Raymy

I'm in agreement. You're specifically speaking about phobias, and I think that "irrational fear" is at the heart of the matter. Fear may be necessary for the survival of any species, but I'm thinkin' humans are the only species with the "irrational" type, since rationality is peculiar to our evolved brains. So, following this response to Remetan's post:
Keith Inc. says
I don't agree with the logic, here. First, using the word "phobia" as if it means the same as "fear" is minimizing its true nature. If this were really a case of irrationality, proudly stating that you want to keep your phobia is, in itself, irrational (at least as far the rational thinker goes). Perhaps you do have homophobia, in which case, read on.
Additionally, implying that overcoming one's fears means they must engage in the object of the fear is ludicrous, as long as the fear is correctly labelled. Take, for example, the fear of flying or heights. It is really a fear of falling and injury/dying but when we label the activity which might lead to that undesirable outcome as a fear, we believe it is the activity, itself, that we fear. One does not overcome the fear of falling or dying by engaging in unsafe falling or actually dying. We know that we will fall from the air or a great height unless there is some mitigating factor, like aerodynamics of a plane or parachutes or even railings on a steep ledge plus our own impulse control to not jump. People constantly engage in activities that could lead to the feared result, but a rational being incorporates safety precautions to alleviate the natural fear. Stating it as just a fear of falling/dying is not really an accurate phrase for the people with phobias because the majority of humanity has it as a survival instinct but can still board a plane or look out over the Grand Canyon.
When it is a phobia, it becomes irrational because the person can't accept any safety measure, and therefore cannot engage in any activity that might lead to the dreaded outcome. When they are educated and exposed to the activity that is labelled as fear inducing, then one can actually overcome the phobia of the activity, while still retaining the instinctual fear of the outcome, were it to happen. I hope this is clear because I'm attempting to apply this to homophobia.
What is at the heart of homophobia? Irrational fear of what? I think the correct labelling must be defined as it's not about what others are doing, but how it affects oneself. Fear is personal, even a parental fear for your child is fear of species extinction at its core. So, it must be fear of an action upon yourself that would lead to undesirable outcome.
First, we'll drop the "irrational" and just deal with the fear. Is it having a cock shoved up your ass? That's not a fear if you want it to happen. Perhaps it's nonconsensual anal sex? That would be rape, and I would say that is an instinctual fear held by all humans. (Mmm. aside from rape kinks) I wouldn't go into the history of why rape, in general, is feared except that reproduction (for vaginal rape) and control (for anal rape) is most likely the basic reason for both men and women, but that's just my opinion. Pain, injury, and ultimately, death from complications, are probable outcomes from any type of rape. Definitely, justified fear there.
Now, how does a natural fear of anal rape become irrational? That comes when you feel certain activities would lead to your rape, even though the majority of humans can engage in them without getting raped. Things like: watching gay sex in a movie and feeling like you endorse it by doing so, being in the vicinity of gay men, whether as a friend or someone at a public event, and especially, accepting that it willingly occurs for others. None of these things will lead to your anal rape, hence, irrational.
So, aside from rape, what about consensual anal sex? If it is truly consensual, where does the fear stem from for those who wouldn't engage, (because they have a choice)? Yeah, the thought of it makes one squirm because there still may be pain, and other undesirable outcomes like STD's and -- just what about the poop, man? Now we enter the territory of safety precautions. What are those precautions? Ah, well, you'd have to be educated in the subject matter to know, wouldn't you? How can anyone enjoy that? Again, exposure through art or film might educate you. If you have the knowledge, you can overcome the irrational feeling that somehow it can hurt you.
Doesn't mean you should engage in the activity to desensitize yourself, even though, you might be astounded in your response were you to try that avenue. Ahhh, there is another fear. Fear of "becoming gay" if exposed to it. Pretty much irrational from the get go. No natural fear there, unless it's the fear of species extinction again. If you're curious but afraid, education can help, and yes, maybe you might engage when the fear is overcome, but it's still a choice. If you're adamant that you choose not to want gay sex, or not want to want it, then it is irrational to believe that exposure could change that. What you need to overcome is that belief, that somehow, no matter how you feel on the subject, you'll go against your better judgement and do it anyway. Talk about lack of self control. That has nothing to do with this particular phobia and you should check yourself for all other phobias related to impulse control.
I'm saying that learning is not wanting or doing, but understanding and accepting. Whatever the reason for the fear of gay (anal) sex, it's pretty irrational to think you would be subjected to it under any circumstances other than consensual (which isn't an option for those people) or rape, which is out of everyone's control. All other fears relating to anal sex can be dealt with by getting educated, which is not within the purview of this post.

