Beyond Ourselves

Reactions and reflections to the world around us

[requiredsarcasm]

You ready for all the advice you’ll ever need? Be a nice person.

Danny Sexbang, We Love Katamari: Making Stars - Part 3

  (via requiredsarcasm)

[factoseintolerance]

The media is pushing its homosexual agenda again, by reminding us that there are homosexuals.

The Colbert Report (via factoseintolerance)

[bravedefaulting]

You go girl!

[bravedefaulting]

A very important lesson.

[bravedefaulting]

What is your agenda for the day?

Too often do I hear the phrases "liberal agenda" or "gay agenda". Obviously, it's used as a way to marginalize certain viewpoints and opinions held by those who you believe are personally "attacking" your way of life. Hell, I've even heard people say "conservative agenda" or "Christian agenda", though very rarely. And I hate what the word "agenda" has become. 

The word agenda by itself is just that: a word. The purpose of a word is to give something we conceptualize in our minds a "tag" of sorts in which we can identify it it with. So how do words like "agenda" turn such a neutral thing into a tool in which to foster political discord?

Here is a revolutionary thought: we ALL have agendas. I have an agenda, you have an agenda, everybody has some sort of agenda for their lives. We all have opinions and beliefs, and we use those to shape not only ourselves, but the world around us. Yes, there is a natural tendency for people to butt heads with each other over their "agendas". 

But don't, PLEASE don't use the word agenda to label another group's goals and ideals as some FORCE OF EVIL that will wipe away everything and everyone you hold dear to you. Not only is it not true at all, it makes you sound ridiculous. But most of all, it's doesn't help promote your cause in anyway. If your ideas and beliefs cannot be held up without marginalizing another person's beliefs...either you are uninformed and uneducated, or the beliefs themselves are not good enough.

[bravedefaulting]

'God Hates Fags' Church Founder Fred Phelps Reportedly Near Death

Fred Phelps, the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church -- which uses the term "God Hates Fags" -- "is now on the edge of death."

I'll admit, I'm a bit conflicted. Should this man die, what is the appropriate response? Do we picket his funeral in delicious irony, or do we simply ignore his death and move on with our lives?

On one hand, what justice is done if we simply let him pass? The amount of hate his group (not church. I refuse to call them a church. A cult, maybe) has spread is infuriating. The lives he has intruded on deserve a little satisfaction. On the other hand, fighting hate with hate never leads to positive outcomes. How much better are we if we were to picket his funeral? Wouldn't showing compassion, or at least indifference, prove to the world that love wins out in the end?

My own personality would lead me to simply let things be. But I still would like SOME sort of ironic justice. Of course, it may not be possible to have both ways. But I'm prepared to expect other people to picket his funeral, and I understand their feelings. 

(Also, does anyone else get the feeling that the media is treating this as him already being dead? Or is that just me?)

[bravedefaulting]

'A Liberal Lie' That Any State Has Ever Banned Same-Sex Marriage Says Right Wing Host At CPAC

“There’s never been a state in this country that has ever banned gay marriage, that’s a liberal lie,” right-wing radio host Michael Medved told the audience at a CPAC forum.

At what point do people against same-sex marriage stop defending their position based on their merits and just resort to name-calling and twisting things around? This. This is the point. How sad...

Come on! If you believe that gays are icky and gross and don't deserve to get married, own up to it! Embrace it! You'll certainly seem less ridiculous than you do now. But only a little bit.

[bravedefaulting]

Labels Matter (and introductions are hard!)

Whether you believe me or not, labels do matter. And even if you don't believe in labeling yourself or other people, society already does that for you. As for myself, the labels I identify with are very important to me. So who exactly am I?

My name is Ethan, and I am a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in political science, with a history minor. I am a cis-male, and also gay. I grew up in a small town, middle-class, Christian household, but discarded those beliefs and am now a secular-humanist/atheist. I consider myself a nerd, as I enjoy watching anime, playing video games, and browsing the internet with no rhyme or reason. Politically, I am a liberal-leaning moderate, both pro-life and pro-choice, pro-civil rights, pro-legalization of marijuana (but I've never touched the stuff, I swear!), and a pacifist (fighting is bad, y'all).

All of these are most, if not all, of the labels I place upon myself. Naturally, there are those who label themselves in different and opposite ways that actively oppose my very existence. But if there is something I want people to understand about labels, it is that they have a context. They have a purpose, and with that purpose, a history. I don't identify the way I do because I just want to; they are a culmination of my growth and experiences as a human being. Of course, it is very important to acknowledge the fact that people develop and grow in different ways, and end up with different than oneself. However, I do admit it's because of this that our society is divided they way it is.

My question is this: Is it because of the labels themselves...or is it because too often than not we fail to understand each other? Or do we just refuse to understand? Is the world really black and white, right or wrong, us vs. them?

The purpose of my blog is to simply react and reflect on current events pertaining to politics, religion, and other important social issues. I see myself mostly posting stories from major news sources and sharing my thoughts. Of course, these stories will mostly pertain to the labels I embrace: gay rights, religion and philosophy, and other various (un)interesting things. I may also share some stuff from my personal life. Not sure if I can keep this up, but I will most certainly try!