"Barring a little surreptitious auto-erotism and homosexuality- absolutely nothing"
"Nothing?"
The normalcy of homosexuality in Brave New World is demonstrated by the quote above on page 32. The director is explaining to his students how life was in the past, and they're surprised at the lack of acceptance of homosexuality. Yet, fast forward 80 years after this book has been written, and homosexuality is still an issue for many. It has yet to become an accepted norm by all. Just recently, Chick-Fil-A, a local chicken restaurant made their conservative views regarding homosexuality very clear by revealing it is donating money to organizations that go against same-sex marriage. Now, this revelation coupled with the fact the chain closes on Sunday, indicates that this franchise is owned by a religious family. However, it still seems slightly ridiculous that restaurants are now feeling the need to infuse their moral values into business. Given this example of nonacceptance, it should be obvious homosexuals have yet to gain equality. Keep in mind, less than ten states in the US have legalized same-sex marriage. In this regard, less than 1/5 of our states allow gay marriage, and that's just marriage! It seems that homosexuals are locked in the back of our car asking "Are we there yet? Can we be equal now?". Maybe marriage rights will come along with acceptance, but still, we are far from where Huxley predicted we would be with homosexual acceptance, and therein lies a series of questions: Are we ever going to have world-wide acceptance of homosexuals? Will they ever gain equal rights? Will we eventually look back at how simple-minded we were for even considering it an issue? Will we give homosexuals equal rights, but continue to have hate within our communities, as we do today with our racial and religious differences? Will the US ever really be a free and equal country?
I enjoyed reading your argument, Yasmin, and I would like to point out that I noticed that aspect in the book as well. While we as a nation have not completely reached a level of freedom and equality for every citizen, I find it similar to interracial marriages. At one point, marriage between two different races was illegal, but now it's a very common occurence. I believe that world wide acceptance of homosexuals will happen eventually, it's only a matter of time.
ReplyDeleteThanks Taylor! I've never heard of it compared to interracial marriage before, that's interesting. I see your point in that, and i feel that with interracial marriages it might have been even harder to reach acceptance. Not only did people have to learn to give racial rights and accept different races at their level (i.e.: the end of slavery), but they also had to learn to accept them within their families after being taught that they are above other races. It should be much easier to accept homosexual marriage because at least they're marrying within "their own people" (a homosexual would obviously marry a homosexual and not a heterosexual), but it seems that parts of society have just gotten too stubborn and caught up in their own preferences to notice the common needs of others.
DeleteFrom the beginning our country has always been filled with racial segregation and discrimination, but only recently has our country began to accept those people as one of 'us'. The last election was an example of our evolution or breakthrough in accepting every type of person, with Barrack Obama being elected. 150 years ago African Americans still had not received the right to vote. Granted that 150 years is a long time to see this sort of breakthrough, it is precedent that America does grow to accept people who do not seem to fit in with the crowd. World acceptance of homosexuals will happen eventually, however there will always be those few people who discriminate against those who are not like them.
ReplyDeleteIt will take a long time for our country to be truly equal. People these days still think that they are better than a certain demographic. Eventually, people will start to think that homosexuality is normal now.
ReplyDeleteHomosexual individuals will eventually achieve equal rights. Just as African-Americans and women before them were discriminated, homosexuals are now the subjects of hateful prejudice; however, I believe that they will attain their rights and liberties.
ReplyDeleteAs you stated, Chick-Fil-A has denounced homosexuality, yet this action has led many people to protest against this restaurant's actions and outright opposition to gay rights. Over the last few days, I've heard that people are boycotting Chick-Fil-A's all across the nation as well as staging protests. In fact, just yesterday my aunt told me that someone wrote the words "Tastes like Hate" on the wall of her local Chick-Fil-A. Apparently the Boy Scouts of America also excludes individuals that are openly homosexual. Some have protested against this exclusion policy by returning their Eagle Scout badges back to the organization and denying any affiliation with Scouting. These examples show that strides are being taken by many people to achieve rights for homosexuals.
As for the future when homosexuals eventually do achieve equal rights, they will still be subject to prejudice. Just as there is still racism, stereotypes, and sexism, there will be some hate against the homosexual community.
