Posts by neonhound10

Susan Ward4 said:Just one quick question:

I’ve been looking at this Mastercard from JPMorgan Chase that offers a deferred payment option.
Does it function like a charge card—basically following the same principle as an American Express where you don't get hit with interest?

Haha, seriously, have you still not picked up one of those cards yet??

American Express is the way to go🙂

Jason Cooper50 said:Not sure about you guys, but I just heard the most ridiculous thing at Chase... basically, I have one of their credit cards, paid the annual fee $50 last year, and haven't even touched it since because I don't need it. Zero balance, zero debt. Then this recent bill for the annual fee shows up, so I head down to the bank to just cancel the damn thing. The teller tells me she can close it, but only *after* I pay the fee and then cut it up. Wait, what? So the logic is I have to pay for something I'm not even going to use? It’s like if I worked in insurance and a client wanted to switch providers or skip coverage entirely, and I told them they still had to pay me anyway just to leave. Like, seriously? It's not even about the $50... it's the principle of it all. $50

Well, what exactly did you expect from a teller?? When I went into Chase, the lady told me that if I wanted to get a security token that wasn't part of a specific bundle, I had to make a one-time payment of $67 🙂

Maybe try talking to the branch manager and ask them to point out the exact clause in the contract that says you're obligated to pay that...

wanderingtinker34 said:I’ve always said that I define primitive behavior as those moments where a pack of aggressive, straight guys decides to gang up and carry out some sort of "massacre" against a gay or bisexual person. Honestly, that kind of mob mentality is just so incredibly primal and backward!

I suppose you might actually change your tune if this were happening to your own kid, but let's be real—you aren't thinking about that right now because you haven't truly sat down to process what it would mean if something like this happened in your future. Even if you claim to be against it today, if it hit home, you'd eventually have to face the reality of it. At the end of the day, it’s your child, and they carry your blood!

Look, they aren't to blame for how they were born or for their orientation, which is exactly what one of the folks on this forum pointed out when they said, "I've been gay since birth and I'd give anything to be able to change it." Maybe there's even some shame involved, but you can't fight who you are. It's like how someone loves football or psychology or... well, whatever, it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. You can't just tell yourself, "Starting today, I don't like football anymore, so I'm never watching an NFL game again when our team plays!"

Maybe it isn't the perfect analogy, but I think it's a simple way to get my point across! 😉

Now you’ve gone and broadened the scope a bit too much there... that really doesn't apply to me at all. I don't condone attacking any group or individual, and honestly, I assume that's actually against the law here in the States... So, I think we really need to draw some lines between different categories, like those people who don't even think for themselves and just follow along with even bigger idiots, versus those who simply have their own perspective or way of looking at things without actually threatening anyone, regardless of whether their opinion happens to offend someone or not. At the end of the day, I just don't hang out with people whose views and beliefs feel like a personal attack on me, and that's really all there is to it...

When it comes to my child, even if they happen to be gay, I honestly can't wrap my head around why you’d assume I’d ever change my mind just because someone tries to label it as some kind of illness or disorder... I mean, at the end of the day, I can still love my kid unconditionally while simply acknowledging that they were born a little different from what society calls "normal"...

That’s really all there is to it, and honestly, I don't feel like I'm offending anyone or stepping on any toes, nor am I trying to deny anyone their rights in any way whatsoever...

To seems like some pretty healthy thinking to me...

Well, that’s certainly your right to feel that way. As for me, my own perspective is simply that homosexuality is a type of disorder or illness—or more accurately, just something that deviates from what I consider the norm, which is the average state of things. And honestly, I don't see any issue with holding that view... it's just how I see the world.

Am I being primitive by thinking this way? Maybe I am, at least according to anyone who disagrees with me. But everyone is entitled to their own opinion, no matter how controversial or "sick" it might seem to others, as long as they aren't trying to force those beliefs on anyone else.

And even if I had a child who happened to be gay, why on earth would you expect me to suddenly change my mind about it??

