buy propecia propecia
Phoenix, AZ Forecast

Analysis with Political and Social Commentary
About AB
Columnists CL
Donate DO
Editor Page ED
Front Page FP
Letters LT
Links LK
RSS Feed RS
Search SR
Submit ST
 
Inside Page Phoenix, AZ  By and for we the real people Copyright ©2005-2008 MoveOff, LLC
Cure Your Asthma In Just One Week   Brand New Mp3 Site!   Cure Anxiety & Panic Attacks   Stop Snoring Using Only Easy Exercises
Cure Your Heartburn   How A Fool Discovery Cured My Bad Breath   Natural Cancer Treatments   Cancer & Health-It's All About The Cell
Trading systems, methods and signals.   Natural Cure For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
All-Natural Pain Relief And Cure For Arthritis Sufferers.   How To Lower Blood Pressure Without Drugs.



"Government is not a solution to our problem[s],
government is the problem." -- Ronald Reagan


It's Time to Worry about Global COOLING

"...an utterly corrupt new religion called environmentalism..."
If the history of this planet's climate over millions of years is any guide, we are about to enter a new ice age.

CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper indicated in a 1993 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he wants to see the United States become a Muslim country.
QUEER THEORY AT AN IMPASSE
By Robert Klein Engler (01/10/07)

CHICAGO--(8 January '07) In light of recent action by the Massachusetts legislature to advance a ban on gay marriages, it may be time to deconstruct the theory that claims to deconstruct gender and sexual orientation. If we can free ourselves from the labyrinth of language where Michel Foucault waits like the Minotaur, then the debate over gay marriage is a perfect occasion to do that deconstruction.

Queer theorists often claim that sexual orientation is a "social construct." By that they mean to say there are no "essential differences" between men and women. The social roles that men and women historically had, the "Me Tarzan, you Jane" division of the sexes, is in reality just something that society has constructed over time. John Thorp, in his essay, "The Social Construction of Homosexuality," puts it this way, "Homosexuality is not a natural but a social category."

Behind this theory about the social construction of sexuality are a few other assumptions. One assumption is that there is no essence or "soul" that distinguishes individuals, one from another. The social construct theory of sexuality is fundamentally secular. Any mention of a soul as being essential to a person and their identity is tainted with spiritual assumptions that have no place in a secular, theory driven universe. The social construct theory of sexuality also assumes that human beings are infinitely malleable. Like plastic, individuals take on the shape that a social mold imposes on them.

It is with these assumptions in their backpack, that queer theorists set out to conquer the forces of tradition and ignorance that oppose "gay marriage." These theorist reason that if traditional sex roles are nothing more than social constructs, then all they have to do is change the way society is constructed to have gay marriage accepted. "Let's raise the flag of civil rights on the barricades, too, and we will win," they chant.

As platoons of queer theorist march forward to meet the enemies of Church and State, they soon discover they are making things hard on themselves. They learn that the weapons they carry against the forces of tradition, fire both ways. On their road to victory they reach an impasse.

If sexuality is nothing more than a social construct, then why not just change gays and lesbians into being straight? Why not reconstruct them? It would be a lot easier for everyone. There would be less grief and less gnashing of teeth--less foolish books, too.

Furthermore, why not just abolish any form of marriage? Marriage, too, is a social construct, and if it limits men and women to restricted social roles, then just get rid of those roles. Arguments for gay marriage that use queer theory against traditional sex roles turn out to be boomerangs.

The ultimate problem with social construct theories is that these theories are self-referring. In the final analysis, even social construct theories turn out to be simply social constructs. There is no compelling reason using social construct theory to argue why things should not be constructed the way they are. One social construct is just as good as another. When you throw out the boomerang of nonsense, then expect nonsense to come back.

Another problem with queer theory is that it does not recognize the way people actually live. Most people live their lives believing there is something essential about their identity. This is even more so in the case of many gays and lesbians, who often live outside social traditions. Just ask any gay person you know, and they will probably say, "I was always this way," or something like that.

Many psychiatrist, going back at least to Freud, realize that whatever it is that makes a person gay or lesbian, it's next to impossible to change that orientation. Even the Roman Catholic Church now recognizes that the "homosexual condition" is not a matter of choice. In spite of queer theory and social constructs, most gays and lesbians believe they are essentially that way.