Homosexuals will eventually be granted their freedom and equality but as for our nation, I don't think we will ever truly accept freedom for everyone. Our nation is filled with all sorts of views that are always being input into everything such as business. We will always find someone or some group to be prejudice against and point the finger on those to blame for all the problems in our society. I hope that the homosexuals globally attain the freedom and equality they deserve because they seriously did nothing wrong. Homosexuals have always been around for the longest time ever so why does the discrimination and pointing the finger on them still exist? I doubt that the bible or other religious texts say that man and man or woman and woman cannot be together. I just asked my mom why she was against homosexuals and her response was that, "It is not right. It is not okay for this society and this society deserves to have only a man and woman relationship." What kind of response is that?! Then she got all religious on me and said that they hurt society. I even tried to fight it and she got really angry with me. If that is how our society is basically going to act then how we are going to progress and move on? Ryan is completely right, homosexuals have always been there and the hate on them still continues; therefore, there will always be some form of hate towards them.
ReplyDelete"I doubt that the bible or other religious texts say that man and man or woman and woman cannot be together."
DeleteI won't throw Old Testament Jewish laws on you but look at Mark 10:6-9. Straight out of the mouth of Jesus himself.
Throughout our country’s history many groups were attacked for being different from the norm. Over time these issues such as slavery, women’s suffrage, and civil rights were resolved. I think in the near future the issue on homosexuality will end.
ReplyDeleteI come from a traditional, Christian family and don’t see what is so wrong with homosexuals. They might be different from me, but they are people too and deserve respect. It really bothers me when conservative Christians say that “God hates gays!” , while the Bible condones hatred and murder. These double standards and hypocrisy have to stop. I hope everyone can get along regardless of their backgrounds.
Gio, I think its nice when Christians, and people in general of course, feel that way. Don't get me wrong, many Christians are open to gay marriage and rights, but sometimes it seems as though they don't outnumber the anti-gay community of Christians. You make a good point about God condoning hatred and I'm very happy you are this accepting. Hopefully with time many more people will realize there is no room for hatred in the future.
DeleteOf course people will judge and hate like they have since recorded history, but the US will probably eventually give the homosexuals their rights. I don't like what they do, but as a Christian I have a few homosexual friends that I love. Also, as a Christian I don't think it should be called marriage. Marriage is defined by a man and a woman becoming united. We can give the biologically impossible homosexual unity rights, as well as the animalist unity rights (yes, some people want to marry their pet), but I wish we didn't have such an issue in our society and that people didn't judge.
ReplyDeleteAnother pressing issue with homosexuality is sex divided rooms and programs. The reason for these programs/divisions is to prevent inappropriate actions and harassment (if i were a parent and heard that my child was harassed sexually in the boy's locker room, I would freak out), so I understand the Boy Scout rejection. Certain things should not be tampered with, but I see that it is claimed an unjustice from wanting to protect your child from sexual issues. If that is so, then why not combine men and women's rooms/programs?
Not everybody who gets married is Christian. Any heterosexual of any religion has permission to get married in America. Marriage is a legal bonding granted by the United States government. We separate church and state in our country. So why do we follow Christian/Catholic values and refuse to let homosexuals get married?
DeleteWe do not grant the same rights that come with marriage to everyone in America. The Constitution says that we are all equal, but some people are granted different rights because of the way they are born, just like the racial segregation between blacks and whites.
I think the gender roles that separate transgenders and complicate issues with homosexuals are difficult problems, but just as America learned to deal with racial integration after the Civil Rights movement, we will learn to accept homosexuals and others into our society.
Lauren, I never thought of it like that! Why are we following the Christian/Catholic values? Then again, its not just the Church saying these horrible statements against gays, it's just about every religion. Of course we separated the church and state but did we really? And the answer is no we didn't because if we had we would not be facing these problems till this day. What I find extremely horrific is the fact that homosexuals have always been segregated; even back during the expansion of the Roman Empire. It really is not fair, and the statement "life is not fair" is really irking. How can being a homosexual be such a problem for everyone for such a long time, and even worse, still continue till this day?
DeleteLauren is right, the U.S. government isn't supposed to follow any type of religious values, regardless of which religion. My old Human Geography teacher always told our class that marriage is just an economic tie between two people. Marriage for love is a new value, it's was previously just financial unity, so why are we treating marriage like an exclusive club?
DeleteRidhi, in reply to your question, as mentioned in Bret's comment, it did take a while to get racial rights into American society. It's a long and hard wait, but i do believe it will end.
Ahhh, a common misconception. Homosexuals do not have equal rights. Wrong! Incorrect! At least in America, homosexuals have every right that a heterosexual has. There is no law that says "Heterosexuals can do this, but homosexuals cannot." Let me explain (I hope this is not too confusing).