Carl Ruiz4 said:Honestly, it sounds like you might need a hobby. 👎

A quick word for those wading through the shallow end of psychology: homosexuality was considered perfectly normal long before 1973.
Maybe pick up a history book once in a while.

And here you are, acting like some grand leader of a bunch of wise-cracking gays...

Sarah Wood8 said:The Church used to burn homosexuals at the stake... I really have to wonder who here is pretending they can't see the reality of it. Compared to what the Church actually did, Hitler was practically a pacifist.

Honestly, you’ve completely missed the point of this entire discussion...

For those who can't seem to connect the dots, it's probably better to just stay quiet...

slywolf45 said:Look, I realize this is a bit off-topic—honestly, it’s a pretty silly subject to dive into since I’m not a believer myself. To me, organized religion is just a bunch of nonsense, essentially a tool used to keep the masses under control through dogma...👎
But, let's be honest, it's difficult to stay strictly within the lines of a single topic when there are so many interconnected threads pulling at it...

So does that mean I'm unthinking too, even if I don't consider myself part of some mindless crowd? It feels like the exact same kind of prejudice I have toward vegetarians or the LGBTQ+ community, except at least I'm actually aware of my own biases...

Look, he’s just a leader, and true believers should absolutely have the right to push back—it might even be their responsibility to do so... While things usually run a bit smoother when there’s one person at the helm, every single person in the community ought to have a seat at the table and a voice in the conversation.

The Bible teaches us that sometimes a believer needs to wrestle with God to truly prove their devotion... After all, God doesn't want followers who just blindly follow without thinking, because that kind of blind faith could be applied to anything at all. The whole point is to have a faith rooted in actual understanding.

But then again, I suppose we were talking about LGBTQ+ issues rather than theology, so I guess this is drifting a little far off-topic...

The Bible is the truth, but let's be real—the church itself is basically just pure marketing. Just like anywhere else in America, you're going to find good people and bad people walking through those doors...

Anyway, we're really here to talk about homosexuality. It feels like there was a time, maybe just last year, when being "woke" was the absolute trend, and having a gay friend was practically a social requirement if you wanted to stay relevant...

So where does that leave us? It’s such a weird contradiction, seeing how we all fall prey to propaganda one minute, only to push back against it so hard the next...

I honestly think anyone would drink down actual poison if it were presented to them with enough charm and a slick enough presentation...

And let's face it, nobody is ever going to buy an incredible product if all they hear about is the negative press surrounding it...

Sarah Wood8 said:I think human stupidity shows its true face when people try to force wrong conclusions about why someone has certain sexual preferences. I remember back in puberty, I was attracted to women, and I know for a fact I didn't choose that. It’s the same for people attracted to men—they didn't pick it either. People try to pin external, degenerate influences on gay people just so they can feel better about themselves, which is funny because even gay people often portray themselves as more degenerate than they are. There wasn't some broken family dynamic in my life that turned me this way. I know who I’m attracted to, but why it's women instead of trees, animals, or my own gender is something I honestly have no clue about.
People who can only view the world through their own lens—trying to understand only what represents them while bashing or trying to destroy anything else—are mentally immature individuals trapped by twisted ideologies and pure ego. We know right from wrong, but you only realize that once you actually grow up. To me, there is far more evil in the hatred directed at gay people and the violent rhetoric about how they need to be "cured," or in extreme cases, tortured and killed, than there is in seeing two men walking down the street holding hands.
But look at today's hypocritical society, built on even more hypocritical ideologies. You have a massive criminal like Hitler who condemned and murdered gay people, yet on the other side, an institution that is supposed to be the embodiment of goodness and tolerance, like the Church and the Pope, also judges them and calls them sinners. It makes you wonder: who is the real victim here, and how much competence does this hatred actually have when both Hitler and the Church (two absolute extremes) view gay people in the exact same way? Heterosexuals are trying to turn gay people into martyrs, and wasn't Jesus Christ the one who said, "the last shall be first," implying that those who suffer will be closest to Him? Not exactly those words, but you get the point.
It makes me wonder how much authority a church actually has today to spread hate toward gay people, especially when they are already hated by a public with questionable morals—a public where statements like "kill them all" get applause, while calls for tolerance are treated like something foreign or wrong. Who gives any of us the right to interfere in the life of someone who isn't hurting anyone, let alone judging and trying to destroy them just for being something they couldn't choose to be?
Since when did the word "hate" become a valid term whenever we target someone we personally dislike for subjective reasons? If we want to be fair, we could compare them to rapists, pedophiles, or murderers, or claim they are more promiscuous than heterosexuals, but deep down, we all know that's complete bullshit.
Are we going to pretend to be great moralists and claim we care about our children's future by trying to destroy a specific group of people? Are we trying to build a "pure society" like the one Hitler wanted? Real beauty lies in diversity, not in forced uniformity and mental clones.

