Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Today's the day we'll say I do


Marriage between a man and a woman is sanctified. It's a blessed sacrament. There are many out there who are willing to judge any other permutations of marriage. They have a right to their opinion. Do they have a right to foist it upon me? First, let's see how their lives hold up to scrutiny, shall we?

Here are a few excerpts from the book description:

- Newt Gingrich: served his wife with divorce papers while she was incapacitated by cancer and receiving treatment in a hospital room. He is currently enjoying the sanctity of his third marriage.
- Representative Bob Barr, author of the Defense of Marriage Act: before the age of fifty, Representative Barr had three marriages under his belt. The old Beltway joke goes, "Exactly which marriage is Bob Barr defending?"
- Rush Limbaugh: between Rush and his current wife, Marta, there are six marriages and four divorces. Rush is currently in the process of divorcing Marta.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not judging them. Just wondering how they feel qualified to judge me? I've said it a hundred times, but I don't even wanna marry some dude. Just don't tell me I can't. I'm not asking for any special privileges either, fucktard, just the same ones enjoyed by all the other citizens of this country.

via towleroad

23 comments:

Bodhi said...

"But I don't even wanna marry some dude".

Oh great, thats just bloody fantastic. Well, there goes that dream. One less chance of being swept off my feat by a cute American cowboy with abs (stuff the knight in shining armour, this is my fantasy, m'kay). And to think that I had the bling, oops, er ring, picked out and everything ...

*sigh*

Living in "sin" isn't completely out of the question though, right?

Bodhi :-)
Sydney, Australia

Michael said...

I grew up Catholic. I went to catechism for 12 years. I went to church camp for years, though from previous posts you might know that my focus was elsewhere then. No matter what you feel about Jesus, he had a few good ideas, albeit none particularly original. One of his TOP TWO was "Judge not, lest you be judged". Why do we NEVER hear these fuckers preaching that anymore? Why the hell do they even CARE what I do? Do you care what these fat old gnarly bastards are doing in bed? ::shudder:: I'm not asking to get married in their fucking church. This is our government we're talking about and all citizens have a right to equal protection under the law last time I checked. I know, I'm preaching to the choir and not very well, but it makes me feel better, so thanks guys.

And Bodhi, I'm amending that statement to read "I don't even NECESSARILY wanna marry some dude". As long as you don't mind your cowboys in Prada loafers instead of those nasty boots, let's not hastily rule anything out. ;-)

Bodhi said...

Prada. Oooooh, a couture cowboy. Hmmmm, works for me sweetie ;-)

The Other Andrew said...

You hit the nail on the head Mike, it's the hypocrisy of these guys that really winds me up too. If they are busy practising what they preach, then I can at least respect that that is their belief system.

I don't like them judging me by the same standard even then, but I can deal with it. But when they don't even live by that same 'yard stick' - well "fuck you" jumps to mind.

Michael said...

PS When Jesus said "love your enemies" I'm fairly certain he didn't mean for you to kill them.

They are not even that convincing or thorough with this shit, but they still make it work for them. Is the world just full of stupid people?


Oh, and B, I don't really wear Prada but I really don't wear cowboy boots. Chaps, sure, but not boots.

Bodhi said...

Nothing but a cowboy hat and chaps, Mikey? Damn .... thats one lucky horse (oops, did I just say that out loud?.

Heartily agree, Andrew.

The Other Andrew said...

Actually, I thought 2xist boxer briefs were the standard order of the day... they could work with the hat maybe?...

See how we can go from righteous indignation to sex, sex, sex in like one second flat. I like that about us!

Michael said...

It's who we be.

savante said...

Don't want to get married? Why the hell not! :) If I had a guy, I'd ride off into the sunset with a platinum ring in tow - OK, does that sound a lil desperate?

Paul

Jen said...

Seems to me that the dominionist types are playing a very dangerous game, considering that if it turns out that anything remotely like Jesus's Dad (or even karma) actually does exist, then they are totally fucked -- and not in the fun gay way. Ignoring the Beatitudes in favor of the mass production of fire and brimstone makes you, at the very least, a cosmic asshole.

(Of course, I rather suspect that the universe and all of existence may have no particular order, meaning, or purpose other than that which we inhabitants ascribe to it from our various perspectives, but it is also true that I have read way too much poststructuralist theory, notably from the French.)

What always interests me the most about these guys is the excitement with which they rail against Teh Ghey, and how oblivious their followers are to what that necessarily means. Listening to them, you'd almost get the idea that categorical heterosexuality and its concomitant sex-specific gender roles have been manufactured by a patriarchal, power-mongering social organization, and that since these things are not natural they are very very fragile and must be heavily promoted, carefully protected, and constantly policed in order to perpetuate themselves...
/Foucault

Will said...

