ldfb:
So this has been bothering me for a long time.
It seems in the gay community, it has become a custom to completely resent, and even hate those who are religious because a few groups use religious context to deprive gays of equal rights.
Let me say that religion, in of itself, does NOT condemn homosexuality.
Religions were structured to give people a place to turn in their darkest hours, religion is a place of love and community.
In the Christian faith, the bible, in the OLD testimate of Leviticus, it does say the famous lines of “if thine lay with a man…” blahblah.. but mind you, the old testament was writting for old testament jews, and the new testament does not directly refer to homosexuality.
I think because people have a general agreement that homophobia stems from religious intolerance, that it makes it okay to be intolerant of religion itself. Where actually, many religious groups speak of only love and acceptance for all of god’s children.
Do not think just because a small number of radical, old testament throwing wackos calling themselves “devout Christians” are homophobic that means all people of faith are that way. I would like to think that the religious community would rather embrace the gay community.
Hating on people because of their religion is just as bad as someone hating on you for your sexual orientation. Someone has to break the cycle of hate, or neither side will win in the end.
I want to approach this subject as a debate rather than some type of rant, but I digress - I find it a completely justified for the gay community to project its anger at these religious communities (and particularly Christianity when it comes to America). Let me start by addressing the points that were made in the post I’m responding to.
- “Let me say that religion, in of itself, does NOT condemn homosexuality.”
While each religion’s “holy” book might not have much to say about homosexuality aside from a few points, why, then, do some (read as: most) religious people condemn it? The answer is that religions aren’t always fully-based on their holy book of origin. If this wasn’t the case, then there would only be one religion per book (which we obviously know there’s not).
How, then, do we have so many different types of Christianity, Islam, etc.? Religion is distinguished by interpretation and projection of beliefs. Many beliefs these religions cling to don’t exist in their texts, and some textual beliefs are interpreted as literal while others are figurative. This poses a problem of inconsistency which I’ll get into later.
- “Religions were structured to give people a place to turn in their darkest hours, religion is a place of love and community.”
Mm… I don’t know if it’s really as clear cut as that. Religions have been started with the basis of giving reason to the unexplainable and as a way to establish law that would be followed. In times where there was less developed law enforcement and more self-sustaining lifestyle, a great way to get people to act moral was to strike fear of a mystic being into an individual. How do you get people to believe such crazy things? Ritual, and mass conformity. This is all in the past, however.
In this day and age, our government and law enforcement is established on secular grounds and our lifestyle is co-dependent on the work of others. We also have science that can explain almost every mystical event people like to throw out there. Nietzsche said it best, “God is dead. God remains dead. And we killed him.” The gods and religions we so desperately needed and clung to in the past are being washed away by the advance of science.
These days, religion is relegated to exactly what you say, existing as a place to turn to for comfort in dark times. In terms of being a place of love and community, I -again- don’t think it’s as clear cut as that. These religions CAN exist as such a place, but only if you believe and act within the confines of their interpretations and projected beliefs as I outlined earlier. This is exactly the reason so many people pick and choose their churches or spend years searching for the right “fit” for them.
- I think because people have a general agreement that homophobia stems from religious intolerance, that it makes it okay to be intolerant of religion itself. Where actually, many religious groups speak of only love and acceptance for all of god’s children.
Yes, homophobia can stem from a religion’s intolerance and does so more often than not. Homophobia can originate from a few things; religion, ignorance, or preferences. There are a few more origins, but they mostly fit underneath these three umbrella terms:
Religion - culture, community, and supernatural fear
Ignorance - lies, fear of the unknown, and willful ignorance
Preference - projected influence, unrestrained emotion, and utopian delusion.