Honestly, you're talking nonsense; even in the Bible, there are mentions of people being born that way, and nobody is out there judging anyone else, so maybe don't present your own perception as if it's some universal truth, but rather just state that it's your personal view...

live long and prosper

slywolf45 said:Hey neonhound10... it’s been a while since we last crossed paths. Honestly, I'm starting to lose my edge because I have nobody left to argue with lately.😁

I’d say they just take turns suffering through it... one minute it's "your turn," then the next it's "my turn."

It's much like my own history with the women I've dated—there was never this rigid "man versus woman" dynamic. Instead, it felt more like two people who simply rose above those tired, old-fashioned stereotypes.😬 😉

🙂

It seems I might have been missed by a few of you after all...👍

I guess there can't be a real, constructive debate without my little tangents and rambling thoughts getting involved...😬

And honestly, I can feel all this mutual affection coming my way...🙂

But really, with so many soft people out there these days, I doubt anyone actually needs my advice anyway...🙂

No need for all that, we've got plenty of gay guys right here to clear things up for us...

Peter Parker62 said:I guess if you don't feel particularly fond of homosexuals, people just immediately slap the label of "homophobe" on you. I mean, by definition, a phobia is a fear of something, and honestly, that doesn't make sense to me... 1.) It isn't that we're afraid of you, it's just that we find it off-putting. My stomach kind of turns when I see two guys making out in a public park. Look, keep it in your own house, that’s fine, but doing it in public just isn't right for people who live traditionally. And 2.) This isn't about being "afraid" of people. I don't have an issue with "people" in general—religion, race, nationality, whatever—it's specifically homosexuality that bothers me. Besides, there used to be all this talk about whether it was a sickness or a disorder, or if it came from how someone was raised or if it was genetic... from what I understand, there were studies done on the pituitary gland (you know, how they can determine biological sex after removing the pituitary from the brain), and those studies supposedly showed that gay men have female-pattern pituitary glands... so, maybe it really is a disorder or a condition... furthermore, if it's okay to be straight, imagine a world where everyone is straight... everything works fine. But now, if it's okay to be gay, imagine a world where everyone is gay. What happens then? You get nothing. That society collapses within 80 years... so there's clearly something wrong here. I guess you could blame the media for clouding everyone's judgment, because accepting this as "normal" feels like being misled. (And if you point that out, they call you a homophobe!!! FUCK YOU!!) On top of that, you claim you don't have rights, but what about our rights?? I'll go to the Mall of America (which is basically the biggest shopping hub in this part of the country), and in like 150+5 different stores, I can't even find a decent, plain black shirt... why?? Because everything has some glittery Dolce & Gabbana thread or other flamboyant nonsense on it... so now you're taking away my freedom to dress normally because I'm forced to wear your flashy crap... it's a joke... with love

Peter Parker62...

peace motherfuckers 😈 😈

That doesn't really make any sense to me, because if every gay man had a female pituitary gland, then they wouldn't be attracted to one another in the first place... And even within gay relationships, you still see those traditional masculine and feminine dynamics play out. Nobody here has actually addressed this yet, but how do they even decide who's who when they hook up, or how do they figure out who takes the lead and who follows???

Or maybe there aren't any masculine or feminine roles at all, and they just take turns?

Honestly, I really can't stand it when people just jump to conclusions based on their own biases.

