Hi everyone,
I wanted to spark the blog strings off with a thought that kept going through my mind as we watched the "That's Gay: No Homo" video in class. Bryan Safi talked about rappers and how they use derogatory terms that could potentially offend gay people. Well, that got me thinking about Macklemore, the world renowned rapper. He released a song called "Same Love", in which he supports gay rights. Immediately after the release, news articles and celebrity media websites alike began to blow him out of the water for the wrong reasons. Everyone wanted to believe he was gay, or wanted to think negatively about him because he's a rapper that's supporting gay rights. This was all because "Same Love" is a unique song that he had never released the likes of before. Here's an article I think everyone will find rather interesting: Battle rapper condemns Macklemore as gay.
The rap industry is considered a male dominant and extremely masculine area of the music industry. So, to the rappers it would only make sense to view gay rappers as outliers. In my opinion, rap industry or not, people are entitled to what they believe, but they shouldn't go as far as publicly ridiculing someone. Macklemore is just another person that decided to go with the flow - homosexuality is present in every
corner of the world. Whether you like it or not, it is on the rise and will be the most controversial topic up for debate in later years.
So, aside from the rap industry, my questions to you are:
1. Why is it that society must label someone that stands up for those who have trouble standing up for themselves?
2. Have you ever supported or opposed gay rights? If so, have you ever been labeled as homosexual or homophobic solely because of your opinion?
3. How might we, as human beings, better ourselves to dismantle the social barriers we've created for homosexuals?
An interesting post Hamzah. Unfortunately, I've heard people make homophobic remarks, and I decided to say something to those people. I'm not sure if I was "labelled" for standing up to them; however, I felt that addressing their negative/homophobic comments was the right thing to do. I know people who identify as gay, so I am affected on a personal level when I hear people making homophobic remarks. It's important to stand up for people who sometimes cannot stand up for themselves. I am a big believer that there is no such thing as "an innocent bystander." If I witness bullying, homophobic remarks, sexism, racism and so forth and I decide to do nothing, then I am just as guilty as the person making the derogatory remarks.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, your thoughts regarding hip hop and homosexuality are quite interesting. It is a male dominated industry which doesn't seem to accept people who identify as gay or lesbian. I think that it'll take time for this industry to change its views. Another industry which also seems to be "in the closet" is the world of sports. I recently read an article about a N.F.L prospect named Michael Sam. The article talks about how and why Michael decided to tell his story now (the article is titled "N.F.L Prospect Micheal Sam Proudly Says What Teammates Knew: He's Gay"- NY Times - Feb. 9th, 2014...in case you're interested). I think that Michael is a courageous man who should be praised, not ridiculed, for his honestly. Unfortunately, some people believe that his "coming out" will hurt his professional career. I on the other hand would like to think that Mr. Sam will serve as a role model for others who are in the same position. It only takes one person to start a movement...Michael Sam seems to be that person for the sports industry...I wonder who that person will be for the world of hip hop.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Ms. Petrelli’s opinion. I too believe that everyone needs to have the right to choose whatever sexual orientation they want and sometimes you can’t even choose. You’re just what you’re without any explanation. As human beings, we all need to respect each other’s choices, decisions and even some of the things that are beyond our control such as being LGBT. This personal belief of mine has got me ‘’labelled’’ several times among homophobic people.
ReplyDeleteA particular example would be an incident that took place recently. When I was on my vacation in Ethiopia last summer, I got into an argument with some of my friends and family members about this controversial issue of ‘’the legalization of gay rights/marriages.’’ Well, for those of you who don’t know: Ethiopia is one of the most religious countries in the world that has refused to legalize gay rights. And probably a country that is highly unlikely to legalize it in the near future. As a result, even having conversations about homosexuality is almost seen as a taboo out there. For this, I don’t even know how my friends and I ended up discussing this matter in the first place. But as the argument heated up, I stated my clear opinion about how important it is for everyone to feel accepted in the society and refusing to legalize such things isolates and affects certain people. I tried to explain that being homosexual is not only a choice, but also a natural tendency that some people cannot change even if they want to. I also tried to avoid sounding subjective by giving them different scientifically proven examples. During this conversation, I realized that most of my friends have really vague information about what exactly being homosexual is. All they know is that it is a sin, a huge unforgivable sin. After the argument was over, I could tell that they were getting into a conclusion that I have been highly influenced by the “western culture”. But all I said was that ‘’we shouldn’t judge others just because they sin differently than us’’ yet, I ended up being ‘’labelled’’ solely because I respected people’s choices and thought outside the box.
hamzah, your blog was awesome, and it's actually the fact that if you try to support or stand for gay rights, people assume that you are also gay. and if you try to prove it with some examples than some people bring religion in which we can't really than prove anything (im not saying religion is wrong im saying that you can't argue on a point once religion comes in play)..
ReplyDelete1) i believe that people think that you must stand up for your rights as we all learned that from junior grades. so instead of a homosexual person standing for his rights, if someone who is straight and stands for someone homosexual, then people assume that you are also homosexual because you are standing for your rights, even though you are standing because something is going wrong in front of your eyes, not because you are homosexual. so in ending of this question i would like to say that people think you are gay, since you are standing up for homosexuals. so stand up for your rights so no one else gets called gay due to your quietness.
2) yes, i have supported gay rights many times, when me and my friends get into the conversation of gay rights. i have never been labeled as gay because my friends know me and they know that i am straight, but i always try to convey my message that it's not their choice and it's some imbalance in the dna which makes them attracted to the same gender instead of the opposite. but this is one the debates which will never be solved and never be proved. this debate could go on and on + when the religion takes in the play, then there is no way some one could convey their message to an religious person. so it usually ends up no where.
3) honestly, in my point of view the barriers we (humans) created can never go away, but just to try to dismantle the barriers between straight people and homosexuals we all have to first realize that we are all human beings, and we all have rights to be who we want to be. the second step could be to try proving if being homosexuals is a choice or DNA imbalance. i guess if we (humans) overcome these two opinions in my point of view, it will break some barriers between homosexuals and straight people and they both could lead a happy life.
Hamza your blog had valid points, most individuals would assume that if your supporting gay rights that you are as well gay. As mentioned in your blog the rap artist Macklemore was stigmatized as gay because he supported it, which is wrong because you shouldn't be labelled because your supporting a certain movement.
ReplyDelete1) Reason as to why people are labelled for what they feel strongly about is because people are afraid, most people are scared of change and in order to prevent that they may bash or label you because they feel that you cant support a cause if your not living that lifestyle.
2) as a personal choice i oppose gay rights, and yes in one point of my life i was approached and was labelled as homophobic because i personally do not support this cause. i guess most people don't no the difference between not supporting it and totally bashing and hating them. i have met a few homosexuals in my life and i treat them same i just don't but my input in places that are not my business.
3) The problem wont be accepted until it becomes a social norm and that countries start to slowly progress and become a accepting an welcoming society. personally its controversial, would homosexuality ever become a social norm? Just like interracial marriages back in history it was a major problem for many though now its totally normal and not rare. So its just a matter of time and understanding.