Back to the point of the paragraph, I disagree with the (assumed) statement that it’s not okay to be intolerant with a religion because some groups within the religion may be homophobic. The question I pose is, “How do we differentiate the good from the bad from tens of thousands of individual religious practices?” Mind you, religious ideals differ from church to church - One side of the street may host a church of homophobes while the church across from it hosts the most tolerant and accepting people you will ever meet. With your statement, we’re not targeting hate towards an individual, but instead a hate for an idea and an institution where homophobia is a hate of people. This, then, is not a contradiction and not misplaced hate.
- Do not think just because a small number of radical, old testament throwing wackos calling themselves “devout Christians” are homophobic that means all people of faith are that way. I would like to think that the religious community would rather embrace the gay community.
Unfortunately, it’s not just the old testament-throwing wackos that are homophobic. Yes, it’s true that not all people of faith are that way, but then we circle back to the question of, “How do we differentiate these groups?” Even more so, how do we distinguish between the homophobic church that is actively participating against the progression of civil rights for all and the church that is homophobic but keeps to themselves about it? And just to clarify, the homophobia we’re referring to is the activist kind - those who are attempting to fight against equality. For the purpose of protecting our rights, lumping the entirety of Christianity together is acceptable. Why, you ask? We are not attempting to remove rights from the Christian population, therefore our generalized anger and hate is negligible.
Also, to point out something, what do you define as a “devout Christian?” What if your definition of a devout Christian differs from mine? Who is right? Why is said person right? The answer is that this statement is arbitrary and should be discarded. When it comes down to it, the old testament-thumping Christians are just as devout as those who don’t. What I find quite humorous and interesting about the statement, though, is that it shows the dichotomy of religion; no one can agree on anything, and everyone always feels they’re right because of their interpretation or projected beliefs.
- Hating on people because of their religion is just as bad as someone hating on you for your sexual orientation. Someone has to break the cycle of hate, or neither side will win in the end.
I disagree. Religion is a choice, and what could be defined as a poor one at that. Religion as a whole encourages group mentality, blind loyalty, a disregard of logic, segregation, as well as other wildly grotesque problems that our society faces. There’s no denying that religion has been and will continue to be a leading cause of much pain and suffering in the world, and the list of these would be too long to state here. Sexual “deviation” and gender “deviation,” however, are not choices.
So, which is justified? To hate someone based on their choice, or to hate someone based on something that is inherent to their being? Well, I’m going to say that hating someone for associating willingly with the cause of not only personal suffering, but worldly suffering is acceptable.
Honestly, if the people who aren’t homophobic and don’t like us hating on them by association really have a problem with it, then find a new term to define your faith. I guarantee you that the overwhelming majority will blatantly refuse to do so because there’s a certain prowess and superiority that comes from associating as Christian, Catholic (another form of Christianity, mind you), or Islamic that these people don’t want to lose. Oh, look, it’s another choice they make.
Well, this pretty much concludes my side of this debate. I hope you don’t take this as a personal attack, as I am only trying to spark debate on a topic that’s relevant to everyone’s lives at the moment.
To everyone who keeps saying “boo” in reference to their boyfriend, please stop. What you actually mean is “beau,” the French word for beautiful. I don’t really know how people started confusing the two originally, but you’re wrong if you’re saying boo.
What the hell is “boo” anyways? Is he your new ghost? Is he your new disappointment? The word doesn’t make sense, people. It’s not even pronounced “boo” for Cthulhu’s sake! Beau is pronounced “boh” or “bo” with a long, o sound. My eye twitches every time someone makes this mistake.
stahp it.
Hello, Tumblr. This is my actual face. This is what you will be speaking to or of should you decide to form words at or about me. I am a real person, so you will be communicating with an actual living, breathing human being, with equal rights to every other living, breathing human being. Just something to keep in mind. :)
Hello Kumaradosha.
This is the face of an actual homosexual, in fact it is my face. Now I know I’m not what you are expecting a homosexual to look like, as I’m not animated/in a yaoi, but you will have to take my word as a human when I tell you that that is in fact what I am.