An Italian fake out.

I always seem to start such a thread as this wherever I go, probably because I like to share the things that make me want to write--or which make me laugh or think. Yes, I have quite a collection. No, I don't always know where they came from, so if you do, please tell me.
What goes around usually gets dizzy and falls over. --?

(on being surrounded) "I prefer to call it a target-rich environment." --this is from either March to the Sea or March to the Stars, both of which are by David Weber and John Ringo

Whom the Gods would recruit, they first tick off. --back cover of Oath of Swords by David Weber

"It was the Gods who invented theft in the first place." --p. 38 The Shining Ones by David Eddings

"Defenestrated. It means getting thrown out of a window--a high one, usually. It doesn't accomplish very much to push somebody out of a ground-floor window." The Shining Ones by David Eddings

Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in his or her shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes. --?

Whoever said nothing's impossible should try slamming a revolving door. --?

Fight crime: shoot back. --?

"How do you prove that we exist? Maybe we don't exist." --Vivi, from Final Fantasy IX
"Whether we're real or not, let's not mope about it. You're pathetic." --Albel Nox, from Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
The only thing worse than when the gods don't answer your prayers is when they do.
- from one of Catherine Asaro's novels, if I remember right
"A tisket, a tasket, a head in a basket. No matter how you try, it cannot answer the questions you ask it." --in David Weber and John Ringo's novel, We Few.


"I have eyes in the front of my head!"
"What, so you can see me when I'm standing nose to nose with you?"
--because sometimes my friends and I can't talk right to save our lives


"I'm the teacher. You're the student. I'm supposed to teach. You're supposed to sit there and look stupid." --Althalus, from David and Leigh Eddings' The Redemption of Althalus
"...It's not quite enough to justify a declaration of war just yet."

"War?" Bevier exclaimed.

"Naturally." Ulath shrugged. "If Otha's been involving himself in the internal affairs of the western Elene kingdoms, that's cause enough to go east and do war upon him."

"I've always liked that expression," Kalten said. "'Do war.' It sounds so permanent--and so messy."

"We don't need justification if you really want to go destroy Zemoch, Ulath," Tynian said.

"We don't?"

"Nobody ever got around to drawing up a peace treaty after the Zemoch invasion five hundred years ago. Technically, we're still at war with Otha--aren't we, my Lord of Lenda?"

"Probably, but resuming hostilities after a five-hundred-year truce might be a little hard to justify."

"We've just been resting up, my Lord." Tynian shrugged. "I don't know about these other gentlemen, but I feel fairly well rested now."

-- The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings


The Death of the Necromancer (Martha Wells) quotes:

.... "This nonchalant attitude is beginning to wear."

"Would you prefer me to twitch hysterically?"

"If you could bring yourself to express such an honest and genuine sentiment as hysteria...."

-- p. 295



"I have a plan." This was true. "I just don't know whether it will actually work or not." This, unfortunately, was also true.

-- p. 322



.... You sound like Nicholas, she told herself. When did you become so cynical? Sometime after sorcerers started trying to kill me, she answered. Sometime after I met Nicholas.

-- p. 168



.... If this fails and I get us all arrested, I won't have to put a pistol to my head because Nicholas will kill me. And in all fairness I'll just have to let him.

-- p. 181



.... "Perhaps we can find another horror for you to fight at a more convenient time."

-- p. 183



Nicholas was too tired to curse Fate at the moment. He would have to remember to do it later.

