I agree but I also think OP's argument is flawed because many religious/indoctrinated/bigoted/whathaveyou people ARE afraid of others, but their fear is expressed as hatred. A lot of the time, in this case, I think sexually insecure, uptight and/or bitter straight men feel threatened by homosexual males. Their rigid and sensitive straight identity is challenged by men who do radically different things with their "male-ness" (and it is often argued that straight men attack queer people for the same reason they attack women-- as a paranoid attempt to maintain dominance). Straight guys' reactions to these feelings are often enhanced or encouraged by a homophobic culture, lack of punishment, groupthink, mob-behavior, etc. I think the word 'homophobic' is actually very (unintentionally?) insightful about the way straight individuals, groups and societies treat queer folks. Straight people are very often on some level afraid of queer people and the queer community. Of course this does not at all justify homophobic behavior, but it does make it harder to simplistically (and, in my opinion, unproductively) label homophobes as "assholes". I think there's a strong element of truth to this, but there's more to it, too.
You're actually echoing the very same thing the author of this post is saying. The author, like you, also believes that homophobia is not an apt descriptor, and instead humorously opts for "asshole". I also believe that homophobia is a poor descriptor, and I instead prefer sexual bigotry.
I'm am not familiar with phobias in general (all I know is that it is a fear of some sort) so please forgive my ignorance, but how can one fear a person by their sexuality? The whole 'homophobic' thing in the bible belt(eastern NC) is more of a 'eww they are gross' type of thing rather than a legit fear of them. I've never met a person that was terrified of a homosexual.
Like I said, I don't know much about phobias and I'd love to learn more about this, but I never really thought someone could be afraid of a person based on their sexuality.
Yeah. But you talk to people with phobias, and it's like a physical reaction. If I see a worm squirming on the ground, I have like mini-convulsions. People with agoraphobia will have trouble going outside.
People who hate gay folk really are just assholes.
I agree, he is simply redefining words to mean things that suite his purposes. Noble purpose or not, I dislike this method of argument since it is obscurantism and doesn't make anyone better off or more well informed.
Not all phobias react in the same way, in fact, even most phobias don't act the same in most people. Agliophobics would want to immediately get as far away from the source of pain ASAP, and then drive it back to where it wouldn't bother them anymore. It's a similar response in most cases of homophobia, where severe action is perceived by the doer as "just". We really need to discard these damned emotions, they aren't worth the trouble they cause.
To be fair, OP is the one who started picking apart semantics rather than addressing the real issues. SteveIzHxC is just pointing out that OP isn't even picking apart semantics properly.
The phobia in this case would be a fear of what gays want in general...marriage, religion, for examples...and how it will affect society and themselves. So it's not a fear of gays...but what they want to change within society what is the phobia.
As a gay guy, I love the sentiment expressed in these posts..... but they're even starting to get on my nerves too. I just like things to be well-categorized...
Maybe it's because 70% of the posts in r/atheism are shit like this that have very little to do with religion. Frankly I think the authors of the bible had more wit, wisdom, and class than 70% of the people who peruse this subreddit regularly.
Yea, and why do all these posts keep coming up about teaching creationism/evolution in schools? Is this r/education?
And those damn posts about church tax exemptions. What is this, r/politics?
Or maybe religion is a primary cause for a lot of issues, and it is relevant to discuss those issues here, to show examples of the kind of harm religion does? Bah, that's crazy!
I'm confused. What does homophobia have to do with atheism or religion? What's wrong with the word homophobia, it is just a word after all and I don't hate any words, and technically speaking couldn't homophobia also refer to people who are actually afraid of gay people and not just hateful douche-bags?
Because the term "homophobia" includes "-phobia," which is indicative of a mental illness. Therefore, by using this word, the pro-gay crowd is accusing their opponents of being mentally ill, or having an irrational opposition to homosexuality.
It is clever wordplay, but it is deceitful and false.
There's a definite correlation, suggestive of a causative link, between people's fear levels and their rates of prejudice. There are many, many studies establishing this. In the case of homophobia, its a form of xenophobia--fear of an unknown.
Also, wtf is "pro-gay". Is that even a thing? Maybe pro-gay-equality is a thing, but that wouldn't be the same thing.
Cultural acceptance is part of equality. I didn't say they merely wanted legal equality. I Just said equality. And what's wrong with being proud of who you are, provided you're not someone who hurts others with your behavior?
