i feel the need to express how i feel and felt about my life as a gay man.
i was brought up from birth as a jehovahs witness.
this has played a major part in my life and it has been a real struggle to get past.
Simply amazing story. I cannot imagine the torture you went through.
I'm so glad that you've come through the fire and are a stronger person for it. I hope you can continue to find people who love you for who you are and respect you for your experiences.
ADQ
favorite show: 1. labor day weekend 1982 us fest in san bernadeno: the police, talking heads, b-52s, oingo boingo, the english beat, the ramones, gang of four.
2. general public october 1984 kabuki in sf (the show had this intamate small club feel like the good ole days at the mabuhay and a mutants show.. 3. day on the green sept 1983 in oakland, ca: the police, the fixx, thomson twins, oingo boingo, madness.
4. november 1984 at henry j kieser in oakland: u2.
Bob Dylan and Santana--TOGETHER. It was such a groovy time, even the cops were passing joints!
ADQ
hey guys,.
my girlfriend dragged me into her yoga class.
loved it.. i think the wt said that yoga was bad.. at first i was weary, because i always viewd yoga with being a sin.. but then i realized.... stretching and excercise is not a sin.. .
I love yoga. I've been doing it for years. Even when I was a JW. Its one of the most effective, and yet gentle to the body form of exercise you can do.
Congrats on starting! Its cool that you went with your girlfriend. Not a lot of guys are into it...men are generally not as flexible as women--so they get frusterated when they start. My husband has done yoga with me ONCE. He quit after that.
Have fun!
Q.
a couple days ago minimus asked the question (anyone notice he's always asking questions?
me: snobbery, ignorance, flourescent lighting and hands that are shedding innocent blood.
bradley
Men do not have good looking feet. Period.
Well, they may not be as aestheticaly pleasing as women's feet--but there is a BIG difference between feet that are clean, with trimmed toenails and feet that are pasty white with crinkly black hairs and thick yellow toes, knarled and calloused and stinky.
I appreciate a guy who can keep his feet in good shape. Most men ignore their feet. If a guy has nice, clean feet, it shows he knows how to take good care of himself.
Its not necessarily the feet THEMSELVES I am attracted to, Francois, as the ability of the owner of the feet to maintain them.
Q.
p.s. I think your sentance of 'death' to flip-flop wearers might be a bit harsh. Perhaps you have been scarred in the past by feet. I understand, Francois. I would be happy to help you work through your foot issues. Please feel free to contact me personally any time. We can talk about this. I want you to feel FREE around feet--even your own. Its nothing to be ashamed of, Francois.
a couple days ago minimus asked the question (anyone notice he's always asking questions?
me: snobbery, ignorance, flourescent lighting and hands that are shedding innocent blood.
bradley
People who are completely self-involved and have no respect for others' time, money, or feelings.
Laziness.
People that can't hold their liquor/drug of choice, and act like a boor when they've had too much.
I also dislike sexual overtness. I'm no prude, but I think its just not attractive to lay it all out there.
Abuse of children, women, or animals.
Physically--I am a freak about teeth and feet. I hold good, clean, white teeth and well proportioned, clean, well-maintained feet in very high esteem. They don't have to be PERFECT--they just have to look like you take care of them...
Q.
interesting article in time magazine..... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030804-471198,00.html.
where the good jobs are going.
some excerpts:jobs that stay put are becoming a lot harder to find these days.
Right on, Abaddon! Thanks for the info!
Q.
pork chop and in_between_days seem to think i am the only one on this board who is bitter and feels occasionally violent toward the borg...what do you think?.
i have been called low life scum because i made a comment (after being provoked) about not caring if all jws died of antrax.
honestly, there are days i really feel that way.
Hey Ravyn,
I just wanted to add that I understand what you're going through--even though I don't share your feelings. Both me and my brother have left, and he has a similar reaction to yours. He is ANGRY!
I think different people have different ways of dealing with things. Let's face it--this is not just something that happens all the time--having your entire belief system blown out of the water!
I had the reaction of being TERRIFIED. I was almost immobilized by my fear. I felt lost, alone, depressed, and self-destructive.
Thankfully, we are both getting ourselves to a better place.
Anyway--you are right--you absolutely have to talk things out. Outrageous statements WILL be made! My brother used to swear at God and talk about how much he hated JW's and my dad, and all that. If you say "I wish they'd all just die of anthrax", well, let's face it--that is not going to happen--and you know its not--its sort of a fantastic statement that lets you voice your anger in a big, dramatic way, without making an actual threat. At least, that's my take on it.
As far as that sword-weilding thread goes--well, come on. That would have been funny even if it was a hall full of Catholics. Or Mary Kay representatives. Its one of those 'stupid criminals' stories that deserved a laugh. It was almost cartoonish in its 'violence'.