Do you know what the real difference between you and me is though? I don’t have equal rights to every other living breathing human being, because despite being entertained by my animated counterpart, you (and others like you) don’t think that when I fall in love with someone it is the same as your special heterosexual love.
Just something to keep in mind while you spew your disbelief in me and my people across the internet :)
Hi! (Might I say, you look adorable. <3) Actually, my brother is a homosexual, and I love him dearly. We hang out p much every day, now that college is out for the summer. But thanks for your condescension anyway.
I think you probably understand the difference between love and sex. I don’t have a problem with anybody loving anybody.
Obviously you don’t see the issue I’m having here. You are policing what I can and can not do within a relationship, because you personally don’t agree.
If you have a boyfriend (and I have no clue if you do or do not), and you decided that you wanted to have sex with him, very few people would care. I don’t see why as a human being I’m not afforded the same luxury with any partner I may have.
Also I don’t have the rights to marry said partner, which is what I was actually complaining about. No real need to pull sex into this.
But you did pull sex into this. So let me just say I don’t believe in any sex outside marriage, hetero- or homo-. I have a problem with both. And I never said you CAN’T have sex with someone your own gender; I said I think it’s wrong if you do. My opinion doesn’t equal me policing you.
Furthermore, I believe marriage is defined as the union between a man and a woman. So you have just as much right to marry a person of the opposite gender as everyone else has. That’s just the definition of marriage, both legally (with a few exceptions) and Biblically, and I stand by it. If you’d like to have a civil union, I have less of a problem with that, since its definition does not specify a man and a woman. Go ahead. I still don’t see that as within the bounds of marriage, so I’ll still disagree with it, but there you go.
—Wait… Aren’t you that person who told me “You are dense as a brick, and I will not justify you with further speech”? Like, that was a literal quote…from you. Well gosh, I’m glad you’ve changed your mind and are willing to talk things out with me in a semi-civil (yet still unfortunately pretty mocking and condescending) manner.
No you pulled sex into this with the sentence
“I think you probably understand the difference between love and sex. “
And while I decided I’d risk talking again, don’t think I find you any less dense.
The issue is that the LGBT community doesn’t want Civil Unions, because with a Civil Union, you don’t get the rights of a heterosexual married couple. No tax breaks, no hospital visits, and things such as powers of attorney, and custody over children are all no goes.
No matter how you phrase it, if you can only have the lesser cousin of Marriage, you are a second class citizen, and no amount of talking is going to change that. All I want is the ability to marry the person I’m happy with.
I’m not asking to be part of some super secret club, I’m asking for: a tax break, and the right to visit the person I love if they are deathly ill (on top of any other perks Marriage has over a Civil Union).
Your grasp of religion, and your beliefs shouldn’t change my rights.
Hi, another homosexual here. I think the problem, here, is that most of our religious friends in the ol’ U.S. of A like to harp on about the tradition of marriage. If we’re going there, let’s be honest with ourselves: they can have the word if that’s all that matters to them… I mean, it’s only a word. If “marriage” is a religious ceremony between a man and a woman to be a union in the eyes of a deity, that means it needs to be separate from all government involvement. Period. In that case, let these religious people get “married” and exclude whomever they wish within the confines of their churches. Religious activities are not permitted to be endorsed by the government, so it’s fine if these groups want to segregate themselves so we can see how bigoted they really are. Now, by having their “marriage” ceremonies separate, we change the state of all current and future “marriages” to civil unions. That’s right, all of you heterosexual people will now be a part of a civil union in the blink of an eye. If you’d also like to get “married” by having a meaningless religious ceremony held to honor your vows in the eyes of an invisible entity, by all means, knock yourselves out… but let’s leave legal benefits out of this like it should be anyways. I digress, however, that this predicament leads into more political issues than just marriage rights that needs fixing.