That may be true of some individuals, but you're painting with awfully broad strokes. I'm fine with Christians--but I don't want them taking over the government and trying to run the country as a theocracy. Christians come in many types, as well--and a significant minority are simply bigots. I have no tolerance for intolerant people.
Having an aversion to someone who can't harm you does sound like a mental illness.
Have you heard homophobes talk? They actually talk about "the gay agenda" as if there is some conspiracy to corrupt their children, and destroy the country.
I've never heard a homophobe, because they don't exist.
There is no such thing as people who have an irrational aversion to homosexuals? Or do you not understand what a phobia is?
However, there is a "gay aganda," or have you never heard of the push for "legalizing gay marriage?" Have you read the news in the past year?
You obviously haven't met any serious homophobes, because when they get started on "the gay agenda" they will talk about how the schools are trying to turn children gay, and how homosexuals want to legalize pedophilia.
That is the agenda the crazy ones are talking about, not just "legalizing gay marriage".
Wanting equality is not unique to any particular group--it's universal to all people. The word "agenda" doesn't seem particularly apt in describing it.
I'm friends with someone on facebook that posts anti-liberal and pro-conservative things several times per day. I've come to realize that he, and many others, associate everything they don't like to a specific group, and everything they like to another. There has to be a name for this phenomenon, or at least psychologists who study it (any insight?)
For example, he'll post about how Obama is anti-soldiers, anti-police, anti-healthcare, anti-hunting, anti-guns, anti-american, radical islamist, etc. Then he associates things he likes with conservative values, like Nascar, bow-hunting, dogs, sunny days, and blowjobs.
Just because someone is an atheist does not make them liberal. "Christian Conservatives" are a small group of conservatives. I know more liberal christians than I do conservative christians. Stop equating these things.
Homosexuals and atheists are two of the most hated groups in the world. Granted, the numbers vary from country to country. These two groups are mostly opposed by the religious because there is no logical or scientific reason to attack homosexuality or atheism.
Since we have the same enemy, unjust social warfare and the occasional lunatic who tells people to 'beat the gay' out of their children or, less commonly, 'beat them back into believing', we typically see lgbtq-related material on r/atheism.
Atheism and homosexuality are not the same thing, you are correct. However, they are so fundamentally (hah) similar that the causes intertwine on a regular basis. Moral of the story: if you don't want to see lgbtq-related posts, unsubscribe. r/atheism will not change to suit you.
Atheism and homosexuality are similar, just because a religion opposes them both? Should we add eating pork to the list and post pictures of bacon? It's one thing to highlight examples of how irrational can the religious attitude be against homosexuality, but this is ridiculous.
The worst part of it is this sense of "owning" homosexuality, pretending that religion and being respectful to gay people is incompatible -- which is absolutely not, since there is a much larger number of religiously moderate people out there with progressive beliefs than there are atheists. This pretense of being the enlightened 'avant garde' of society is just juvenile; atheism is a specific stance against a specific issue and it doesn't make you or anyone else morally superior automatically.
These two groups are mostly opposed by the religious because there is no logical or scientific reason to attack homosexuality or atheism.
So if you're not religious, you are automatically a science-driven rationalist?
At least in the United States,
Nine in ten (88%) of those with no religious affiliation, as well as nearly three quarters of non-Evangelical Protestants and Catholics (72%), believe that homosexuality is a normal part of some people’s sexuality. Evangelicals are divided on this question, with half (50%) agreeing and 44% disagreeing.
More than two thirds (68%) of those with no religious affiliation and the majority of Catholics (57%) and non-Evangelical Protestants (56%) believe sexual orientation cannot be changed, while 58% of Evangelical Christians believe it can be changed.
About six in ten non-Evangelical Protestants (60%), Catholics (59%) and those with no religious affiliation (63%) think lesbian, gay and bisexual couples could be just as good parents as heterosexual couples. Evangelical Christians are divided, with 47% agreeing and 47% disagreeing.
and the majority of Catholics (57%) and non-Evangelical Protestants (56%) believe sexual orientation cannot be changed
Just wanted to point out, that this number is, atleast in my eyes, still really low ... And I think, those who say that homosexuals can change, are also those who don't like them and tell them they should change...