Ironically, by using queer theory to ground their political quest for gay marriage, gays end up also limiting the freedom they supposedly want to expand. Nick Yee claims that, "The irony of gay culture is that there is an emerging sense of the correct way of being gay--exemplified by TV shows like "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy". There is a certain way a gay man should dress, certain name brands that are favored...and certain skills and mannerisms that they should have."

Queer theory does not lead to assimilation, but creates instead an alternate universe where eventually all committed human relationships dissolve. This is reminiscent of how communism, in its attempt to share wealth, ends by making everyone poor. Queer theory, whose object is to free persons from the social oppression of some relationships, concludes by abolishing all relationships. For queer theorists who favor the social construction of reality, the impasse they approach leads to an abyss.


(Printer friendly version)   Email: Robert Klein Engler

Robert Klein Engler lives in Chicago. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Divinity School. His book, A WINTER OF WORDS, about the turmoil at Daley College, is available from amazon.com.
Send Feedback To Robert Klein Engler    Site:


  More Items on the Front Page


UPSSA

United Progressive Socialist States of America


DiscoverTheNetworks.Org : A Guide To The Political Left



*Ed: Views are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of American Daily.
"Mexico, Canada partnership underway with no authorization from Congress"

The United States Is Being Overthrown By Our Politicians - "A silent but all-reaching coup is taking place within the United States. This coup is not being directed by bomb-laden Muslim terrorists, nor will it ever be covered by the mainstream media. The seditious act is being carried out by our very own elected officials, with President Bush leading the insurrection."
 No2Spp.us 
"The FDA has conveniently used the excuse of looking out for consumer safety to increase their perverse regulatory power, undermine free speech, disrupt commerce, and generally get in the way of helping people improve their health. The "half-truth" of the safety issue is used as a ploy to reduce the rights of Americans, one freedom at a time. Once again, the FDA is seeking more police power to intimidate supplement companies. This is one step in an overall FDA master plan to eliminate therapeutic nutritional supplements from the free market. Those who lose are the American public." The FDA - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Website monitoring








AmericanDaily.Ws

Faith and Family Flix - Wholesome Entertainment




Joe Was On Target







http://DeeperRight.com   





...Behind Our Backs...

LifeLock Identity Theft Services

Thought Control

USAJudges.com

Advertise on AD

Vote 4 The USA

The Internet Traffic Report monitors the flow of data around the world. It then displays a value between zero and 100. Higher values indicate faster and more reliable connections.

MadAsHell.Com




Planet Daily

Letters  Letters To The EditorClick to list...





UniqueStuff.Ws


CanadaFreePress



UPSSA or USA 2009?



  





Cure Anxiety And Panic Attacks

GoodForTheCountry

WomenFitnessCentre

Vista Used Here!

Learn reasons why your computer is not running as fast as you would like!
Pointers, free and extremely cheap software to make things run faster.


Right Topix Not-PC Search


American Street



MushMindsThinkLeft

Get Your Breath Back

A Breakthrough In The Treatment Of Asthma, Allergies, Bronchitis, Eczema, Hay Fever And Disorders Of The Upper Respiratory Tract.


ConservaBlogs

Communist Ongoing Agenda
Aztlan Ongoing Agenda


HowardWasRight




It's a Free Subscription!



Page Two    Page Three





The Conservative Voice



  

Trading systems, methods and signals.
Who else want's to trade like a Pro?


The Complete Chickenman Radio Serial
Click for a small sample audio clip.

The Radio Jingle Book

Add Sound On Your WebSite

A Piece Of My Mind



The New Media Alliance - Member

If You Still Need A Reason
to Reject Government Schools


HAS AMERICA LOST HER MORAL GAG REFLEX?

Military Sound Off Blog

Erik Rush

The Post Chronicle

Walhello Search

Off The Wall Posts

Political Candidate Posts

News By US    Radio Air Checks!

A 2005 Voting Rights Act

Get your own 800 number
for $2.00/mn and 6.9¢/min!


Americans Surrendering Liberties:
Shades Of German History




K-Meleon Browser
K-Meleon Browser!

Coalition Against Global Extremism



Stop The ACLU

Website monitoring



  Entry Options   Newsletter   Suggested Subjects
Author Archives

 
May 2008: GreeenIsm
June 2008: FlyOverCountry
July 2008: EdukShun
August 2008: Open For Suggestions
September 2008: Illegal Immigration
Design © 2003-2008 American Daily. Content ©2003-2008 of its respective author.
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
*Views are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of American Daily.
Powered by Nucleus CMS Copyright ©2005-2008 MoveOff,LLC

We use StatCounter
StatCounter