Back to the point - everyone can now be equally civil union-ified and stop complaining about it. I don’t think that’s the real issue, however. I’m sure if civil unions across both heterosexual and homosexual couples were to happen, most religious people would still have a fit because, subconsciously, we aren’t just arguing semantics of the word “marriage.” No, I think the heart of the issue lies in whether non-heterosexual and non-gender-norm people are first class citizens or not. When we get right down to it, we’re fighting the 1960s interracial marriage battle all over again. Whether Christians choose to admit it or not, most of them are biased and bigoted because they are under the delusion that the United States is a Christian country, and therefore they know what’s best for the rest of us, and they make the rules. While I’d love to argue the contrary, I don’t have the time nor the space to cover the profound details that could destroy the “Christian nation” argument in minutes.
You see, I’m an advocate of equal rights for all too, and I am a full supporter of our bill of rights, the constitution, and its amendments (which also happens to support equal rights for all as well). That being said, there are a lot of unconstitutional things happening that need correcting. If the word marriage is all you’re after, you can take it.
“But, Day, that’s not what I believe marriage to be!” Well, here’s the thing about that… if people can’t agree on what the word marriage means, and it was established as a religious union back in the ecclesiastical court days, it needs to be excluded from the legal system.
When we get right down to it, love actually doesn’t need to play any part in a civil union, though I’m sure most people would agree that they’d like it to. The union between two, age-appropriate, consenting individuals (notice I said “individuals” and not a specific gender) is about trust and dedication towards each other. The tax benefits, estate benefits, governmental benefits, employment benefits, housing benefits, family benefits, consumer benefits, and other legal benefits don’t require love as part of the equation, nor do they require a religious indoctrination or ceremony.
Let’s seriously cut the bullshit and stop dancing around what really needs to happen in order for things to truly be equal and within constitutional boundaries.
(via pinabrolada)
Hey, guys. Today is
notTuesday, but I’ll be your host for this little post! While normally we have a question of the week given to us, this time we’re doing things a little differently and basically writing about whatever we feel like. Because of this, I’d like to take some time to explain what’s going on in my life right now and how it ties in to this blog.
So why bring this up in public? I have problems, flaws, secrets, shames, interests, obsessions, etc., just like anyone else. This post is dedicated to sharing my experiences so that you know I’m not someone on a high horse trying to bullshit you into thinking everything is going to be okay, that life comes easy, or that any one of us from Gay World is any better or worse off than you. If you’re having a hard time with anything or anyone, we are here for you to talk to and maybe get some advice from our experiences. Whether it be on our personal blogs or on this blog, come talk to us! We are an advice blog first and foremost, here to help you with whatever it is you need.
Dealing with biology
So, if you remember from one of the videos for a QotW, I have slight agoraphobia with social anxiety. While I can mostly deal with it, sometimes these conditions just take their toll on me, causing multiple panic attacks to a point where I’m no longer able to function. I basically have to shut myself off from everything in order to calm myself down and deal. I know that for a lot of people who have never experienced a panic attack or extreme social anxiety that it may seem like a bullshit condition; this is totally understandable, but I’m not looking for a pity party or any sympathy. I am going to therapy for it, but these things take time, and as one of your daily hosts for Gay World, I feel obligated to give you guys a reason any time I may not be here.
The Relationships
In my past, I’ve been in a relationship with a girl, and guys from really different ends of the spectrum. One guy I dated was more of a sports/athletics type, and did a lot of surfing on his spare time and had a lot of scars and problems from his past that were catching up with him. Another guy I dated was music production major and spent a lot of time making music and partying; he was probably in it all for the sex. The guy I’m dating now has made me the luckiest I’ve been, because we have such similar interests that we find a lot more to talk about or just relate about (hence the word “relationship”).
I’ve been in the middle of other couples’ relationships, and have been on the outside looking in (read as: single) for a lot longer than I might have cared for. The point here is that I’ve been around the block; and no, not in that slutty way. I can tell you that dating around to find the right person isn’t for everyone, and I can give you as many tips about that as possible.
Where am I going with my life?