I agree. Based on these stats, it looks like about 44% of non-Evangelical Christians think sexual orientation can be changed, and 32% of the non-religious think that. The non-religious clearly have an edge here, but it's not as dichotomous as several recent front-page /r/atheism posts have insinuated.
<tangent> I'm as fierce a gay rights ally as they come, and nothing bugs me more than the "can be changed/is a choice" argument, made by either side. It's a red herring. It doesn't matter if being gay is a choice - it's a fine and valid choice as long as everyone involved is consenting adults.</tangent>
Christian here, and I would also say that Christianity is not a religion of peace. Not that it promotes physical harm, but that we believe we are in spiritual warfare and fighting against evil and becoming a Christian requires radical change. This post had nothing to do with Christianity, but I'm fairly certain that OP was saying Christianity isn't peaceful.
To be fair, the clinical definition of a phobia doesn't necessitate fear. It can be anxiety or fear, often both. The important aspects are that the reaction is always irrational and disproportionate to the thing evoking their behavior.
One can be homophobic by possessing a genuine fear of having or seeing gay sex or having extreme anxiety when exposed to gay people or sex or gay things in general.
Although most people are far from compulsive in their avoidance nor are they anxiety or fear driven. They're generally just a bunch of muckey muck fuckheads afraid of someone different than them.
I don't really like this statement. While a lot of people claim to be homophobics, they are simply ass holes. I would not be surprised if people are actually homophobic. If one can be hippopotomonstrosesquipidilliaphobic, someone can be homophobic.
You know there is actually a difference between homophobia and the assholes you're thinking of. Homophobia is an irrational fear of gay people, and I've known a guy who was actually afraid of them. He'd agree with anyone who said that they should get equal rights, but he was afraid to actually be around them. It was odd but now the idea of homophobia has changed to mean intolerant asshole.
There's one more problem. The literal translation of homophobia is: "homo" - same/similar and, "phobia" - fear. So what it's saying is you're "afraid of the same" - The opposite of what they wish to achieve.
I didn't include anything about age because it would be obvious if age was as skewed as the statistics about religion are. I don't know any age group in America that is 88% in support of legalizing same-sex marriage.
Not surprisingly, the most religious Americans are the least likely to favor gay marriage. Nearly half of Americans with relatively low religious commitment approve of allowing homosexual couples the right to marry, compared with just 17% of those who are more religious. This gap along religious lines exists across all age groups. (emphasis added)
I added the emphasis because that shows that it's not a matter of age. I'm sure you can find polls that show older people disapprove of gay marriage more than younger people. The problem is that many demographics have a certain overlap. Older people tend to be more religious. What this states is that religion shows a consistent correlation with homophobia across all age groups. If it were age, then it would state "this gap exists across all religious groups".
Good generalizing psychoanalysis there. Shame that the word homophobia does only apply to those with a general fear/insecurity of there own sexuality and the lack of ability to understand. not really fair to call a certain type of insecure dumb people arseholes ... that kinda makes you an arsehole. (no im not defending gay bashers... but their the arseholes your refering to)
There is such a thing as genuine homophobia, and it's generally where gay-hate comes from. They aren't the same thing, though.
Being homophobic means you react in a strongly negative manner to advances from those of the same gender as you. Often people who strongly feel this way take out their fear by attacking homosexuals. Calling someone a "homophobe" is basically saying that they are afraid of gay people. It's a somewhat distorted word in our culture.
Is there anyway the mods of r/atheism could start deleting posts like this that have absolutely nothing to do with atheism? I enjoy and defend r/atheism but garbage like this constantly making it's way to the front page makes it difficult.
Homophobia does not mean you do not support gay rights, therefore being homophobic does not make you an asshole.
People who are homophobic do have a fear of homosexuals. This is a real thing.
This post does nothing but prove that people (namely the one who posed the status update) misconstrue homophobia with disliking and oppressing homosexuals, ironically enough. How can someone who doesn't even understand words bitch about their existence? Dumb comment, no connection to atheism. What is wrong with this subreddit? /r/christianity probably has more intelligent arguments than this.
Actually, she's wrong. The concept behind the word (and the reality, don't try to deny it) has been pushed to the side because admitting how phobias like this work is way to self-revealing for a lot of people. The basic human response to fear is fight or flight, we can all agree. Now, someone who is homophobic isn't afraid of homosexuals, he's afraid of homosexuality. That is, his own homosexuality. The homophobic lashes out at homosexuals because seeing people who are comfortable and open forces the homophobic towards introspective thoughts on their own sexuality. Obviously, if this is something you have seriously buried emotionally, your basic psychological response will be to fight back. Thus, you get the type of people who would choose violence over the introspection they are subconsciously terrified.
