Somehow the reaction of bigots to gays does not seem to me to reach the level of a "phobia." Phobias are irrational and visceral and involve genuine fear. I have a form of claustrophobia where when I'm in a crowded room, all my thinking gets centered on what to do if there is a fire or some sort of terrorist attack. Rationally I know it is utterly ridiculous, but it is there anyway.
Or the paranoia I experience when I'm high on grass (and why I don't use it except where I am at home and feel safe), such as fantasizing people sneaking up behind me with a knife ready to kill. It's funny because even when I'm high like that I know it is all absurd as absurd can be.
What is bigotry, is different. The person doesn't fear the target of the bigotry, he or she hates, for irrational reasons to be sure, even evil reasons, but it is not fear as I generally experience a phobia. They also are just too stupid to see the absurdity of the hatred.
I watch the behavior of the homophobes on a discussion board. They evince genuine hate. Their objective is to insult and degrade and of course make themselves separate and better (although one cannot escape the suspicion that they hate because they themselves have similar desires they don't want to admit). Nowadays, of course, most boards quickly put a stop to such things, so we don't see it quite as much as we use to.
Or the paranoia I experience when I'm high on grass (and why I don't use it except where I am at home and feel safe), such as fantasizing people sneaking up behind me with a knife ready to kill. It's funny because even when I'm high like that I know it is all absurd as absurd can be.
What is bigotry, is different. The person doesn't fear the target of the bigotry, he or she hates, for irrational reasons to be sure, even evil reasons, but it is not fear as I generally experience a phobia. They also are just too stupid to see the absurdity of the hatred.
I watch the behavior of the homophobes on a discussion board. They evince genuine hate. Their objective is to insult and degrade and of course make themselves separate and better (although one cannot escape the suspicion that they hate because they themselves have similar desires they don't want to admit). Nowadays, of course, most boards quickly put a stop to such things, so we don't see it quite as much as we use to.
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