ReplyDeleteAssuming same-sex marriage is illegal, let's take a group of 4 people. Male A, Male B, Male C, and Female A. Male A is heterosexual, Male B is homosexual. Male C and Female A are irrelevant. Both Male A and Male B can marry Female A. Neither can marry each other nor Male C. So if heterosexual Male A and homosexual Male B can marry the same people and cannot marry the same people, how do homosexuals not have equal rights? The answer is, they do.
I am a heterosexual male. I can marry females but not males. For the purpose of this, if I were to be homosexual, I can still marry females but not males, just like if I heterosexual. If anything, this is a GENDER INEQUALITY. Females can marry males but not females. Males can marry females but not males. So like I said, if anything, it is a gender inequality.
As for hate, I believe that whether you are for or against same-sex marriage, hate is unacceptable for both parties. Our state is separated from the church, so I have nothing against our secular government recognizing same-sex marriage as legal. One thing I do dislike is when traditionally conservative groups or churches do not recognize same-sex marriage as a marriage are pressured by either the government or other groups - or in Chick-Fil-A's case, not allow them to put a restaurant in the city because of their beliefs - to change their beliefs. Or for the government forcing traditional marriage supporting churches to host same-sex marriages in their churches. Just let them be. In the government's eyes, it is a marriage. To the church, it does not recognize same-sex marriage as a marriage. Whether you believe in same-sex marriage or not, please respect the other group's opinion. Especially for those in favor of same-sex marriage, please understand that those in opposition of same-sex marriage don't do it out of hate, but because it is their religious view. If you don't support same-sex marriage and it becomes legal, just remember that in the government's eyes, it is a marriage, but you do not have to recognize it as a marriage. Be understanding and respectful of the other side, not hateful. Just my two cents...
Stephen, i'm so speechless. I have never ever heard it in that context. I've watched videos, read countless articles, seen hundreds of photos, all supporting homosexual rights, and not once have i heard it phrased the way you said it. That's really smart, i understand what you're saying. At the same time a homosexual would probably not want to marry a member of the opposite sex, but i understand what you're saying. The technical name to call it would be Gender Inequality, thanks for letting me know.
DeleteLastly, yes of course everyone has their own beliefs and a right to their opinion, but why should i respect someone if they don't see me as an equal? I just don't think restaurant chains should express their political opinions. As i mentioned in previous comments, i strongly feel that restaurants are meant for business, not political advertisement and i think it is best to keep it that way.
I realize i said "i understand what you're saying" twice. Sorry, i'm just in awe.
DeleteYes, my thoughts are a bit eccentric. Just letting you know, I didn't make them myself, I read about it somewhere and liked it. Yes, a homosexual would probably not like to marry someone of the same gender. But if you are talking about rights, the individual's personal preference is irrelevant.
DeleteIf you agree that restaurants or companies can make publicly announce their beliefs, you have to remember that that companies cannot disapprove or approve of same-sex marriage. If Chick-Fil-A can't publicly condemn same-sex marriage, then JC Penny should not be allowed to have a picture of a same-sex couple on an advertisement. I personally believe the company should have whatever views they want and the individual is free to protest or support the company. However, I do not believe the government should disallow a restaurant from opening a chain in their city because of their beliefs. I believe positions on same-sex marriage should have no bias to the government.
It is often referred to as "separation of church and state" referring to the church being mixed with the state. But I believe that as long as their is separation from the state to the church, there should be separation from the church to the state. If one breaks their social contract, neither side is responsible.
As you brought up the Chick-fil-A scandal, I really thought about how bad of a move that was on Chick-fil-A's part to put that out in our society. As you mentioned Yasmine, many people 80 years after Brave New World was written are still not supportive of gay marriage. So, why would anyone think America could handle a scandal like this?! Many different food companies and corportations are supportive of different things. In-n-out is a rumored Christian based corporation, but I know most of us would not give up a Double-Double or animal fries just because the corporation doesn't believe the same beliefs you do. So , does this mean that if I eat some Chick-fil-A chicken I am declared a homophobe?
ReplyDeleteAlexa, just because you eat at Chick Fil A doesn't mean you're homophobic. However, if you do purchase things from Chick-Fil-A you are supplying them with money that they can donate to anti-homosexual organizations. I understand, its not your fault that you want a good chicken sandwich for a reasonable price. It's really Chick-Fil-a's fault, why is a fast food company making political statements? A restaurants job is to serve me food. I'm not paying to know what your view on marriage is and i don't think it should be a whole moral conflict for me if i want to buy one chicken sandwich. If one opens a restaurant, they do it to obtain business not a political advertisement field. To address the rumors about In-N-Out, at least they aren't using business to make political statements. Every restaurant chain has an owner with certain political views, its what the owner does with his/her views and power that matters.
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