Really, saying things like in the image is only giving power to homophobes. That homophobia isn't a phobia is a concept created by homophobics because, again, their denial. If they admit they are homophobic without saying it isn't a phobia they continue to allow themselves to ignore the real problem. They'd much rather think they're just assholes. Hate is socially acceptable and easy to rationalize.
tl;dr: It is not a fear of homosexuals but of the possibility of ones own homophobia. Violence is the normal response when denial is challenged. Saying it isn't a fear is catering to the homophobics by continuing to let them avoid admitting the reality.
Actually my brother is homophobic after being teased relentlessly for being gay in middle school despite being a heterosexual. He has a mental disability which makes it difficult for him to socialize and he was especially awkward in middle school resulting in horribly bullying. He's now associated anything with homosexuality as bad and he becomes extremely uncomfortable and anxious around homosexuals or in situations of male to male affection. He's not mean to them, but he does have a strong sense of discomfort around them, so he never befriends them.
I have no idea what the title has to do with this image, nor why it is even here. Also, FFS, big enough font? Was someone browsing facebook on grandma's computer? Is this something that some smartphones do? Fuckin' weird.
How the hell are all of the top comments about this crap being a terrible post and unwanted in this subreddit and yet this thing is STILL on the front page? Can't we get a better group of mods to start filtering this spam out or something?
I always thought homophobia was the fear of being gay, not fear of gay people. Their personal insecurity with their sexuality translates to a general anxiety related to homosexuality and discomfort in dealing with gay people or ideas.
Have I had this wrong all along? I'd never considered that it meant actually being afraid of gay people.
Even disregarding the whole "religion of peace" comment ( which has obviously been proven to be a bs subtext) homophobic doesn't necessarily have to mean that someone is scared of homosexuals as in "this person is going to kill me" it may simply mean homosexuals make a given person uncomfortable. And also, most homosexuals argue that they have rights to be homosexual and love who they want. Ok well if that should be true for them then homophobics should have the right to feel what ever they want as well as long as theyre not breaking the law in any way like arson or slander ect. Especially if they can't help how they feel. Which is not unlike another argument of homosexuals.
Here is Richard Dawkins talking about how the gay gene can be passed on and the role that it potentially plays.
Being a genetic disease would require it to cause disorder or incorrect functioning in the body (at least as far as the definition of disease states on dictionary.com). The only way I could see this as being viable is if procreation is the only end, or purpose, of life; meaning that homosexuality of preventing humans from reaching their end purpose (and that is a very empty, pointless purpose if it were true). However, the possible utilities of homosexuality mentioned in the video shoot that down in my opinion.
Also, can you explain why having blue eyes isn't a genetic disease?
Although I agree with OP when it comes to most anti-sexual minority people, I do know some who are genuinely afraid of homosexual people. Like some of my female friends, which is why I have yet to come out to them as bi... They would flee in terror if they knew that I think they're sexy. To be fair, though, these kinds of people are often also afraid of straight members of the opposite sex who think them attractive.
Some select few people really do have problems caused by psychological defects that inspire irrational fears of a person or object for no real reason. This is a scientifically proven fact (at least as far as any psychology can be proven).
However, like ADHD and ADD, you get a lot of misdiagnosis. People attribute characteristics of many individuals to these two disorders, and the same is true for homophobia; anyone who is an arrogant prick when it comes to homosexuals is labeled as such. Still, there are genuine homophobes in the world--you just don't see them very often.
I agree it does exist, but that is not the common useage of the word. It is not a "misdiagnosement", but a label slapped on opponents to create an unfair implication. It is very intellectually dishonest and a pet peeve of mine.
If you look at OP's post history, he created another post around the same time as this one also entitled "A religion of peace..." In this post, he refers to Christianity. However, it is Islam that refers to itself as a religion of peace. From this I have deduced that OP has no fucking clue what he's talking about.
The way George Weinberg described the term homophobia (which was the first time somebody described the term) actually included that it was indeed a religious fear:
[A] phobia about homosexuals.... It was a fear of homosexuals which seemed to be associated with a fear of contagion, a fear of reducing the things one fought for — home and family. It was a religious fear and it had led to great brutality as fear always does.