To be clear, I have a small circle of guys I call friends, and that’s plenty for me. I don't feel any pressure to expand that group unless someone truly exceptional comes along or we just happen to cross paths...

But if I'm being honest, these days I find myself valuing meeting a woman much more than meeting a man, and that's really all there is to it.

I’m not one of those guys who needs to have served in the military or deal with all that other typical masculine posturing. I just genuinely love women. I realize that for gay men, that might be hard to wrap their heads around, just like it's sometimes hard for me to understand them. And that's where we meet... it's really the only thing we have in common.

Anthony Sanders53 said:It’s almost like you have an issue being close to other men. Where does that come from? What are you afraid of? Maybe it was your relationship with your father? Like, did he actually bring you into the world of men, the way a dad who's truly involved in raising his son should? It seems pretty normal for guys to struggle a bit more with male company, though usually we understand each other better than we do women. But it feels like that isn't your case—like you feel safer around women, and you're just rationalizing it by saying you find them more attractive. I wonder... do you even have close friends you can really talk to about anything???
Sorry, this is getting a little too personal. You don't have to answer, these are just some things to think about...
Actually, maybe it's only fair that I answer since I'm the one asking.
I didn't have a father who was as involved in my upbringing as a boy needs to be, so he didn't really introduce me to the world of men. I always felt safer around girls. I used to try to find closeness with men through sex. Later on, I realized I didn't need sex to be close to another man; I could do that without the sexual part, and I found that I could get sexual satisfaction through heterosexual relationships, which honestly give me more fulfillment than homosexual ones ever would... That's just my truth, but again, I guess everyone has their own story and their own truth. We should probably just stay away from those widely accepted, traditional, religious... whatever, those things. They seem like a guaranteed recipe for misery!

Honestly, I don't even see the point in trying to explain myself to you anymore, because at this rate, nothing I say is going to sink in anyway.

Where did I ever say that I don't enjoy being around men???

If that's how you're jumping to conclusions about everything else too, then I guess it's no wonder you hold these kinds of views, yet here you are trying to lecture me...

I’m firmly against any kind of harassment, whether it’s verbal or physical... I would never go out of my way to target anyone just because they're different from me.

Now, even if people don't agree with my perspective, having an opinion is a fundamental right in this country, and expressing it doesn't make me a homophobe.

I wouldn't have any problem working alongside lesbians or gay men, it's just that I've never been particularly fond of men in general... I much prefer spending my time watching women🙂

Anthony Sanders53 said: tbody>
Look, modern American society pretty much agrees that sexual orientation is a private, personal matter—that everyone has the right to pursue their own relationships however they choose. That’s an inherent right for every single one of us. So, I guess I have to ask... what kind of "adjustment" are you even talking about here? Who exactly is supposed to be changing themselves to fit in? And which society are we even discussing? American society??? Are you seriously saying that if I don't bend my views to match some traditional American consensus, I'm suddenly "outdated" or "left behind"? Honestly, that actually made me laugh. You really made my day with that one.

At least I’m actually being helpful, unlike some of the others around here...🙂

Anthony Sanders53 said:It's like there's this deep need to be accepted, to be part of something bigger, to actually belong somewhere.... I get it. The alternative is just being yourself.... uhhhhhhh... freedom and the fear of being free, but that's probably a whole other (and much longer) conversation.

A lot of people who try too hard to "fit in" end up losing themselves entirely! 🙂

Best of luck on your journey.

Anthony Sanders53 said: tbody>
Look, modern American society pretty much agrees that sexual orientation is a private, personal matter—that everyone has the right to pursue their own relationships however they choose. That’s an inherent right for every single one of us. So, I guess I have to ask... what kind of "adjustment" are you even talking about here? Who exactly is supposed to be changing themselves to fit in? And which society are we even discussing? American society??? Are you seriously saying that if I don't bend my views to match some traditional American consensus, I'm suddenly "outdated" or "left behind"? Honestly, that actually made me laugh. You really made my day with that one.

Look, kid, it’s just not worth trying to explain things to people like this...

When someone is truly unique, they really are in a league of their own.

Man, it's hard to keep it together 🙂