Matt

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 44 total)
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  • in reply to: What have Jewish people done to draw hostility? #46490

    Matt
    Participant
    I'm not Jewish, but I have studied medieval history. I think the best answer is that they've managed to position themselves as convenient scapegoats by being different, following different rules than the others. In ancient Rome, they wouldn't bow down to the Emperor, and revolted against Roman rule from time to time (sometimes with a lot of justification, like the time a pagan governor decided it would be a good idea to shut them up by sacrificing a pig in their temple). Then once the Empire fell, the Jews continued to distinguish themselves from the others in Europe by their customs, and by the fact that they did not follow Catholic rules. One that was probably a major contributing factor there was that the Catholics were forbidden from charging interest on loans. Jews weren't, and consequently became the moneylenders of the time. Being a group of 'outsiders' that managed to profit by ways the dominant religion disapproved of at the time really wasn't a good place to be in during the Middle Ages.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: Reply To: Should I kiss and not tell? #30632

    Matt
    Participant
    That depends on what religion and background a man is from. Not all men believe it is right for a man to have promiscuous sex, either.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: Any old-fashioned young men left? #29729

    Matt
    Participant
    I consider myself to be that way, most of the time. I don't stand when a woman enters the room - that point seems to be dying out - but I try to do all the rest, and I know quite a few other guys my age who are that way. Perhaps you have simply been looking in places that do not draw this sort of man.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: Lies men tell me #20055

    Matt
    Participant
    For a man to want a romantic relationship, it often takes something more, usually called chemistry. It's possible for me to meet a woman who has everything you describe, but I just don't feel that special spark for her. Also, there are some other things that can be deal breakers. For example, I've found that dating someone with religious beliefs that are too different from mine inevitably leads to problems. Since I'm a single and devout Christian, I think it's important to me to find a woman who is also Christian. It may be that many men have crossed you off their lists because you are Bahai. Or there may be some other deal-breaker - I can't guess what it might be, not knowing you.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: Am I missing something? #43737

    Matt
    Participant
    My personal religious belief is that homosexual sex is immoral, and that marriage ought to be a sacred institution defined by God. Whether it is sacred in practice is another story, but I veiw morality as being about what it should be and not what it really is. However, I believe laws in a society with many religions should reflect the moral standards that the majority of society feels people need to abide by in order to preserve an orderly society. What bothers me most about the gay marriage issue is how it has been ordered almost entirely by courts or sometimes local officials - realistically, we need a national definition established by elected officials in order to avoid some rather thorny legal issues.

    I am willing to accept that a definition established by Congress is the law of the land, even if it does not match my religious beliefs. I think the most viable option might be to have some other sort of legal formality for same-sex couples - and possibly people in various nonsexual relationships who depend on each other economically - to share the same legal rights a married couple does. But whatever happens, I realize that gay marriage laws are not likely to change the number of gay people - nor are they likely to change the reasons people like me have for believing homosexual acts are wrong. It's some of the tactics being used to push for legalizing gay marriage that bother me, more than anything else about the issue.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: Gothic clothes bugging my parents #24491

    Matt
    Participant
    Try to explain Goth to your parents in ways they can relate to. I'm not a hardcore Goth. But I've known a few people who are into it, listen to a few Goth bands like VNV Nation, etc. My understanding of the Goth scene is that it's mostly about feeling melancholy, listening to certain music, and the fashion. I'm sure your parents can relate to sometimes feeling melancholy. Any classic poetry they like that conjures up that sort of feelings? Poe, Emily Dickinson? Or maybe there are some Shakespearean tragedies they appreciate. Some appeal to classic literature may be a great way to point out that there is hardly anything new about a fascination with depressing or morbid subjects.

    As for fashion and music: I'm guessing your parents would have been teenagers some time between the '60s and the '80s. If they can't identify with having been interested in fashion and music that shocked their own parents but proved harmless, they must have a very selective memory.

    Or maybe they're worried about your nonconformism. Would they be comfortable with the opposite: a mindless conformist for a son? It's a good thing to express your individuality, as long as it's in a way that doesn't hurt others or is self-destructive.

    Most Goths I've known are normal people inside, just trying to look a bit weird. I think you may need to help your parents realize this. It's the people who are a bit weird inside but trying to look normal that I worry about.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: I wanna be white #24719

    Matt
    Participant
    Are people telling you that you shouldn't do something because black people don't do it? It sounds more like your feelings are due to problems in society rather than your own problems. Racial identity is a social concept. But you are not responsible for other people's biggotry. I would suggest you accept that you look the way you look, and go out and feel free to ignore any rules you want about 'acting black.' If people won't accept you for doing that, are they really the sort of friends you want anyway?