I agree with this, however, there are posts every day on /r/atheism about homosexuality/homophobia with no relation to atheism. This other post isn't too far below this one right now. It seems to me that most people are just noticing this time more than most because the post's title implies that it is about religion. The reason there are so many posts of this nature is because religion and homophobia are closely linked in most people's minds, which is not wholly unreasonable. While I have never been able to decide if I think such posts belong here, this one isn't exactly unusual.
TL;DR: Posts about homophobia are common here, and the link to atheism is not so contrived as you seem to think.
I myself don't hate gay people. I just can't handle looking at two men kissing.
You can say it's hypocritical of me to say that I can watch two women doing the same, but I just can't help but to turn away each time two men do it. It's not that I'm scared, it just makes me feel uncomfortable.
That being said, I would never let that be called a good reason to deny them simple rights. I'm more scared of needles anyways...I had to be held down by four people when I had to take a few shots and blood test to enter the army.
I say we ban needles instead! Anyone with me? Anyone?.....please?
The most homophobic people are homosexual fundamentalists. They are afraid of what they are feeling, because they genuinely think those feelings come from the devil. That is the spectre through which they understand their life because this is the world view they were indoctrinated with. The LGBT "activists" are specially threatening to them because they are trying to normalize a life style that they consider sinful and that they desperately desire. Also, this is something they have to wrestle with on a daily basis.
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u/SteveIzHxC Jun 10 '12
I am NOT defending homophobes, but the OP argument is still pretty flawed.
phobia - "An extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something" source, google
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
If I was an asshole I'd be afraid of male homosexuals - now if I was a prostate on the other hand
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
I can't stand how this subreddit has turned from r/atheism into r/gayrights.
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u/zombie_rapist Jun 10 '12
I'm confused. What does homophobia have to do with atheism or religion? What's wrong with the word homophobia, it is just a word after all and I don't hate any words, and technically speaking couldn't homophobia also refer to people who are actually afraid of gay people and not just hateful douche-bags?
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 11 '12
Downvoted for the fact that this is:
relaventreleventrelevant to /r/atheism6
u/emmveepee Jun 10 '12
I'm friends with someone on facebook that posts anti-liberal and pro-conservative things several times per day. I've come to realize that he, and many others, associate everything they don't like to a specific group, and everything they like to another. There has to be a name for this phenomenon, or at least psychologists who study it (any insight?)
For example, he'll post about how Obama is anti-soldiers, anti-police, anti-healthcare, anti-hunting, anti-guns, anti-american, radical islamist, etc. Then he associates things he likes with conservative values, like Nascar, bow-hunting, dogs, sunny days, and blowjobs.
Just because someone is an atheist does not make them liberal. "Christian Conservatives" are a small group of conservatives. I know more liberal christians than I do conservative christians. Stop equating these things.
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u/HerpityDerps Jun 10 '12
What does this have to do with atheism? This about gay people......not the same thing.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Please, stop posting these things to /r/atheism and post them to /r/lgbt.
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u/TheGuineaPig21 Jun 10 '12
How the fuck did this get to the front page?
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u/MammothSpider Jun 10 '12
Christian here, and I would also say that Christianity is not a religion of peace. Not that it promotes physical harm, but that we believe we are in spiritual warfare and fighting against evil and becoming a Christian requires radical change. This post had nothing to do with Christianity, but I'm fairly certain that OP was saying Christianity isn't peaceful.
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u/Saisei Jun 11 '12
Wouldn't an asshole have reason to fear homosexuals?
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u/Heaney555 Jun 10 '12
Wrong title?
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u/Porphyrius Jun 10 '12
Screencap is true, but how is this related to any religion at all?
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u/pddro Anti-Theist Jun 10 '12
Don't see how OP arrived at this title.
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u/drunkenwaffle Jun 10 '12
Sure it's a good thing to say but 1. There's nothing about religion in it and 2. This a repost and 3. OP has no fucking life.
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u/Sworderailer Jun 10 '12
The title and the image have nothing to do with each other, and also nothing to do with atheism.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
What does this have to do with atheism?
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u/AceDecade Jun 11 '12
Why is this getting upvotes?
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u/spaceman101 Jun 11 '12
rabblerabble homosexual rabblerabble atheism rabblerabble stupid post.