I wish I could give you a straight answer with this! I may not be a teen anymore, but I still have a lot of growing up to do. I’m really just living one day at a time, and dealing with whatever comes my way. I’ll need to make a plan here soon, but therapy comes first, and I’ll be aiming to make something of myself after this is all done.
A dream of mine has always been to live as a wanderer, kind of like a gypsy. I’ve wanted to travel around the world, living out of random strangers’ homes, with whomever will take me, writing a book about it and putting the people I meet in the book, and maybe learning from them and teaching them something at the same time. If anyone is familiar with the film Waking Life, then think of something like that but all around the world. There’s a person named Nick Woolsey who is a traveling poi teacher and performer who does something similar, and he’s kind of been my idol when it comes to living a free life. Maybe one day I can make it happen!
What have I been up to these days?
I’m a simple guy (and probably a really boring guy to most people), so I haven’t been doing much. Lately I’ve found the inspiration to start working on my story once again, I’ve been playing League of Legends (add me!), talking with my boyfriend who is away for school, reading, and watching Six Feet Under. I’ll end this section here so I don’t bore you with the details.
What do I think about this blog?
Honestly, I wish you guys would communicate with us more! Maybe you don’t want to because we’re not interesting enough to you, you’re too shy, or you just can’t find anything to say. All of that is fine, but just know that you don’t have to be strangers with us.
I probably sound like a broken record because of this, but this blog really is all about you guys. What do you want to hear? There’s a lot of things I’d love to do with this blog, but it’s about finding the time (and fighting the anxiety) to do so. So this is where you guys come in, just letting us know what you want to see. Pictures of hot guys? Stories from bad dates? Maybe just some things that we’ve seen around the gay community that gives us hope? You can always yell at us to do something behind the veil of anonymity if you really want to! Do you have a story or something you’ve written/read involving the gay life that you want to promote? Submit the post to us and we’ll put it up here.Anyways, this post is going on a lot longer than I had planned on. So, until next time…
-Day
I could never hook up with someone with a super hot model body. It’s just.. too intimidating. And it’s not even attractive. I think finding the great parts of someone’s normal body is the hottest thing in the world.
This! To like…. the millionth power. It really is intimidating and just overall worrisome when someone has “too good” of a body. I feel like there’s a point where looks become too much of the central focus of a relationship, or even just the crutch of the relationship.
Even beyond that, I think having a “super hot model body” is just a turn off because it shows how much effort is put into that instead of other qualities of a person I find extremely important. You can’t have it all, and I like my “normal” looking guys just fine, thank you.
Now, I’ve been seeing this a lot lately within the current teen generation, and it makes me sad. There are a lot of false rumors going around that sir Disney was an anti-Semite and that he was racist in general.
If you want the scoop behind the racism rumor, here it is:Back in the early days of the Disney company, the studio was involved with a group who had Nazi association. This was sometime in the 1940s when a studio strike happened. Since that time, the Disney company backed away from the group, but it appears that this blasphemous rumor has stuck with the company and Walt in particular. In fact, one of the head people of the company was actually Jewish and very good friends with Walt. Him and other employees have gone on record to say that Walt treated everyone equally. His own daughters have said that it was important to their father that he impressed a sense of equality and tolerance to them since they were young.
Please, don’t believe everything you read - and that goes for what I wrote as well. I encourage everyone to do a small bit of investigating themselves before they go shaming someone’s name, and a name as important and impacting as Walt Disney.
I would really appreciate it if people made an effort to spread the news so all of these dumb rumors would stop. This man has been an inspiration to my life as well as many others’, and it bothers me when people are so quick to judge without checking their facts. Thanks.so the company that had Nazi sympathies is the same source you’re trusting to assure you that Disney “treated everyone equally”? and on top of that, you’re arguing that “he couldn’t have been racist; he had a Jewish friend!”
i’m not saying you’re wrong. i’m just saying you’re not presenting a strong argument. Disney’s long list of racist films (starting with Song of the South) doesn’t help, either.