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: Hers are a little too small #42022

    Matt
    Participant
    Perhaps she just needs a little more security. Next time she asks, maybe you should instead try telling her you love her for her heart, and her breasts aren't what matters. You'd still love her even if she became flat chested, right? Let her know that.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: Gay elementary teachers #30390

    Matt
    Participant
    Although I am one of 'those Christians' who thinks homosexual acts are wrong, I would not have a problem with a gay elementary school teacher. I would expect any teacher in elementary school to keep his or her sex life out of the classroom, and would be equally appalled if a straight teacher gave many detail about sex to pre-teens. Parents need to be the ones who teach their children about sex. Also, I wouldn't want my children (if I ever have any) to grow up with misconceptions about gay people. I wouldn't want to raise somebody who turns out like the guy who always waves around a 'God hates fags' sign. A message that gay people are often only different in terms of their sexual orientation doesn't bother me. Stereotypes don't benefit anyone, whether they believe homosexual sex acts are a sin or not.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: Interracial couples in the South #33893

    Matt
    Participant
    In the Atlanta area, I usually spot a few interracial couples each week while out shopping, at parks or in other public places. I've dated outside my race before, and if there are people giving me rude looks for that, I don't notice it (quite possibly because I try to give my date most of my attention). I've only had one person tell me to my face that he thought interracial dating was a bad idea. This came up during a conversation on relationships and he appeared to have been basing this on his past dating experiences.

    Are there people here who hate interracial couples? I'm sure there are, but I haven't had one give me any trouble over dating outside my race yet. Atlanta isn't always 'the city too busy to hate,' but anyone who wishes to give each and every interracial couple here a full 10 minutes of quality personal hatred a week is not likely to have enough spare time to do such a thing. The situation may be different in other parts of the South; I can only speak from my own experience.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: Black guys pimping up their rides #31497

    Matt
    Participant
    Trying to make an old, worn-out car into a cruiser or hot rod doesn't seem to be something that just one race does. I'm white, but I happen to have a Dodge Dart parked in my carport with large polished aluminum wheels and a lowered stance. Sometimes race does seem to influence particular tastes, such as specific models or particular features, but the same can be said for clothing and other fashions. 20-inch 'spinner' wheels and General Motors G-bodies have become associated with hip-hop culture, for example. And somebody who wants to go racing is more likely to put on Center Line drag wheels or Kosei K1's than Dayton wire wheels that are so large the car has to be lifted to fit them.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: Japanese obsessed with selves in pictures? #14502

    Matt
    Participant
    Nobody in my family is Japanese, but they're quite the same way when it comes to pictures. The way I see it, it's easy to buy postcards (and sometimes cheaper, too) if you want a picture that just shows where you have visited. So we give our photographs personal significance. Putting oneself or one's family in the picture, showing people enjoying the sights, is one way to make them more personal.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: The devil’s in the … dream #15945

    Matt
    Participant
    Because I'm a Christian, I usually try to look for answers about what is a sin in the Bible, but the Bible doesn't give a clear answer there. The only time the Bible talks about dreams is when a prophesy appears in them, and it's pretty safe to assume most dreams then weren't prophetic, just the ones they bothered to write about. It appears that one can't always control one's actions in a dream, so I doubt it is a sin to dream you are sinning. On the other hand, if there's a sin you constantly dream about, it might be a good idea to examine your life to figure out why you're constantly dreaming about it. If you often dream you murder your boss, for example, you might want to see if there's an unresolved grudge you have at work.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: Whites on Blondes #45124

    Matt
    Participant
    I'm white, but blond hair doesn't really do anything for me. However, I think in the case you describe, the man is talking about the stereotypical blond 'cheerleader' type. Cameron Diaz is a pretty good example. The man is mentioning her blond hair, but it sounds like he's trying to conjure up other aspects of her figure (and possibly personality) with that statement.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    in reply to: What if: your unborn child were gay? #30773

    Matt
    Participant
    I am a Christian who believes that both abortion and homosexual sex are wrong. I don't pretend to know what causes people to be homosexual or whether there is a gene that influences sexual orientation. But there is one thing I believe as a certainty here: No matter what your unborn child's sexual orientation, that child will grow up to commit plenty of sins. Bringing any sort of future sinner into the world isn't in and of itself a sin. I do not think a test for future behaviors would justify abortion.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 44 total)