At least your politicians are talking about same-sex marriages.

Ours pretend MSM don't even exist.

Michael said...

Paul! Wait! I backtracked. I said I don't NECESSARILY want to marry some dude, but if the right one comes along, damn any obstacles (travel visas or multiple time zones for example ;-)), because I'll be amenable to just about anything that makes him happy.
Better?

Michael said...

Holy fuck, Jen, when you talk like that I really want some kind of congress with you. Tapas and mojitos maybe?

I sometimes secretly hope that they are right. I'll be a flamer in flames right next to them and I'll be all up in their grills for an eternity of damnation. Might even cornhole 'em, cuz you know SATAN would love that shizz.

As for the followers, I often wonder why people don't question any of this shit? I don't hate Christians. I think there is value to traditions and myths. I think at the core of every religion, there are answers to be found. The patriarchy you mention has taken it so far afield of anything good though, and people just seem to follow blindly along, occasionally mooing assent.

Jen said...

Mojitos and colitas, Papi, you know what I like. We can talk brilliant dead leather daddies all the way through rural PA. I will actually make surreptitious mooing noises, btw, when we are in long lines with stupid-looking people. ;)

Oh and PS. Fwiw, my theory on why most followers don't question them is because the secret-yet-widely-known truth of it is that for every 100 of them, 1 or 2 are sincere on some visionquest for truth and the rest are just power vampires who'd follow any charismatic soulless bastard in order to get a better seat in the pecking order. Sometimes I'm kind-of a cynic. heh.

Michael said...

I agree with you that some of the herd are jockeying for prime positions on the feed lot. Mostly I think it's just fear. Comforting to have a heavenly father watching over you as long as you follow his rules. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they don't question anything.

The Other Andrew said...

I think some religions are slanted towards making people question things LESS, rather than more. Branches of Christianity that emphasise the bits of the Bible they like (and 're-interpret' the bits they don't) as being word for word literal truth can be like that. Plus the peer pressure of conforming to the proscribed attitudes of your particular church. It seems to me as an outsider that much of the 'Bible study' is not about questing, it's about being told the approved version.

Without getting too Buddhist on you all, a famous teaching of the Buddha early on is where he told his followers NOT to believe anything he told them just because he says so. Buddhists are encouraged to question, test, examine and see if the teachings are true for them. Oh, and pretty much the only sexual conduct guidelines are that you should not harm, or be coercive. (Although some Buddhist traditions overlay cultural taboos on top, but they aren't core teachings.)

Michael said...

I've asked Christians if they know how many religions pre-dating theirs also laid claim to a virgin birth, a savior, a resurrection, yada, yada, yada. Clueless.
Still, I think there is much that is good at the core of it or any religion for those who need it.

Buddhism, what I know of it, seems more like guidelines for each person's quest, rather than mythology and restrictions. Am I totally off base?

The Other Andrew said...

Oh honey, trust me Buddhism also has mythology out the wazoo, but as many of the lamas have said, all the bells and whistles are primarily teaching aids. The various deities or 'noble beings' also represent mind states, delusions, heroic qualities etc. (for example, there is a thousand armed diety who is one of the representations of compassion, he gives with 1,000 arms) You are pretty close about the guidelines part.

It encourages a personal code of ethics and conduct based on understanding of cause and effect (karma), the Buddhist concepts of reality, and ruthless reflection and self examination. :-) There is no 'God' creator in Buddhism though, no-one who passes external judgement - just the laws of karma.

Michael said...

I see. I'm familiar with many of the deities from reading about mythology and meditation, but I was under the impression that they were figurative, learning tools like you say. Unlike Christianity where the symbols are considered real...a father who created man in his image, the anointed son, a holy spirit that can assume various forms, a virgin mother assumed bodily into heaven...

The Other Andrew said...

Well they are both literal and figurative, and some schools of Buddhism have variations and emphasise them less or more, but their 'use' as such is as learning tools. Symbols. You can still call yourself Buddhist and not believe in them, and some Buddhists don't even believe in reincarnation... although that one I find hard to understand, as without the concept of rebirth, karma doesn't really work as such.

Michael said...

Well, life eats life. Life is constantly reborn into life. Just ask the baby greens I just ate.
I like the idea of conducting your life to actualize yourself, to do what you consider "good" in the world, and to do these as the end and not as a means to reward like heaven or reincarnating to a higher form. Do it just because.

Jen said...

Whaddaya know, I'm basically a Buddhist...without all the thingamajigology up the wazoo. ;)

Michael said...

Jen, I was raised Catholic and then adopted into a wandering band of reform Jews. Presently I find myself sandwiched in a pile with these Aussie Buddhists. Isn't that just a Muslim short of a religious pu pu platter?
I'm never satisfied until I complete the set. Just ask that Coast Guard gunner's mate.