Talking to straight people on the Internet

[greenbriefs]

I've run into a lot of people who just don't understand what it's like being in the minority.

Comments likes these:

"Why won't this video game allow same-sex couples?"
"I don't like what that CEO said about gay people."

are often met with "stop complaining," or "stop trying to force companies to accept your agenda." To me, this shows a fundamental lack of understanding.

The same thing goes for women or racial minorities. There are a lot of straight white men that don't understand why people complain about (for example) the lack of female or non-white characters in movies.

I don't know how to confront this attitude. People who can't look outside their little box and understand that there is such a thing as social inequality.

Or am I being overly sensitive?

 

[Tjerk12]

Chief Executive Officers often Coordinate Economic Organizations and -if necessary- Ethics will be Executed.

 

[ihno]

No, you're not overly sensitive. I've been out and proud in school for two or three years.

It depends on the single case/person of course but generally straights tend to be a little narrowminded sometimes. They don't see how heterosexual their reality is but with gay people everything is gay.

If my sister and her husband join a course for ballroom dancing, it's just "ballroom dancing". If my boyfriend and I join a ballroom dancing course for same-sex couples, it's a "gay thing". And then they ask: "what do you have against straight people, why do you have to go to a gay ballroom dance?"

 

[Blacky94]

They don't understand and most of them don't even want to understand, yet if the slightest bad thing happens to them they yell for attention. These kind of people really grind my gears. In my experience it also has no purpose trying to get them to understand as most of them will just dismiss your points.
But ignorant people are everywhere and there are enough understanding people out there.

 

[Whisper]

I've run into a lot of people who just don't understand what it's like being in the minority.

Comments likes these:

"Why won't this video game allow same-sex couples?"
"I don't like what that CEO said about gay people."

are often met with "stop complaining," or "stop trying to force companies to accept your agenda." To me, this shows a fundamental lack of understanding.

The same thing goes for women or racial minorities. There are a lot of straight white men that don't understand why people complain about (for example) the lack of female or non-white characters in movies.

I don't know how to confront this attitude. People who can't look outside their little box and understand that there is such a thing as social inequality.

Or am I being overly sensitive?

Well, I'm straight woman and long-time member here (which usually causes weird looks ). Not all straight ones are narrow-minded, just like not all gays are open-minded.

Anyway, I don't think you are being overly sensitive. I'm being called overly sensitive when I get irritated when so many female-related words are seen as negative or when I point out the facts why 20-30-40 years old women have difficulties to get a job ("baby making age"), etc etc.

Hmm, can anyone say if there is a movie, a real money-making action film for example, with a non-white female in leading role?

Where was I... Oh yes, there is no need for you to feel that you are being overly sensitive. This world needs to finally realize that there are also other people than white straight men and that we all should be treated equally, no matter the sexuality, gender, skin color, etc.

 

[tonka]

I understand your need to deal with dense people in real life. We all have these situations.

But online? Find online groups who understand you. If they are homophobic, let them go.
If you enjoy the give and take of argument, go for it. But it seems like you don't.

 

[greenbriefs]

No, you're not overly sensitive. I've been out and proud in school for two or three years.

It depends on the single case/person of course but generally straights tend to be a little narrowminded sometimes. They don't see how heterosexual their reality is but with gay people everything is gay.

If my sister and her husband join a course for ballroom dancing, it's just "ballroom dancing". If my boyfriend and I join a ballroom dancing course for same-sex couples, it's a "gay thing". And then they ask: "what do you have against straight people, why do you have to go to a gay ballroom dance?"

Exactly. I want to turn that back around and ask what they have against gay dance classes, and why do they have to go to straight classes. Just like when my horrible boss muttered, "When's white history month." I told her, "every month is white history month." I should have added, "when's the last time a population of white people suffered 300 years of slavery?" Some people are so self-centered and ignorant.

I understand your need to deal with dense people in real life. We all have these situations.

But online? Find online groups who understand you. If they are homophobic, let them go.
If you enjoy the give and take of argument, go for it. But it seems like you don't.

To be positive, the one particular site I was having trouble with the other day is very inclusive and LGBT positive. It was the commenters were being dense. I even went to a gay-specific site, and there were commenters complaining about gay people making too much of a fuss. That was the tipping point. That's when I came here to vent.

 

[topdog]

Well, speaking as a white male, I can say from experience that when you are not the one facing discrimination, you just assume that the rules are fair for everyone. Until someone points out to me what it's like to face the same things as a black person, or woman, or non-english speaking, or transgender, etc - I don't have a clue. Why would I?

You are doing your friends and family a service by pointing out a perspective that they can only receive from you.