Last night, we had a panel of Gay Activists in our Human Sexuality class.

At first, I thought it would a good thing because here in Shitsville, there is still a lot of ignorance around. I had high hopes that their stories would touch some of the dumbasses in this class.

But what I came to see was that these particular ACTIVISTS were just as one-sided as their ignorant counterparts! Their stories were touching and lovely, but THEY SHOULDA STOPPED THERE. But they didn't, and it got ugly and annoying. The main loudmouth even went so far as to tell everyone that she JUST KNEW that the Gyno used colder speculums on her than on everyone else just because SHE WAS GAY.

I understand that they were angry, but does that type of activism really help them? It didn't last night, and I'm a huge supporter of Gay Rights but they annoyed the hell out of even me.

OH, and they even got into a fight amongst themselves! I guess the oldsters won't accept that anyone can be "Bi", and one chick was pissed off that she calls herself "Bi" and she's not being taken at her word? So, the oldster was saying that they call that "Queer" in their group, but they don't like it. So...they started arguing about it.

Oh dear

I don't know whether activists themselves or caricatures of activists ruined to of my pet causes - animal rights and feminism - but I know they did them an awful lot of harm. There are stereotypes for activists of most causes, thankfully not too many of them around, but they still put a barrier between the cause and the average person. It's also easy for people to attack you when you don't present a unified front.

People take a step back from me when I tell them I'm a feminist who's interested in animal rights; these aren't the only two, I dabble..

Well those mad fucks usually get all the energy for activism from their neurosis and paranoia, and their fighting spirit is as easily turned on their fellow activists as their oppressors.

I know what you mean...I'm an animal rights person too, but I joined "The Animal Legal Defense Fund" and did free legal work in private, because I didn't want to be associated with the CRAZY public groups who I feel have ruined the cause.

I also have always "dabbled" (Domestic violence, sexual assault, abortion rights, etc), but being lumped in with the vocal crazy people is so NOT my idea of getting the message across!!

i have mixed feelings about activists.

i used to help out with this environmental activist group on my campus, but i wound up leaving them because i was disappointed with how they were functioning. it was just made up of a bunch of kids who were pissed off and did not actually know much about environmental issues in the first place. they would just go off and argue with everyone without knowing what they were actually talking about. i admire their tenacity, but at times i felt they were acting psychotic, and that they just wanted to feel superior to others (because they were ...sooo 'green') instead of genuinely helping out with the cause.

on the other hand though, i feel like activists are also necessary because there needs to be a group of people who can help get the public involved in important issues. and there are several, less crazy ones out there.
like with the environmental campaigns going on at my school---i now help out with a smaller group at school that's a lot better. we actually try to educate people about environmental issues, but we're not forcing information or propaganda down their throats. i respect other peoples' opinions, even if they disagree with mine.

There are activists that aren't idiots, obviously, Tom Hurndall for instance; mad, but not an idiot.

Do you just mean just the highly vocal people? Because there's more to activism than just talking and shouting and rentamobbing.

I used to support an animal rights group, I went to one demo and helped out at their fund-raising flea market (I was 15). Then they had some computer trouble and displaced my personal information, but recently they've started to send me bills again which I'm hesitating to pay.

Because I know that a lot of the people within this organization are rather extreme. They recently sabotaged a fur farm by sedating the watch dog and letting loose hundreds of mink. Most of the mink died a painful death once freed from their cages (run over by cars etc.) and the dog apparently started bleeding from its nose & mouth and was in pain because of whatever they'd given it to knock it out.

I live in a small country and there's only one circle of people who get involved with this type of crap. And years ago when I was active I saw them looking at the ALF newsletters they subscribed to, looking at the pictures of trucks set of fire, etc. talking about how "cool" that was.

I'm not sure if I want to give them any money anymore (I haven't in years, since they didn't bill me for a long while), even if they do accomplish good things as well as this bullshit.

It's basically terrorism. There have been attempts of setting things on fire here as well, and people (and the damned animals they're trying to save for that matter ) could get hurt.