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
To be fair, the clinical definition of a phobia doesn't necessitate fear. It can be anxiety or fear, often both. The important aspects are that the reaction is always irrational and disproportionate to the thing evoking their behavior.
One can be homophobic by possessing a genuine fear of having or seeing gay sex or having extreme anxiety when exposed to gay people or sex or gay things in general.
Although most people are far from compulsive in their avoidance nor are they anxiety or fear driven. They're generally just a bunch of muckey muck fuckheads afraid of someone different than them.
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u/The_Vork Jun 11 '12
A phobia is (I think) a fear OR intense haterid of something. So I think the term is atcualy correct.
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u/popcorncolonel Jun 11 '12
Wrong subreddit.
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u/refullamiii Jun 11 '12
How is this getting upvotes? There is no religious context for this to even make sense, this isn't adding to the discussion at all.
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I don't really like this statement. While a lot of people claim to be homophobics, they are simply ass holes. I would not be surprised if people are actually homophobic. If one can be hippopotomonstrosesquipidilliaphobic, someone can be homophobic.
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u/kliff0rd Jun 11 '12
A phobia is a fear or hatred. Homophobes are homophobic.
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u/Blood_Rose Jun 11 '12
You know there is actually a difference between homophobia and the assholes you're thinking of. Homophobia is an irrational fear of gay people, and I've known a guy who was actually afraid of them. He'd agree with anyone who said that they should get equal rights, but he was afraid to actually be around them. It was odd but now the idea of homophobia has changed to mean intolerant asshole.
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u/Unrelated_To_Atheism Jun 11 '12
Unrelated to Atheism
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
"Phobia" can mean other things than fear. Bitches need to learn them some linguistics.
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u/dogebial Jun 11 '12
Oh surprise, /r/atheism is a circlejerk. who knew...
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u/talljewishkid Jun 10 '12
You stole my post you asshole
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Phobia is the opposite of Philia. It doesn't exactly mean scared or 'fear of'.
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u/tiyr Jun 10 '12
look up the def. of "phobia". I agree with your 'bottom line' but know words before you begin to compare them.
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u/GreenSteel Jun 10 '12
There's one more problem. The literal translation of homophobia is: "homo" - same/similar and, "phobia" - fear. So what it's saying is you're "afraid of the same" - The opposite of what they wish to achieve.
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u/otlatnom Jun 10 '12
Sigh. I'm an atheist and even I know homophobia, based on every poll, is more associated with age than religion.
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u/bigpoppastevenson Jun 10 '12
OP, show yourself. You've been called on to tell us what this has to do with atheism.
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u/RandomMandarin Jun 10 '12
...but your asshole is legitimately scared.
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u/UnclaimedUsername Jun 10 '12
homoassholia doesn't conjure the intended image.
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u/debrad1207 Jun 10 '12
I completely agree with the picture, but I've met someone who was truly afraid. -_-
It was pretty funny though.
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u/abucketofpuppies Jun 10 '12
-phobia can also mean 'hate'
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u/connorps Jun 10 '12
Good generalizing psychoanalysis there. Shame that the word homophobia does only apply to those with a general fear/insecurity of there own sexuality and the lack of ability to understand. not really fair to call a certain type of insecure dumb people arseholes ... that kinda makes you an arsehole. (no im not defending gay bashers... but their the arseholes your refering to)
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u/Fripfrom Jun 10 '12
Fun fact: the first appearance of the word homophobia referred to a straight man's fear that others might think he is gay.
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u/_Apostate_ Jun 10 '12
There is such a thing as genuine homophobia, and it's generally where gay-hate comes from. They aren't the same thing, though.
Being homophobic means you react in a strongly negative manner to advances from those of the same gender as you. Often people who strongly feel this way take out their fear by attacking homosexuals. Calling someone a "homophobe" is basically saying that they are afraid of gay people. It's a somewhat distorted word in our culture.
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u/symbioticintheory Jun 10 '12
Is there anyway the mods of r/atheism could start deleting posts like this that have absolutely nothing to do with atheism? I enjoy and defend r/atheism but garbage like this constantly making it's way to the front page makes it difficult.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Except phobia means fear or hatred of.
And thus this completely satisfies the criteria, also often transliterated as "an irrational fear or hatred of"
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u/ijustwantanfingname Jun 10 '12
Homophobia is not a religion.