Oh, I’m definitely not asking you to trust me, which is why the “argument” didn’t appear strong (there wasn’t supposed to be any). I’m asking people to look for themselves. I’m in no way presenting every single detail behind the discussion, and I’d have an essay written if I even just tried to cover a few points about it. The few statements presented in the original article were only to provide grounds of interest for people to begin their own investigation. You can take it for what you will… but, again, I encourage you to do the research for yourself. I am not a reputable source. However, here are some things people should look for in their own investigations into the subject:
The first thing to note here are first-hand accounts with people who did business directly with him. Another would be the way he handled family life, via details through his daughters. Another would be the way he conducted business.
There were definitely a lot of politically obtuse movies in the Disney vaults, but it’s also important to know that the ethnic-likenesses of the characters were voiced or played by that specific ethnicity. Yes, Walt was known for using the vernacular of his time (racial slurs from time to time), but he was not known for having any malice or disrespect for people. It’s important to remember that when he was alive, it was socially acceptable to use these words in every day conversation. If that makes people racist, then almost everyone today would be considered racist. The problem is that people are looking too deep into things that they lose sight of the original picture and the intended purpose.
When you’re in the business of entertainment and art, you use stereotypes to exaggerate different ideas - it’s the same story as today’s art and entertainment industry. It’s a crass way to do things, but we don’t call the movie makers of today racist when they put stereotypes or use harsh lingo to describe certain characters. Some might argue that it’s different because these Disney cartoons are made with children in mind. I, however, would like to point out that Disney movies have always had crude humor in them that only adults are able to catch, while still retaining the entertainment value for children. There’s something in a Disney film for everyone, but I think Walt’s status and mission statement cause people to hold him up to unrealistic standards.
Hell, teenagers go around today making racial stereotype jokes and people accept that as normal without batting an eye. No one thinks the teen to be racist, mainly because these words and stereotypes are just part of today’s culture. The same goes for Walt back in the day.
So, I just wrote out this long thing trying to explain things, but my real response to all of this (as was my response in the initial article) is to check the facts out for yourselves. I’m an advocate of doing your own research and not taking anyone’s word for it. Sources and hard evidence are everything, so do yourself a favor and check your sources.
(via inkdefense)
Now, I’ve been seeing this a lot lately within the current teen generation, and it makes me sad. There are a lot of false rumors going around that sir Disney was an anti-Semite and that he was racist in general.
If you want the scoop behind the racism rumor, here it is:
Back in the early days of the Disney company, the studio was involved with a group who had Nazi association. This was sometime in the 1940s when a studio strike happened. Since that time, the Disney company backed away from the group, but it appears that this blasphemous rumor has stuck with the company and Walt in particular. In fact, one of the head people of the company was actually Jewish and very good friends with Walt. Him and other employees have gone on record to say that Walt treated everyone equally. His own daughters have said that it was important to their father that he impressed a sense of equality and tolerance to them since they were young.
Please, don’t believe everything you read - and that goes for what I wrote as well. I encourage everyone to do a small bit of investigating themselves before they go shaming someone’s name, and a name as important and impacting as Walt Disney.
I would really appreciate it if people made an effort to spread the news so all of these dumb rumors would stop. This man has been an inspiration to my life as well as many others’, and it bothers me when people are so quick to judge without checking their facts. Thanks.
Take a look around my room and my lifestyle and you can probably see I’m a very simple guy. I don’t own a lot, and what I do own is out of necessity or used to create experiences. My possessions can be boiled down to a few things:
Bed
Table
Clothes
Computer
Camera
Car
iPod
Poi
PhoneXbox
Of course for each of these items comes the accessories that go with them, but I own very little. Even within the things I own, I own them only for the experiences they are a tool for. I’ll be selling my Xbox too; I refuse to pay for Live and I only played one game on it (MW3) with friends. Despite being a hermit because my friends live so far, my life is very “get up and go.” Give me 5 minutes and I can have just about all of the things I “need” ready to go wherever.