-- p. 191

Paths Not Taken by Simon R. Green-- "Appalling fellow. I wouldn't piss down his throat if his heart was on fire."
Paths Not Taken-- "Sometimes I think the dinosaurs died out just to spite me."

Paths Not Taken-- .... "This place is bound to be packed with all kinds of people you detest the most. I'm sure you'll find someone worth upsetting in some thoroughly appalling and vindictive way."

The Moon's Shadow (Catherine Asaro) -- "Shall we spend eternity in a hell of our ancestors' making? At the least, we should make our own hells."

The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings-- "I understand that congratulations are in order, my friend, but I don't know that I'd take off my armor until you get to know her better."

Domes of Fire by David Eddings-- "Our Holy Mother reels from crisis to crisis like a drunken sailor."

Gate of the Gods by Martha Wells-- The man brings new meaning to the word odious. And also the word obvious, for that matter.

A conversation between my cousin and me, some years back.
Yamesu: *gets halfway thru saying something*
Cuzo: *taps foot impatiently, waits for Yamesu to finish*
Yamesu: *taps foot with finger, tilts head to the side* What is that supposed to be?
Cuzo: *right off the top of her head* That's my foot on its way to kick your ass.





Two classmates of mine, during a math class.
Ashleigh: I'm going on a dating panel.
Mandy: You wanna date a camel?!

I'm not a complete idiot; some parts are missing. --?
The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. --?
And thus I clothe my naked villainy
With old odd ends, stol'n forth of holy writ;
And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.
~William Shakespeare

I want you to put more life into your dying.
-- Samuel Goldwyn
"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know." (Animal Crackers)

Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive. - Wallace Irwin

"He used statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts; for support rather than illumination." --?

"I commend my soul to any god that can find it." - Moist von Lipwig, Going Postal, a Terry Pratchett book

As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two...
-- Sir Norman Wisdom

I'm back... and you knew I was coming. On my way here I passed a cinema with the sign 'The Mummy Returns'.
-- Margaret Thatcher
It was nine o' clock at night and Tremaine was trying to find a way to kill herself that would bring a verdict of natural causes in court when someone knocked on the door.
--first sentence of Martha Wells' book The Wizard Hunters

The most nerve-racking commissions, Madeline thought, were the ones that required going in through the front door. This front door was simply more imposing than most.
--first paragraph of Martha Wells' The Death of the Necromancer
"Your acidic nature has already corroded my personality." --from my unposted original story, Into the Wind
"I'm saying that you can use both idiots and scissors, but you can't let an idiot use scissors." - Sebastian in the manga/anime Black Butler (or in Japanese, Kuroshitsuji)

"I don't care what you are doing, so much as the idiotic way that you are doing it." - Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII

"Tell Yuffie that this is my phone. She has no right to call it" - Vincent to Cloud, Advent Children during the tribute to FFVII
"I've got to follow them - I am their leader." - Alexandre Ledru-Rollin


"I was born modest; not all over, but in spots." - Mark Twain


"My specialty is detached malevolence." - Alice Roosevelt Longworth


"In Chinese, the word for crisis is wei ji, composed of the character wei, which means danger, and ji, which means opportunity." - Jan Wong

"No one provokes me with impunity." (Or, in Latin, "Nemo me impune lacessit." It has the translation in my quote book, too.) - motto of Scotland


"(Courage) a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it." - William T. Sherman


"I am not absent-minded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else." - G. K. Chesterson


"When the mind is thinking, it is talking to itself." - Plato


"It is very easy to forgive others their mistakes. It takes more gut and gumption to forgive them for having witnessed your own." - Jessamyn West
"I can't handle him right now."
"Is it the change of environment?"
"Pretty sure it's just his usual stupidity."
--a friend (shikyokage on FFnet) and me, brainstorming a conversation for a collaboration fic
I dreamt I was a moron. --Squall from Final Fantasy VIII
Stormforce by Chris Bunch
"You wish?" Ben Dill said politely to the Musth.
"To inquire as to why you are being stupid."
"Just my normal procedure."
"You are a pilot," Alikhan said. "Yet you have volunteered to play ground-worm. That does not make sense."
"Because," Dill said, "like I told Garvin, back on Cumbre, I'm bored waiting for trouble to come to me."
"I see. That is stupid indeed," Alikhan said. "But no more stupid than my joining the Force. Why did you not ask me if I wanted to be stupider than I already am?"
"To be real honest," Ben said thoughtfully, "I didn't even think about it. ...."