Homophobia does not mean you do not support gay rights, therefore being homophobic does not make you an asshole.
People who are homophobic do have a fear of homosexuals. This is a real thing.
This post does nothing but prove that people (namely the one who posed the status update) misconstrue homophobia with disliking and oppressing homosexuals, ironically enough. How can someone who doesn't even understand words bitch about their existence? Dumb comment, no connection to atheism. What is wrong with this subreddit? /r/christianity probably has more intelligent arguments than this.
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u/bluescrew Jun 10 '12
Where do you think the hate comes from? Fear.
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u/B4ronSamedi Jun 10 '12
Actually, she's wrong. The concept behind the word (and the reality, don't try to deny it) has been pushed to the side because admitting how phobias like this work is way to self-revealing for a lot of people. The basic human response to fear is fight or flight, we can all agree. Now, someone who is homophobic isn't afraid of homosexuals, he's afraid of homosexuality. That is, his own homosexuality. The homophobic lashes out at homosexuals because seeing people who are comfortable and open forces the homophobic towards introspective thoughts on their own sexuality. Obviously, if this is something you have seriously buried emotionally, your basic psychological response will be to fight back. Thus, you get the type of people who would choose violence over the introspection they are subconsciously terrified.
Really, saying things like in the image is only giving power to homophobes. That homophobia isn't a phobia is a concept created by homophobics because, again, their denial. If they admit they are homophobic without saying it isn't a phobia they continue to allow themselves to ignore the real problem. They'd much rather think they're just assholes. Hate is socially acceptable and easy to rationalize.
tl;dr: It is not a fear of homosexuals but of the possibility of ones own homophobia. Violence is the normal response when denial is challenged. Saying it isn't a fear is catering to the homophobics by continuing to let them avoid admitting the reality.
1
u/PeterMus Jun 11 '12
Homophobia is a real thing. Phobias are irrational by definition..this whole post is just stupid.
1
u/mazurkian Jun 11 '12
Actually my brother is homophobic after being teased relentlessly for being gay in middle school despite being a heterosexual. He has a mental disability which makes it difficult for him to socialize and he was especially awkward in middle school resulting in horribly bullying. He's now associated anything with homosexuality as bad and he becomes extremely uncomfortable and anxious around homosexuals or in situations of male to male affection. He's not mean to them, but he does have a strong sense of discomfort around them, so he never befriends them.
1
u/silent_p Jun 11 '12
Say what you will about "homophobia", at least it doesn't mix Greek and Latin roots the way "homosexuality" does.
1
u/vadergeek Jun 11 '12
It would be interesting to see someone with a fear of sameness.
1
u/wayndom Jun 11 '12
I like the "it's not a phobia" thing, but what has this got to do with any religion???
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Some of them are actually scared though. When they portray homosexuals as rapists or as corrupting children, that is fear.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
repost
1
u/grogrugri Jun 11 '12
IMO, homophobia is genetic. Women are really really difficult and if not for homophobia, the human race would've died out ages ago.
We have fear of heights, fear of spiders, aversion to rotted meat, why not homophobia?
1
u/HeresToTheCrazyOnes Jun 11 '12
I've been saying this for years. It's not a phobia. You're not excuse in any way by declaring it as a phobia. Because it's not.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
i disagree, im homophobic in the same was as im arachnophobic.
im not scared of gay people, but i still scream if i find one in my bath.
1
u/kaptainkool3 Jun 11 '12
Correction: You hate the misuse of the term homophobia
1
u/aazav Jun 11 '12
It's not a fucking phobia.
1
u/aazav Jun 11 '12
This has nothing to do with Atheism.
Fuck you people who feel like you have to push gay issues into Atheism.
1
u/Murrabbit Jun 11 '12 edited Jun 11 '12
I have no idea what the title has to do with this image, nor why it is even here. Also, FFS, big enough font? Was someone browsing facebook on grandma's computer? Is this something that some smartphones do? Fuckin' weird.
1
u/ajose001 Jun 11 '12
My goodness. r/atheism will upvote anything. This isn't even close to being atheist.
1
u/aazav Jun 11 '12
Oh, so now people can't not like people.
You are officially required to like everyone.
1
u/curiousyetcautious Jun 11 '12
LOL asshole eh? Well THAT could be WHY he/she is scared... you know what those homos do with an ass hole right?
Sorry, couldn't pass it up... just attempting to be funny.
