h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If a gay couple receives the same legal rights as a heterosexual couple, what difference does it make what they call it? I would think they would be delighted to be making progress. And good for Canada, by the way.

My theory - pathetic as it may be - is that heterosexual couples believe that allowing gay marriage will somehow tarnish their own marriage committments. Not being male I find it hard to understand why heterosexual men feel so threatened by gay men. And I don't understand why so much anger and hatred surrounds this issue.

I suppose it goes back to the need to feel superior like other forms of discrimination.We all want to feel good about ourselves. Rednecks are racists because they need that feeling of superiority and they can't achieve it politically, socially or economically. So they pick skin color or sexual orientation as a reason to look down their noses on someone. That part I understand. But why the hate? Where does it come from?

I often wonder Hyp. If you dwell on it you feel ill. Best not too.

On the UK political front I belive Mr Brown will be primeminister within 18 months. I hope he gives the students a better deal.

Well, one thing about the issue of superiority issues is that if a person feels superior to another person, the first person will quickly feel contempt, which can easily lead to hatred.

An interesting study was recently conducted on a class of students once to see what the effects of superiority might be. The students were (I believe) all of the same ethnic background and relatively close to each other in age. The teacher said, "We're going to try an experiment. Those of you with blue eyes, pretend for a bit that you are, for some reason, better and smarter than the children with brown eyes."

Within less than an hour, the obvious superiority issues that can easily lead to hate had already surfaced in this class, and the teacher called off the experiment before too much time passed. Her results were published in some studies a while back.

Hatred naturally stems from superiority and seperation for people who allow those types of thoughts to run rampant through their minds. That's why hatred and discrimination is so difficult to stamp out: just tell a person at a relatively young age that they are better or different than another person, and if they aren't soon corrected then they could grow up just as warped and angry as the person who first messed with them.

It's an unfortunate situation, but it's a pretty definite one that needs to be dealt with.

Yes the UK education system is a prime example of structural social apartheid. Those that can pay go private. Perpetuation of inequality.

DD - who won what by 5 votes?

5 votes =

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3434329.stm

Hey now Hypatia, I am a redneck and proud of it! (In a left handed backwads sort of way). Not all rednecks are racists.

A 'civil union' is definitely not the same as a marriage civil, church or otherwise. It does not confer all the automatic benefits that come with marriage such as inheritance, pensions, access to your children, next of kin, tenency, all those sort of things. It is a step in the right direction but it is not an equalistion of rights.

Cheers for that AFA link way back when FG. I couldn't remember who'd posted it, but thank you for doing so

I find it ironic that President Bush and others consider gay marriage a threat to the institution of heterosexual marriage but don't utter a peep when people like Britney Spears marry for five minutes. What erodes marriage and the family more? Two people who want to pledge till death they do part or some dippy celebrity getting hitched just on a lark?

Thanks GD!

A's parents, being terribly liberal types are now starting to pressurise him - he should really be finding someone to settle down with, and what about adopting children like those nice gay men on TV.

We're being put under the same pressure that the hetrosexuals have been under for ages - being made to feel like a failure if we're single. But why should the hetrosexual model of marriage be something that we should seek to emulate?

Yes it's very nice if it happens - but as long as you're happy does it matter how you live? And a lot of people aren't happy because they feel like a failure because they haven't had got such a relationship.

A monogamous relationship for the rest of your life leading to endless happiness lets face it it isn't going to happen to the majority of us. It's very nice that it does happen but there are plenty of other ways to happiness.

No snow here yet, I'm off to bed in the hopes of waking up to some.

Yes Caer over 200m in N Pennines England we have 75mm. About -2C.
Maritime climate..never too dramatic.

Marv a redneck? I will admit to being a hillbilly. *hangs head in shame* Anyone else have anything they would like to bring out of the closet?

Apparently Marv and I mean different things by redneck. (That's the problem with labels for people. ) Using my definition Marv would definitely not be a redneck.

Hypatia,
Me? Well I’m a countr’ bumpkin

Re Marriage, I got married because I felt it was expected of me

I would feel a hypocrite to do it all again, saying ‘forever’ a second time round.

Having said that, you do feel less secure, but that’s one of the reasons I have got a DIY will kit to sort through.

[lil]

No worries Hyptia. I call myself a redneck because I like all of the redneck activities. I like NASCAR, firarms, tractor pulls etc. About the only redneck activity I dislike is professional wrestling. To top off that my dad was a truck driver for 25 years and my mothers family is from Texas. Being a redneck is in my blood.

YEAH!

Girls from my neck of the woods are generally classes as being honorary Essex girls. I think the closest American equivalent would be white trash. B is a kulak, and a genuine one, which is actually pretty unusual. Of rich peasantry stock, the ultimate in anti communist.

Actually, when I was wading through forms and applications for B's visa, I noticed that when it comes to spouses/fiancee visas, you can get one if you are unable to marry for a couple of reasons one of which is being in a same sex relationship. On the other hand, common law marriages between straight people who have no impediments to marriage are not recognised.

I decided I quite liked the division some countries make between civil ceremonys and church ceremonys. In Russia, for example, and France for that matter, if you want a church wedding you have to do the civil wedding first: church weddings are not legal, but only for marriage in the eyes of the church. So you have to go through two ceremonys if you want a church wedding too.

I was wondering whether, since divorce seems such a fixture, and since a civil union/ marriage or whatever is such a convenience, and since a civil marriage doesn't necessarily have to have the religious requirements for it being once and only, whether some kind of contractual system could be worked out. Renewable five-term contracts sort of thing. Doesn't stop you doing the religious marriage thing if that's what you believe in, but I was wondering if instead of feeling guilty that things didn't work out when things go wrong, we could somehow rejig our perception of the married state into something that might fit reality a bit better. Plus, even if you do fully intend to stay together forever, a bit of reassesment every now and then might not go amiss.

I love it!