What is important, IMHO, is that we are all free to express ourselves. I guess it is just years of being a JW, because many of us still insist that it is our job to tell other people what they should think/feel/believe. A healthy debate is one thing--but telling something they suck because of their beliefs is just self-righteousness.
Q.
interesting article in time magazine..... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030804-471198,00.html.
where the good jobs are going.
some excerpts:jobs that stay put are becoming a lot harder to find these days.
I'd like to add something...
Democracy, free trade, human rights--these are things that we westerners feel could benefit third world countries. So, we go over there, we mess around, maybe topple a dictator or two, and tell people "Ok, you're a democracy. VOTE!", or "Here's some much needed money--now get to work!".
True social reform does. not. work. this. way. It must be internal. It must be an interior revolution.
Example: My husband tells us of how the last Pakistani dictator was dethroned, and there ushered in the period of 'democracy'! The west was thrilled. Sanctions were dropped. They had the approval of the 'big kids on the block'.
Do you know how Pakistani democracy works? My mother-in-law worked at the voting booths. Men would come with guns, hold them to her head, and take as many votes as they wanted. The elected politicians worked like the mafia. Using money to buy votes, and force to take them. They took percentages of business-owners' profits, as their 'tribute'. The police are paid by these politicans. There is no place for decent, hard-working people to turn if they are looted by the powers that be. No court. No law. They are OWNED by their government. Money that was given to the government from the U.S. never reached the 'people'. While millions of people work their butts off for $1.00 a day, a small percentage live in PALACES. I have met these people. They have more money than GOD. It is fuedalism, folks...only wearing a disguise of democracy. The wealthy have homes in Switzerland, I have friends who have over $100,000 worth of jewlery, just given to them at their weddings. Meanwhile, there are people so desperate in that country, they will break their child's arm, and put them out on a street to beg, because they get more money if the kid is wounded. Families of 8 live in one room.
If you'll look at this link, it explains the situation in more academic terms:
http://www.pensionreform.org/articles/third_way.html
Just because we have some happy-go-lucky ideal that we are improving the world don't make it so.
Again, I am not opposed to helping out other countries. Ideally, free trade is good. So is democracy. But we are not dealing with individuals. We deal with officials, politicians, and business men. If they are corrupt, it will F**K up the whole system.
I think there should be international standards that have to be adhered to. Business sanctions can be placed on countries that refuse, say, to pay a minimum wage, or give x amount of sick days, or something.
Free Trade implies an exchange of equals. Money for labor. But labor is not all we take. We take health, and happiness--if a family has to work 12 hour shifts 5 days a week--sure they are making money--but how is that improving their lives?
Q.
interesting article in time magazine..... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030804-471198,00.html.
where the good jobs are going.
some excerpts:jobs that stay put are becoming a lot harder to find these days.
Yeah, I'm not saying that all free trade should be stopped--but the sad fact is, America is great because we have RIGHTS here. People in other countries CAN be exploited, because they have NO PROTECTION!
They can send their 7 year old children to work all day, and ignore their basic education--because there is no law, no constitution to protect those children's rights. They can work people 14 hours a day--no one will tell them not to. There is no such thing as minimum wage. And sure as hell no insurance or worker's comp. If you slice your arm off with some big factory machine, sorry pal, you're outta work and outta luck.
My husband has told me stories of life in a third world country that would stand your hair on end.
THAT is the exploitation I'm talking about. Not just the money--which is pathetic, but also, the lack of human rights that are being exploited by corporations in this country who should know better!
Q.
interesting article in time magazine..... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030804-471198,00.html.
where the good jobs are going.
some excerpts:jobs that stay put are becoming a lot harder to find these days.
We hired about a dozen programmers at my last gig from India. Most of them had Ph.D.s and made considerably less than the programmers they replaced, all of whom had B.S. degrees and were Americans.
My husband is from Pakistan. (I am assuming, Francois, that you were referring ONLY to the Indian accent--not the Pakistani one. I have no problem understanding Mr. Q) He actually came here to get his degree, liked it, and stayed. The problem with the 'degrees' overseas is that many of the colleges and universities don't have the same standards. Only the wealthiest and most priveleged people from the subcontinent send their children to the west to study...it is considered a status symbol. So...getting a PhD over there may not be as glorious as it sounds.
That being said, I think outsourcing this kind of thing is a bad deal all around. I didn't like it when I found out Korean kids were making 50 cents an hour to make Nikes, and I don't like it knowing that educated and skilled people are being paid less than half what they should be making.
I know a lot of people from that part of the world. The poverty there is STAGGERING. Basically, you're taking advantage of people who are desperate. Not to mention taking jobs away from Americans. Both my husband and I were laid off last year...and I know many, many people who have been out of work for more than a year. I know a guy who's got his Masters who is bagging groceries until he can get something else.
Everyone is a patriot, until they realize they can make a buck.
Q.