Beyond that, I’m not an excessive spender either. I’m not a “penny pincher” by any means, but I don’t spend excessively. Brand-name clothes? Don’t got ‘em. Fancy car? Don’t want it. Jewelry, trinkets, or other luxury items? I won’t take a second glance at ‘em. I don’t buy the latest ‘n’ greatest either; my iPod is from 2005, my phone is a $25/month data-plan phone, and my car is a salvaged-title Corolla. Excess is worthless.
So where does my money go? I mean, I have to spend money, right? Let me tell you, I make less than $500/month… and aside from bills, the money goes towards experiences. I go out to eat or drink with friends, I go to electronic music festivals every few months, and I drive just to get out of the house. I’ve paid for friends’ tickets to these festivals, I’ve paid for friends to go to Knott’s Berry/Scary Farm with me, I pay for their meals when I can.
To be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Once I get a better job, I doubt my spending habits will change much at all. I could win the lottery or be the richest guy in the world and I would still live in a small studio/one bedroom place and possess as little as possible.
I think the perfect guy for me would want to live somewhat similarly. He could want possessions, I’m not going to fault him for that, but we’d spend our money taking each other places and experiencing life outside the bubble of our city.
I guess I think the world would be a much better place if we all lived according to this philosophy. Consumerism has taken over society and has us “buying shit we don’t need,” in the words of the infamous Tyler Durden. Just stop for a second and imagine how much more fun you’d have if you spent your money on doing things with friends or traveling instead of that new Prada bag, or that crazy Magikarp waffle-maker you saw.
I guess this plays into the study of happiness and how people measure/judge happiness. This was an actual study done to discover the secret of happiness that’s saying basically what I am. While I have my moments of weakness, I am probably more content with my life than most people are, and I’m spending/earning significantly less than they are.
This is my mobile life.
Dear world,
Stop fucking acting like you know what your invisible friend wants - he doesn’t talk to you and you can’t hear him. It’s called a conscience and it’s telling you to not be a fucking asshole. If you truly believe you can hear an invisible being, I’m afraid that’s referred to as schizophrenia and you need to be medicated.
Sincerely,
Sick of your Bullshit
(via lgbtgivesmehope)
Alright, reporting back on this interactive experience. Spoilers are ahead, so don’t read further if you don’t want to see what happens. SPOILERS BEGIN NOW!
Okay, so it was a quick download. When I started the game, there was a slight hum in the room after hearing this squeaky, metal door shut itself. As I begin my descent, I notice nothing changing. Finally about 10 flights into the trip the noises start to become clear. Another 40 flights and a man’s breathing builds up. I don’t remember how many flights of stairs I descended, but the build up was extremely slow and had no change in pace. There were 2 incidents where shadows at the bottom of a flight moved around, but they were separated by 20-30 flights if not more. After what seemed like forever, the breathing became louder, heavier, and the grindy tension and ambiance became even more apparent. By the end, there was a meet-up with this no faced figure. You can stop and stare at him, but if you walk towards him, the game will end and the program will just quit out on you as if it crashed from meeting the spirit/demon/thing at the end.
Overall, I’d give it a 6/10.
1) I think the progression into madness needs to be faster. I mean, after going so many flights of stairs with absolutely nothing happening, you begin to feel “bored” with it all. I understand that the game is a small file, but with a little more space they could have included some legitimately creepy events.
2) Your character moves at an extremely slow pace that can’t be changed. I’m fine with this, but again it ties into the length of the interactive experience.
3) Different elements needed to be added. This game was coded as a paradox of a never-ending staircase, but the staircase loop could have started out normal and then becoming more Silent Hill-style rusted and corrupt as you descend deeper into the experience.
4) An element of horror most people overlook is security in the creepy. The entire experience is to see how far you will go by building tension. After a while, however, people get used to the ambient screech to the point where it becomes a comforting feeling. In one of the flights, the noise should have completely cut out abruptly, leaving nothing but a dead silence before the heavy breathing and your character’s footsteps breaks that silence.