It smacks of that constant scenario where some butch dyke goes 'you don't like me because I'm a lesbian' when it's like....no I don't like you because you're annoying and you have a chip on your shoulder, it really doesn't bother me if you're partial to muff. I'm actaully quite indifferent to the fact that you munch rug, it doesn't even factor in any way to your traits as a person and how you treat people.

There are anti-poverty activists here, who are basically just a bunch of vandals and thugs looking to get on TV.

I'm sure there are many people actually working to find a solution. But it's easier and a lot more fun to destroy property, trash politician's offices and get aggressive at events. And the vocal, idiot minority is always going to get the attention.

Some people just like to have a banner under which to be mad at the world. It lends a little credibility to their immature acting out.

I think sometimes a group of activists not coming from the same place are going to differ on what they actually want.

But yes, I agree that some activists hurt their own cause. Not just by "being annoying".

For example the Oxford "animal rights activists" have turned every oxford student against the animal rights cause, by intimidating them and not putting forward anything near a rational case.
At the moment, animal rights activism in general annoys me, because weighing up the "no nonsense - animals have the same rights as us, and we'll use violence and destruction to get that across" argument in a society that every day kills thousands of animals to be eaten (many of which go to waste) seems absolutely rediculous while others work to save human lives.

All they've done is turn the future decision makers in this country against them.

Gay people are shit at being activists. They either don't care about the factions in society or they are still hung up on the traumas of their childhood.

I would be a good activist because I have no emotion to get in the way of being a smart arse know all!

__________________

OMG fking bisexuals

fuck em and kill em i say

[quote=tracyr;923894]
But what I came to see was that these particular ACTIVISTS were just as one-sided as their ignorant counterparts! Their stories were touching and lovely, but THEY SHOULDA STOPPED THERE. But they didn't, and it got ugly and annoying. The main loudmouth even went so far as to tell everyone that she JUST KNEW that the Gyno used colder speculums on her than on everyone else just because SHE WAS GAY.
QUOTE]


why is that so weird? this type of things do happen to some people. It's funny because I know lots of people that say things like "oh there's no discrimination" or whatever but they just say it because they haven't experienced it themselves, that's why.

Anyway it depends on the activist, yes there is negative activism wich is hateful but it's not the majority.

And I don't have anything against bisexual people but when I hear those Emo kids saying "I'm bisexual" because it's the new "trend" it really upsets me. I think it's disrespectful, I'm out there living life as a gay person taking the heat and a teenage idiot or closet fag comes in with the "bi" jazz and it annoys me.

I also (like most people in this thread) have a difficult time with activism. I have had very beautiful and very negative experiences.

I totally feel the thing about how obnoxious activists can be. I experience that quite frequently, even within groups that I want to help. For instance, I was talking to some kids in a student group I was working with at my school about my job...and about how homeless shelters in general are changing. A number of kids had a number of really pretty stupid objections to the way that various homeless shelters are run, and I was accussed of being racist for not wanting to work in a drop-in shelter (because as I'm sure you all know, there is not a disproportionate amount of black individuals/families living in the shelter I work at). It became really ridiculous. While I appreciate someone who considers spray painting to be their primary form of activism in a given area, I don't think that anymore 'Housing is a human right!' decals are going to change things, seeing as how they haven't already?

Not to mention I was recently almost arrested for feeding homeless people! Blergh.

I think that activism, sometimes silent and sometimes loud, is required to push things forward. I consider myself an activist, but I make a point to avoid being obnoxious. I am tired of screaming fanaticism...on all sides of my life.

The end.

My kitty (Dennis) is an activist for kittys. He was just out being a kitty this morning and one of my neighbors tried to murder him. Now my neighbor's in jail and if the DA gets his way won't be able to hurt anymore kittys for a long time.

That's why my kitty's a HERO!
Dennis is in the hospital right now but his doctor expects a full and speedy recovery. Thank God for Dennis.

kitty is a martyr

why/how did the neighbour try kill him?

He's now known as 'The Kitty Slasher' and he's no longer a neighbor. Why he did it? I don't know. I'm thinking though that he did it to make someone feel badly. Dennis is lucky he has nine lives.

that's really mean. considering you have a total serial killer vibe, i wouldn't be fucking with your garbage cans let alone your pets.

Like as if otherwise you would? WTF? I don't have no 'vibe'.