
Thanks for stopping by to read my material. It is always appreciated with much love. I am very much looking forward to browsing through the current blogs on this site and look forward to corresponding with anyone over anything they have written or that I have written.
Take Care
E
So to dive right in, here is a link to my current blog. It contains several other links to my published contributions as well as some decent blogs if you sort through it long enough! After this entry I will post some fresh content on this site as well as links to anything new I have going on at the moment elsewhere.
I can also always be followed on Twitter and my other contact information is listed on my profile. Feel free to check out my Examiner.com page: Eddie Humfleet/Gay relationships Examiner All of my current contributions are listed there. I also have contributions running at Ruse the.magazine. They have a great group of contributors currently going so check them all out and feel free to browse through and check out my submissions as well.
Current and past contributions for RUSE the.magazine:
The TRUTH about staffing agencies
A sexually revolutionized infidelity
Jon and Kate + 8 - a marriage = Ratings Gold for TLC
Stereotypes Twinks and Bears....OH MY
Mr. and Mrs. America's Dream.. of Materialism
Thanks for stopping by to read my material. It is always appreciated with much love. I am very much looking forward to browsing through the current blogs on this site and look forward to corresponding with anyone over anything they have written or that I have written.
Take Care
E
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