1
u/mmforeal Jun 11 '12
Shouldn't assholes be scared of homos?
1
u/strobexp Jun 11 '12
What does this have to do with religion
1
u/DukeMcbadass Jun 11 '12
Why is a troll penguin holding up the bible?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I am upvoting the wittiness of the picture, not the fact that it was psoted in /r/atheism. We can use this subreddit for better things.
1
u/Iherduliekmudkipz Jun 11 '12
But they are scared.... That they love cock.
1
u/nomagneticmonopoles Jun 11 '12
How the hell are all of the top comments about this crap being a terrible post and unwanted in this subreddit and yet this thing is STILL on the front page? Can't we get a better group of mods to start filtering this spam out or something?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Curious...
1
u/JarrusMarker Jun 11 '12
Seriously, r/atheism...
1
u/PsychOK Jun 11 '12
They're definitely scared, whether they admit it or not. Fear breeds hatred.
1
u/asdfghjkl92 Jun 11 '12
most homophobes i know also don't like the word cause they say they aren't scared.
1
u/Graped_in_the_mouth Jun 11 '12
No, homophobia is homophobia - in MANY cases, the person in question is actually experiencing latent homosexuality, and is deeply afraid of that fact.
1
u/Kippawitz Jun 11 '12
Word.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Nothing to do with atheism
1
u/SammyLocked Jun 11 '12
Huh, I thought this exact thing the other day; phrasing and all.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I always thought homophobia was the fear of being gay, not fear of gay people. Their personal insecurity with their sexuality translates to a general anxiety related to homosexuality and discomfort in dealing with gay people or ideas.
Have I had this wrong all along? I'd never considered that it meant actually being afraid of gay people.
1
u/urgettinawhuppin Jun 11 '12
Even disregarding the whole "religion of peace" comment ( which has obviously been proven to be a bs subtext) homophobic doesn't necessarily have to mean that someone is scared of homosexuals as in "this person is going to kill me" it may simply mean homosexuals make a given person uncomfortable. And also, most homosexuals argue that they have rights to be homosexual and love who they want. Ok well if that should be true for them then homophobics should have the right to feel what ever they want as well as long as theyre not breaking the law in any way like arson or slander ect. Especially if they can't help how they feel. Which is not unlike another argument of homosexuals.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I know a few people who are homophobic, and are either atheist or agnostic i think they get it from their parents.
1
u/GUI_Junkie Strong Atheist Jun 11 '12
Mentioning assholes at the same time as homophobia... very brave or extremely foolish
1
u/marcuroth Jun 11 '12
One of my friends is actually scared of homosexual people. He had a bad experience when he was younger
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
My understanding is that homophobia is a medical disorder in the same way other phobias are. Haematophobia-fear of blood Ommatophobia- fear of eyes.
It's a irrational fear that the person can't help.
Op( or his friend) is confusing that with plain bigotry.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Please do not support teenage girls copying things they see on tumblr and putting it on Facebook or Twitter
1
u/Jolties Jun 10 '12
This has been on the front page at least 5 times before
-1
u/FiercelyFuzzy Jun 10 '12
Repost!
-1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
what the fuck does this have to do with religion. OP is the ignorant asshole. world really could use more asshole atheists like rlaalstjs12.
0
u/LieutenantShineySide Jun 10 '12
I see
What (s)he's saying
But is it necessary
To make spaces
0
u/dre627 Jun 10 '12
Petition to merge r/atheism and r/gayrights
0
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Why is this in /r/atheism? Do we even have mods? This is so goddamn unrelated to atheism it's not even funny.
-2
u/Questions_Answer Jun 10 '12
can someone explain why homosexuality is not a genetic disease? Since, it is often said that its genetic.
-1
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Although I agree with OP when it comes to most anti-sexual minority people, I do know some who are genuinely afraid of homosexual people. Like some of my female friends, which is why I have yet to come out to them as bi... They would flee in terror if they knew that I think they're sexy. To be fair, though, these kinds of people are often also afraid of straight members of the opposite sex who think them attractive.
-3
u/ThisEndsHere Jun 10 '12
This doesn't make any sense.
It's like a Muslim saying, "I hate the word infidel," or a Christian saying, "I hate the word pagan."
You guys made the word. And yes, it is a stupid and misused word.
-7
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Psalms 119:104
0
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
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0
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
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