Stormforce by Chris Bunch
"Shuddup, everybody," Dill said, standing. From somewhere, he'd found another full pitcher. He clambered on top of the table, and started singing the age-old song:
Did you ever think when a hearse went by
That you might be the next to die?
Then, changing tempo:
The worms crawl in
The worms crawl out
The worms dance tangos
All over your snout.
He went back to speech:
"A hymn to the next of us to go south:
"Hymn...hymn...screw him..."
*eyes dinner, turns to the person sitting next to them* "I'd rather eat you than whatever the hell this is, and I don't even like you." --a bit of inspiration I bounced off shikyokage
*deep breath* "Mm, I love the smell of paranoia in the morning.... Don't you?"
*death glares*
"If looks could kill, I'd live forever."
--more brainstorming with shikyokage
"Is it so much of a challenge to believe that I can be civil for two seconds?"
"At a time or altogether?"
--I cannot for the life of me remember where I first found this.
"You look like you're trying to glare enlightenment out of that tree."
"It's obviously denying me infinite wisdom and knowledge."
"Well maybe if you didn't threaten it, it would be nicer?" ... "But since it bothers you so much perhaps you can ask me and I'll ask the tree."
--I think I found this in a Fire Emblem fic on FFnet (called Trust, if I remember right)...
Off the top of my head one day:

"If we are what we eat, you're dead meat and I'm a wild animal."
"What's that make him?"
"A limp noodle."




And from a lovely Air Gear yaoi fic I found.... (Title: I Love You, I Love You, I Love You, and I Hate You)
(Of course the yaoi pair had jumped apart upon hearing their teammates' voices nearby....)
"What are you two doing?" Onigiri asked as they stopped in front of the two boys.
"Nothing you fucking pig." The shark answered in irritation.
"So…what are you guys doing still hanging around?" Kazu asked as he desperately hoped for a change in subject.
"Well we decided to go to the café for a bit after so..." Ikki began to explain. "I thought you went home already Kazu?"
"Uh..."
Before the blond could come up with an excuse Onigiri had already substituted his own theory. "I bet he was with that girl of his..." (Who of course is a guy, lol.)
Agito raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Kazu.
"Where'd she go? I wanna meet her!" Ikki yelled, looking around for any sight of this mysterious woman.
"She ran away sensing idiots nearby..." (When in reality "she" is sitting next to him. XD)
From Saiyuki (the Reload series, I think):
Sha Gojyo: "There's always some dipshit...."
Cho Hakkai: "Now, Gojyo--let's not replace tact with honesty."
Lady Astor: If you were my husband, I'd give you poison.
Winston Churchill: If you were my wife, I'd drink it.

Parliament member: Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.
Disraeli: That depends, Sir, on whether I embrace your policies or your mistress.

Walton Kerr: He had delusions of adequacy.

William Falkner of Ernest Hemingway: He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.

Moses Hadas: Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.

Mark Twain: I did not attend his funeral, but I wrote a nice letter saying I approved of it.

George Bernard Shaw: I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend...if you have one.
Winston Churchill: Cannot possibly attend first night; will attend second...if there is one.

Mark Twain: Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?

Mae West: His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"What's the matter? Did you look in the mirror?"
--one of many insults traded by my cousin 'su, one of my brothers and me
"It seems that at least your mouth is well off...." -from the first volume of Fate/Stay Night
"...'twill turn your eyeballs black and blue." - Brendan Behan

"It seldom pays to be rude. It never pays to be only half-rude." - Norman Douglas

"Lord Birkenhead is very clever but sometimes his brains go to his head." - Arthur R. M. Lower

LOL. My first thought was "thesauri".

