La Moretta

I am as God made me

I think I mentioned that I used to occasionally watch A&E's Intervention, a show about people with addictions who go through an intervention. (The subjects believe they are participating in a documentary about addiction.)

As with any show that attempts to encompass a major issue in a short period of time, it's not wise to take everything at face value. But there were a few stories that rang true. There were several accounts of red-state kids from conservative families who realized that they were gay, confided in their families, and were completely and immediately rejected. These kids went from being the golden boy or girl of the family -- popular, athletic, with good grades and great personalities -- to outcasts within the course of a day. So long unconditional parental love. This rejection destroyed them and their descents into addiction were precipitous. 

The show reminds me that even though we coastal folks are relatively tolerant in this area, there are a whole lot of areas in the United States where being a gay teen still puts you at risk of social and familial ostracism. That's why it's so important to get the word out to those kids that they don't have to spend their lives hating themselves for what they are.

Sexuality is so unimportant in the big picture. But so many people are still controlled by it, and, frankly, ruined by how people react to it. This is a huge loss to society -- after all, those who are cast out don't contribute. 

 

If I live to see any major social advances, I hope it will be the severing of sexuality and morality. I'm not saying hurray for NAMBLA or go cheat on your spouse, just hoping that we turn our attention elsewhere than the bedroom.

Oh Ye of Middle Faith

Every once in a while, when I should be working, I take the quiz on Beliefnet to see which religion my beliefs fit in with. It will probably not surprise you to know that they change somewhat every time, although there are some consistent leaders and losers. Unitarian Universalism is often in the top three, along with one form of Buddhism or another. Jainism is often up there, too. 

The religions that I consider to be more rigid are often at the bottom -- it's a coincidence though, because the test doesn't provide any leads concerning which faith believes what.

1.	Mahayana Buddhism (100%)
2.	Theravada Buddhism (96%)
3.	Unitarian Universalism (85%)
4.	Neo-Pagan (80%)
5.	Jainism (74%)
6.	Taoism (72%)
7.	Liberal Quakers (71%)
8.	New Age (71%)
9.	Hinduism (68%)
10.	Sikhism (63%)
11.	Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (60%)
12.	Secular Humanism (58%)
13.	Scientology (54%)
14.	Reform Judaism (53%)
15.	Orthodox Quaker (52%)
16.	New Thought (51%)
17.	Baha'i Faith (46%)
18.	Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (42%)
19.	Nontheist (35%)
20.	Orthodox Judaism (33%)
21.	Seventh Day Adventist (26%)
22.	Islam (25%)
23.	Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (24%)
24.	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (23%)
25.	Eastern Orthodox (13%)
26.	Roman Catholic (13%)
27.	Jehovah's Witness (10%)

Beatification Efforts

'To be born woman is to know-
Although they do not talk of it at school-
That we must labour to be beautiful.'

This sentiment, penned by Yeats (and allegedly said by his friend Lady Gregory), is one I have scoffed at for many a year. However, recently I have found myself doing more and more of this laboring as part of an effort to take care of myself and get out of my head so much. What surprises me as I look into the options is how incredibly painful so many of these beauty treatments are -- burning, zapping, ripping, injecting, pummeling, covering with acid.  There is a strange feeling of virtue reported by those who undergo these rites, which brings to mind a purification through extreme, self-imposed suffering.

American women seem to equate self-denial and suffering in the name of beauty with a sort of moral superiority. How many times have we heard a colleague saying, "Oh, I was so bad. I had three cupcakes last night." or "I was so bad. I didn't run this morning." This made me think that perhaps a religious tie-in might not be a bad idea for marketers of unpleasant beauty procedures. WIth that, I introduce the patron saints of salon services:

• James the Just, beaten to death after being clubbed and stoned -- Patron saint of massage
• St. Bartholemew, flayed alive -- Patron saint of glycolic peels
• Joan of Arc, burned at the stake -- Patron saint of leg waxing
• St. Thomas a Becket, who was discovered after his death to be wearing a hairshirt -- Patron saint of exfoliation
• St. Sebastian, pierced with arrows -- Patron saint of electrolysis

The slogan? I'm not sure yet, but am open to suggestions.

Sniper and the Quran

Media outlets have been reporting that a staff sergeant and sniper section leader assigned to the Baghdad headquarters of the 64th Armored Regiment has admitted to using a Quran for target practice. The staff sergeant has apologized in a letter, and the commander of forces in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Hammond, called the actions of the soldier "nothing more than criminal behavior ... wrong and unacceptable."

All of this would mean a lot more, of course, if the acknowledgement and apology hadn't come almost a week after the incident was first reported, and if the penalty for the offending soldier hadn't been ... wait for it ... redeployment stateside. Yes, not a court-martial or dishonorable discharge, but removal from the line of fire. What, no promotion?

The bottom line is that through its delayed, reluctant reaction, the U.S. military is showing that such behavior is tolerated, as long as it isn't found out.