There is no glory in doing something that is statistically speaking, devoid of interest…
Wait, I thought this was about being proud of standing up to bigots?
Is it about being a statistical anomaly and special, or about being a progressive activist?
Cuz I’ll tell you what pride month is to me, as a straight man. Pride month is one of many placative gestures performed by corporations in order to manipulate my empathy into buying their products. It’s a nice set of makeup that corporations get to wear while you go out and suffer the consequences. You, as someone who is a part of the LGBTQ+ community, should be painfully aware of the damaging effects that corporate usage of the pride month aesthetic has had on public perception of the people in that group.
Yet, here you are. Concerned about establishing why you’re more fucking special than straight people.
No no, pride is not about being “special”. Nobody is special. It’s about people embracing who they are, despite having a tougher going than others.
It’s about not staying in the closet in a country with bigots.
It’s about being a woman in a working culture that favours men.
It’s about going to university in a country that favours manual labour.
It’s about being trans… and daring to say out loud “this is not my gender”.
Being a white, straight, cis man is not very difficult. Being a non-white, straight, cis woman is statistically more common, but harder. Normally, “statistical anomalies” have a harder going, but this is definitely not about being special. It’s about being whoever you are, despite the adversity.
Also, to clarify - I haven’t mentioned anything about not being straight. My sexual orientation has nothing to do with my response.
Everything you’ve said I appreciate, I fully recognize that the LGTBQ+ community should be proud of itself for the reasons you’ve listed.
I also maintain that pride month has been perverted into something else by corporate interests. Mark my words, the longer the LGBTQ+ community adheres itself to corporations; the worse the inevitable damage will be. I have nothing else to add.
Fundementally as long as pride month’s story is linked to stonewall and that story is always told, pride month will always have a bigger symbolism with the counterculture than any corporate influence.
There’s a reason American labor day explicitly does not happen in May.
Corporate influence isn’t counterculture. In fact it’s pride month that is actually counterculture.
I find it amusing that you’re using labor day as an example of the “control” you or anyone has over corporate narratives.
Your money has less purchasing power than it ever has, but we really showed them on Labor Day huh? That day that’s so important we shift the date to whenever we feel like.
I think you’ve completely missed my point. The American labor day was chosen to have a no symbolic date specifically because of the power that the 8 hour work week protests and the haymarket affair in the month of may. It’s the definition of a co-opted holiday. It’s essentially the Tienanmen Incident for America.
And my point is that it’s a paltry concession and ultimately meaningless, as evidenced by the current state of affairs for the average person (in the U.S.).
I fully understood when I wrote that comment that there wasn’t a specific “Labor Day”, my question was rhetorical.
Wait, I thought this was about being proud of standing up to bigots?
Is it about being a statistical anomaly and special, or about being a progressive activist?
Cuz I’ll tell you what pride month is to me, as a straight man. Pride month is one of many placative gestures performed by corporations in order to manipulate my empathy into buying their products. It’s a nice set of makeup that corporations get to wear while you go out and suffer the consequences. You, as someone who is a part of the LGBTQ+ community, should be painfully aware of the damaging effects that corporate usage of the pride month aesthetic has had on public perception of the people in that group.
Yet, here you are. Concerned about establishing why you’re more fucking special than straight people.
No no, pride is not about being “special”. Nobody is special. It’s about people embracing who they are, despite having a tougher going than others.
It’s about not staying in the closet in a country with bigots. It’s about being a woman in a working culture that favours men. It’s about going to university in a country that favours manual labour. It’s about being trans… and daring to say out loud “this is not my gender”.
Being a white, straight, cis man is not very difficult. Being a non-white, straight, cis woman is statistically more common, but harder. Normally, “statistical anomalies” have a harder going, but this is definitely not about being special. It’s about being whoever you are, despite the adversity.
Also, to clarify - I haven’t mentioned anything about not being straight. My sexual orientation has nothing to do with my response.
Everything you’ve said I appreciate, I fully recognize that the LGTBQ+ community should be proud of itself for the reasons you’ve listed.
I also maintain that pride month has been perverted into something else by corporate interests. Mark my words, the longer the LGBTQ+ community adheres itself to corporations; the worse the inevitable damage will be. I have nothing else to add.
Corporations leech off cultures and communities, sure. but that doesnt have to devalue them. Its a separate issue entirely.
I disagree, when corporations have infinitely more reach and influence you have no hope of controlling any narrative they’re a part of.
They own pride month. The LGBTQ+ community does not.
Fundementally as long as pride month’s story is linked to stonewall and that story is always told, pride month will always have a bigger symbolism with the counterculture than any corporate influence.
There’s a reason American labor day explicitly does not happen in May.
Corporate influence isn’t counterculture. In fact it’s pride month that is actually counterculture.
I find it amusing that you’re using labor day as an example of the “control” you or anyone has over corporate narratives.
Your money has less purchasing power than it ever has, but we really showed them on Labor Day huh? That day that’s so important we shift the date to whenever we feel like.
I think you’ve completely missed my point. The American labor day was chosen to have a no symbolic date specifically because of the power that the 8 hour work week protests and the haymarket affair in the month of may. It’s the definition of a co-opted holiday. It’s essentially the Tienanmen Incident for America.
And my point is that it’s a paltry concession and ultimately meaningless, as evidenced by the current state of affairs for the average person (in the U.S.).
I fully understood when I wrote that comment that there wasn’t a specific “Labor Day”, my question was rhetorical.