How about capitalization? I see numerous examples of capitalizing common nouns, i.e. 'He went to see the Doctor.' if your just going to see a random medical practitioner, shouldn't 'doctor' not be capitalized? As far as I know, the only doctor capitalized that way is one of the Doctors from Dr. Who.
i read this example somewhere else as well and it always makes me laugh
There's a difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse.

"I often wondered why I torcher myself"
?

Ah, I love these conversations. It always sparks the "holier than thou" part of me that enjoys feeling superior to others. There aren't many aspects of life that I can claim to be an expert in, but I've always felt that I put a lot more effort than most others into language: spelling, usage and grammar. If you detect sarcasm braided with self-deprecation overlaying basic truth, then you get my point. (and perhaps, apple pie!) I'm not pointing any fingers, other than at myself, for I grew up lording it over my sister (older). It, being my aptitude for spelling, but mostly, having a better understanding of word usage. Just at Xmas dinner, she said, "The scent of the candle is "waffing" over to her." I bit my tongue in order not to correct her. That was a rare moment for me because I don't hesitate to do so at every turn. (and did incessantly during Xmas-time) We were both raised similarly, so it's not that I had any advantage other than my brain works differently. I have struggled to get over the enjoyment I gain at feeling that I'm better than her, but most of the time it's a losing battle. We are what we are. Because I have this relationship with my sister, I try to practice leniency for most poor writing I encounter. However, as I've admitted, my inflated ego gets the better of me, many times, and I tactlessly point out the flaws I perceive.
Seriously, the ease of learning literacy concepts and memorizing how words are spelled or used is something we may take for granted. Many people can't incorporate what they are taught simply because they aren't wired that way. They still have creativity and imagination that blows me away, and they deserve the forum to express themselves. I would like to see them recognize that they still need to try to learn, though. At the very least, proofreading their own work before they submit would make a huge difference. The worst part of being so "perfect", as many of you can attest to, is knowing that when you make a despicable mistake, you berate yourself the hardest. "Bad _____, you should know better!" I know that as long as there is someone who can point out my errors, I tremble every time I make a post or submit a story.

Not Guilty.
Unless you count my son "walking me". He runs off and I have to give chase.
Have you ever slept more than 12 hours straight?
My body gets buzzy, and I feel crappy if I go more than 10.

Try this but change the domain link from hp to other domains as needed.

Swedish Elves Manufacture All New Trains, Insists Claus-Santa
R E I N D E E R

Love Is Pearly Semen Trickling Into Cavernous Krotches
(I might have taken liberties with the spelling of crotches)
R A D I O A C T I V E

Morbid. I approve.
Thief Invades Mansion But Encounters Rottweiler
J O U S T

Please Read Over Typos Or Take Your Printing Elsewhere
S Y S T E M I C

Superhero Hates Ordering Replacement Tights
W A T E R F A L L

Tired brain produces weird response, no acronym there.
Answering Useless Demands Interests Teachers
S H O R T

(You're too fricken fast!)
Without Ever Realizing, Elves Worship Over Legolas's Form
S U P E R S O N I C

N00b Ogles New Surgeon, Exaggerates Numbness; Slip-up Entails
W E R E W O L F

I've never written any but gawdammit, Remus is a werewolf. Any guy who can lick his own balls at the right time of month is gonna be taking charge.

Not here, but in my attempt at NaNo this year (which failed due to me being ill and bed-ridden for almost half of the month November):
- She could tell by looking at their feces that there was something wrong. (Diarrhea, perchance? XD)
- She was quiet quite. (And I am silly very.)

"He summons a very small fax which happens to be Naruto!"
So that's a pocket fax machine used to send anime characters to your friends. Yay! Send me...um...Ichigo!

Slurping Up Piss Is Niche Eroticism.
B I S M U T H

Several Tentative Authors Texting Urgently To Organize Rampant Yaoi.
B R O C C O L I

Somewhat Occupied Member Eats Ravioli, Salsa Also Usefully Lies There
STATUTORY

Seriously Urbane Role Player Requires Intelligent Sexy Enemy
M A S T I C A T E

Well, if I'm not going to read your stories, then I'll just keep reading your forum posts! You're hilarious!