User:Hyacinth/Full disclosure
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[edit] Identity
[edit] Sexuality
I am out as queer/gay. I am a former activist and organizer for human rights and gay straight equality. I co-founded and ran the GSA at my high school, while there I had only one focus and goal: visibility.
- I believe that one does not choose the sex(es) of individuals one will be attracted to.
- I believe that one does choose to acknowledge this or not, if one is able.
- I believe that one does choose to engage in romantic/sexual relationships and sexual activities.
- I believe that anti-gay bias and sexism hurt straight people and men.
- I believe that it is offensive and inaccurate to use the term homosexual.
HOWEVER, on wikipedia:
- I believe that it is offensive, inaccurate, and POV to use the term homosexual.
- I believe that it is NPOV to use the terms gay and lesbian where appropriate (self-identified) and same-sex sexuality where not (non-self-identified).
[edit] Race
I am a supporter of affirmative action, in that I think it should be kept for a great long while. Not that I don't have concerns, but the worst thing ever is when white women complain about it.
I agree with Lou Harrison that "Europe" isn't a continent, its Western Asia, and the only reason to divide Asia into two continents is racism.
[edit] Veganism, Animal Welfare, Animal Rights
I'm mostly vegan but I think PETA is an offensive sexist waste of money and would never join or donate. Despite the accomplishments they are able to make, I believe that a valid human rights movement must include animal rights, and a valid animal rights movement must include human rights. I believe they are guilty of being the only example of the #1 animal rights sin I can think of: They don't care about people. This gives us all a bad name.
[edit] Music
I like just intonation and equal temperaments.
I would say I'm antiromantic, though I don't think that's very informative, accurate, or fair. I hate the idea of cred, indie credibility especially. I don't think there is anything such as authenticity, but at the same time I recognize my bias for music performed by its composer. I want to hate Britney Spears and her ilk, but I want to love them.
I used to think all music was completely "absolute music", completely abstract, no meaning, no emotion, no information, no signification. The work of Susan McClary has convinced me that there may be ways in which music signifies or means. This intuitively makes sense as everything is political, so too would be music. This has had a great influence on how I listen to and talk about music.
[edit] Religion
The closest religions to which I come to ascribing are Taoism and Buddhism. As Taoism is stupid to talk about: I agree with Buddhism that one's suffering is caused by ones wants and desires. Alan Watts convinced me that reincarnation happens with the following paraphrased logic: You say its so amazing that we live once, it wouldn't happen again. I say it is amazing that we happened to have lived once, but that is all the more reason for it to happen again. Statistically, it appears we have an eternity, so if there is any chance that one would have a life, and there must be since we have ours and other continue to do so, then it will happen, no matter how low the chances.
[edit] Worldview
I find that the ideas and concepts I am attracted to are similar in different fields.
- In Buddhism, one's pains and one's very self, are literally carved out of the universe by the flaws of one's perception. The "universe" consisting of a "unified field", a great oneness, the correct perception of is the "state" of Nirvana.
- In constructionism, the great mass of people are divided by class, race, gender, sexuality; all by lines which are made up, socially constructed.
- I understand both of the above through a cartographical analogy: A map make comes across a landscape which one may label a mountain and a valley. The map maker must decide how to represent the mountain, and so chooses the convenient 2D elevation lines. Lines are (perceptually) carved into the mountain, because they serve a purpose, not because they are objective. There is still no objective reason to say, this is a mountain, this is a valley, as one could have just as easily chosen three divisions, or named the area between each cartographical line a natural object.