For such an experiment, I can’t be too harsh on it, but it had the elements in place and the potential to be absolutely amazing, it just seems like the programmers didn’t go the extra distance due to time/budget/technical-ability constraints.
EDIT: I upped the score a bit because in the end, it still does its job for most people - to scare the living shit out of them by building up the tension until it’s too much for them to handle. Some people got scared by it, and for good reason - I just felt like it needed more (speaking from a connoisseur’s perspective).
I took the time to write Mr. Santorum a nice little email through his campaign website. I know the chances of him seeing it are slim to none, but I refuse to hold back my voice for this. I will leave this country before I refer to this man as “Mr. President.” I encourage all of you to write him a message yourself - it takes a matter of minutes and if anything it’s a good stress relief. If you would like to use my message but are too lazy to copy it all over, I’ll paste it below. Also, you can be linked directly to the contact page by clicking the picture above. Here is the pasted message:
“Mr. Santorum, if you honestly believe that this ideal of marriage you stand for is constitutional, you have no right being President of this country. The “sanctity of marriage” that is so eloquently preached by bigots such as yourself doesn’t seem concerned with divorce or re-marriage. Why is this?
You tweeted that 7,000,000 Californians had their rights stripped away with the overturning of Proposition 8. What rights are those, the right to segregate American citizens unconstitutionally? I ask you, do the voices of over 20,000,000 other Californians mean nothing to you?
Bigotry and discrimination will fall. The unconstitutional agenda you promote will not stand in this state or this country so long as there are people like me to fight it. If you took some time to learn your history, you would know that the same discriminatory attempts you are making against same-sex marriage were done against interracial marriage. That battle for equality was won then just as we’ll win now.
I beg you, lead your army of mindless, anti-freedom followers and take this to the Supreme Court; you are only racing to our victory once and for all. And I hope you fight tooth and nail the entire way as it will only make our victory that much more deserved and that much sweeter.
Have a good day, Mr. Santorum, because you will NEVER be president under my watch. “
This is for those of you who are in the closet; for those who are afraid to share their feelings with that special someone because others’ opinions bear too much weight. My love and my acceptance go out to everyone in need of a little light in their life and a little hope of happiness in the future. You will make it through, and your time will come… I promise you.
-Day & the guys at Gay World
Taken from E.S. Wynn, my answers to “50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind” from “Marc and Angel Hack Life”
1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
I think I would be 18 or 19. I’ve always looked young for my age, and I feel like I’ve grown in to my looks to where people might think I’m a senior in High School or a Freshman in college.
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
The obvious answer for integrity reasons would be never trying, but I can’t always say that I feel that way. There’s a lot of things in life that I feel restricted by due to my social anxiety disorder/panic attacks. Sometimes it’s better for me to just never try because the failing feels too unbearable.
Aquarius can be hard to figure out because they are so often a paradox. You enjoy being with people but are content to be alone. You like to travel but love relaxing at home. You are friendly and out-going but also detached and reserved. Do you agree with this?
I don’t believe in astrology. Let’s face it… it’s all about cold readings and vague statements that people think they can relate to. This Aquarius description, however, is my problem; especially with things that I do and talk about. I have all of these big plans for myself but end up preferring the comfort of familiarity instead. I enjoy being out with people on occasion, but prefer my solitude. I can be friendly and out-going when I need to be, but would rather be “myself” which is usually detached and reserved.
I have a fear that people I allow into my life and my head won’t understand this or tolerate it and I may end up alone. I guess that’s the trick of it all - finding someone who loves you enough to put up with your shit. When I imagine how everyone views me, I think of Marla Singer…
My life is about finding balance, but while this balance makes sense to me, it may leave others confused and frustrated. I want a guy to love me just as I want to love him, but sometimes I don’t think it’s possible. Do I deserve love?
