Pride

[crfriend]

I'm old school. I understand what this thread is discussing but, when I was growing up, pride meant something totally different. A person took pride in their work or achievements. A person took pride in their community, family. Parents were proud of their children's achievements, graduating High School or College.Pride was also the downfall of many people. Their 'pride' caused many others to be ruined.

This corruption of language had done considerable damage, and is going to continue to for quite for some time -- even if we manage to get the reactionaries off our back, of which I am not optimistic.

"Pride" is yet another word that has completely changed meaning and tenor in the modern world of the reactionary.

That's the definition I new and grew up with, not the LGBTQ+ stuff that is being spread around as "Pride". Now, Pride is to be gay or lesbian, being "inclusive" of all. Not everyone wishes to be associated with "Pride".

The "new" version has nothing to do with the root word, nor the word's real meaning in the lexicon -- and we let it go without a fight or even an argument. And now we've lost it to its true use; thus we need to adapt our own vocabularies to compensate for others' corruption of the language. Not so long ago I was honestly able to say that I take pride in my past achievements -- because I am duly proud of those, and some of them had profound impacts -- but now the word means something completely different and I've had to remove it from my lexicon, falling back on the root "proud" and rejigging the adjacent words.

Other lost words are either completely off the table ("gay") or are now regarded as overt slurs that can get one a punch in the nose where they never would have in years gone by ("conservative" or "liberal"). I use the clinical diagnosis for the first as I'm familiar with it, and entirely avoid the others whenever possible except as using them as examples of our dying language.

At a guess, I'd say that 90+% of the population does not necessarily associated with the LGBTQWTF*, trans-*, NB, or homosexual populations. The problem is that sliver group has managed to remove all the oxygen from the room and has cut the manoeuvring space to something that 90+% of the population can't fit into. There is no longer a place at the table for plain old straight guys any longer, and more than a few of us are quite angry about that. All favour and benefits are falling to the distinct minority and the majority isn't particularly happy with it. I'll posit there will be no peace until everyone gets a seat at the table.

[Grok]

There is no longer a place at the table for plain old straight guys

A group marginalized, but relied upon.

[Modoc]

There needs to be a seat at the table that allows everybody to come as they are.

I wouldn't go near one, that's the last kind of association men in skirt needs.

I think the pride movement has allowed the space for a whole range of minorities to live in a civilised world. Please note, around the world, places where the pride movement is not accepted are probably also tough places for you to wear a skirt.

Amen Mouse

It would be great if there were a seat at "the table" for everyone to come as you are. It seems that some are choosing to walk away rather than share.

[timemeddler]

There is no longer a place at the table for plain old straight guys any longer, and more than a few of us are quite angry about that. All favour and benefits are falling to the distinct minority and the majority isn't particularly happy with it. I'll posit there will be no peace until everyone gets a seat at the table.

And that is why it's a no go for me, millions who aren't part of that group hate it and everything to do with it.

[rode_kater]

With regard to the "Pride" movement, I think at some point they should wind it up. They have won what they wanted and good for them. Being gay etc is like being left-handed - some people just are and nobody really cares. Live your best life and good luck to you!

Were that but true. But in many places in the world, even western countries, we're going backwards. If it were really just like being left-handed it would die out by itself. Check the statistics for the number of people who accept men holding hands vs man&women holding hands and you'll see there's a long way to go.

[Myopic Bookworm]

This is the teaching on pride that I've learned.

If you actually read C. S. Lewis, you will know that he was extremely learned on the subject of language and its changes, and the shifting meanings of words. Having written a whole book on four different meanings of the word "love", he would have been perfectly capable of telling the difference between two quite distinct meanings of "pride", one opposed to "shame" and the other opposed to "humility".

[Myopic Bookworm]

There is no longer a place at the table for plain old straight guys any longer.

This statement is quite at variance with reality. Plain old straight guys still have most of the money and most of the power. (Some plain old straight guys are finally being publicly called out for predatory sexual behaviour, but I don't think that's a bad thing.) The US is gearing up for an election pitching two plain old straight guys against each other for the zillionth time, with their campaigns funded mainly by stupidly wealthy plain old straight guys. Meanwhile two plain old straight guys are making deals between China and Russia.

Loss of privilege may sometimes feel like oppression, but it isn't.

[Mouse]

When I was at school in the late 60s and 70s, anything a boy did that was remotely girl like was immediately met with a range of homophobic insults. As a boy who was quite interested in girl things, one had to keep those thoughts deeply deeply secret. At home the religious angle was at play, so Larry Grayson, John Inman and the like, were not well thought of. The thought of wearing a skirt in public as a man in normal life was just a non starter.

50 years on, the Pride movement and the equality rules that have come into the UK society have produced a world where people are expected to treat you the same what ever blend of human you are. In this world, I am free to wear a skirt in all parts of my life. If people want to call me names inside their head, they are at liberty to do that. But as soon as they let those thoughts out in speech or action in how they treat me, they are in the wrong and can run into trouble with their employer or in some cases the law.

I am not gay, but I am part of a minority, so I support what the Pride movement has done and I thank them. I am also very aware that the movement has some way to go in many parts of the world. I am also amazed by some parts of the US deciding that freedoms for minorities and women should be binned. Where has the "land of the free" gone?

The words "Pride", "Gay" and rainbows, can still be used in anyway you like. The English language has many words with alternative meanings. It is where a great stream of comedy comes from using the double meanings of words.

[crfriend]

The US is gearing up for an election pitching two plain old straight guys against each other for the zillionth time, with their campaigns funded mainly by stupidly wealthy plain old straight guys. Meanwhile two plain old straight guys are making deals between China and Russia.

This is raw power and perfect privilege. This is not the way of life for 99.999% of the men in the US, many of which are rather concerned about where their next meal is going to come from, or whether they'll have a roof over their heads the next night.

The US is two countries now. One is the country of the super-wealthy; the other is the one of the commoner. The "haves" and "have nots", as it were -- and the "have nots" amount to precisely zero.

[Warren]

I think Pride is very important, the freedoms achieved for LGBT folk in the UK could easily be whittled away by the efforts of minority pressure groups over time. Same Sex Marriage in this country was opposed by more Conservative MPs than supported it and they introduced the Bill.

[Myopic Bookworm]

Rights are for everyone.

I wore my denim kilt and had a good time in the parade. I saw one other kilt (plain black), and a good number of skirts worn by people of varied or indeterminate gender, including my friends' gender-exploring son. I swapped out the cropped T shirt for a conventional shirt later, when meeting my slightly conservative brother, but kept the kilt on, and he merely commented that he hadn't seen that one before. He didn't comment on the lavender-coloured nail polish...