Ashamed of being Bisexual

johnbc wrote:your underlying assumption of gays being more unhappy than happy is fallacy. drawing conclusions from a fallacy is futile.

On average, gays are more unhappy than happy. In certain (approving) environments, happiness can perhaps be cultivated, but generally, homosexuals are more unhappy than happy. Society is changing, however, in a positive direction for homosexuals, so this will probably change too.

Reasoning:

Self-worth is a component of happiness.

Self-worth dependents on others' views of us. Positive views = high self-esteem. Negative views = low self-esteem.

Society, generally (in most environments), has negative views toward homosexuals.

Therefore, most homosexuals have low self-esteem, and consequently, most are unhappy.

yep...and all black people consume mass quantities of watermelon.

you are speaking in generalities...you are showing you bias.

wikipedia says...Bias is an inclination to present or hold a partial perspective at the expense of (possibly equally valid) alternatives.

just cause you can say it...does not make it so.

Of course I'm speaking in generalizations. You can't conclude anything from a discussion like this without making generalizations. But they are appropriate generalizations, and valid conclusions (with qualifications, which I've provided) can be arrived at.

And of course I have a biases! Everyone has biases. But that does not lessen the validity of what I've saying.

I mean...they've done studies and research shows that homosexuals on average have lower self-esteem than heterosexuals....and it's not surprising in light of the views society has toward them.

But this should not be or does not have to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Homosexuals can be happy! There is nothing intrinsically about homosexuals that makes them doomed to live unhappy lives, that's nonsense.

And like I said, things are changing:

http://www.apa.org/monitor/feb02/newdata.aspx

blah blah blah...we are all just a bunch of straight people spouting bs on our neighbors issues...hm?

Anyway, I just wanted to make my contribution to the discussion. Not trying to offend anyone.

fyi, one study found that lesbians are as likely to report being mentally healthy as their heterosexual sisters and to report higher self-esteem.

Mr. No One wrote: As for Aspd and me, do you think I should be allowed to live accordingly to my natural propensities? If not, why not?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0A3tggFhVo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Hi,

I am not sure if the youtube video was a response to my post or a clarification of some position you hold. Anyways, cool graphics package.

What are your natural propensitites? ASPD is just a generic label, just as is bipolar or Avoidant. People are people. Everyone is different and everyone has different thoughts, likes, dislikes, propensities, etc.

I have dealt with a lot of issues related to social anxiety and avoidance. As a defense mechanism, I have spent a lot of time watching and subliminaly analyzing the behavior of others and reading their emotions, someitmes to a fault. After reading the first few posts and your responses to them, an immediate red flag came up inside my mind and my gut instincts gave me the impression that the dialogue transcends the sharing of opinions and the goal is to create conflict and argument for the sake of conflict. This could be just my misplaced ideations regarding the intent of others. I could be wrong and please do not take this as an insult or attack. I am just being honest. My gut instincts on this were pretty strong.

So, to avoid the unneccesary conflict I see most assuredly coming, and to prevent drawing this out into an argument, I will just answer your question with another question and then move on:

Why shouldn't you be entitled to the respect and dignity afforded to anyone else? You are a human being, no?. You should be able to live your life free of the threat of violence or harm. You are entitled to the views you hold. You should not be discriminated against because of the issues you face.

Peace

johnbc wrote:blah blah blah...we are all just a bunch of straight people spouting bs on our neighbors issues...hm?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

crystal_richardson wrote:Anyway, I just wanted to make my contribution to the discussion. Not trying to offend anyone.

fyi, one study found that lesbians are as likely to report being mentally healthy as their heterosexual sisters and to report higher self-esteem.

I just wanted to add: The finding in the particular study regarding lesbians and them having higher self-esteem than their heterosexual counterparts is possibly due to the fact that many lesbians reject mainstream beauty ideals and show their partners acceptance and praise regardless of their appearance vis-a-vis western mainstream female beauty ideals.

crystal_richardson wrote:

crystal_richardson wrote:Anyway, I just wanted to make my contribution to the discussion. Not trying to offend anyone.

fyi, one study found that lesbians are as likely to report being mentally healthy as their heterosexual sisters and to report higher self-esteem.

I just wanted to add: The finding in the particular study regarding lesbians and them having higher self-esteem than their heterosexual counterparts is possibly due to the fact that many lesbians reject mainstream beauty ideals and show their partners acceptance and praise regardless of their appearance vis-a-vis western mainstream female beauty ideals.

I suspect it has more to do with the fact that women who are prepared to identify themselves as being lesbian in a study, have found self-acceptance for their minority sexuality. Self-acceptance builds self-esteem imho.

I believe on average people who volunteer that they are in a minority or prejudiced group would have higher self-esteem than people who remain 'in the closet' and pretend to belong to the majority.

Sounds plausible.