Opinions On

Saw this on Facebook. A MySpace quiz for the modern, political age!

But first, an aside. I hate how politicized certain issues are. If you support the second amendment, you're a conservative. If you want access to abortions, you're a liberal. Why can't we just give assault rifles to conservatives, and abortions to liberals? There's no reason everyone can't be happy, unless your happiness depends on everyone else in the world following your own personal moral compass, a position which should be recognized for what it is - lunacy! But is there a platform for that? I like the idea of libertarianism, but I'm also a socialist. Individuals should have the freedom to pursue their dreams. But in this overpopulated world, it behooves us to have some form of government infrastructure. I don't give a crap if the government is "infringing" on a corporation's "right" to pollute the Earth. Freedom isn't freedom to rape and plunder. If anything, my political views run along the lines of the Wiccan rede: "an it harm none, do what ye will." Obviously, there's a lot of room for interpretation there, but it's a really solid starting point.

Anyway, let's begin. Twenty issues and my opinion on each of them:

1. abortion

Pro-life is a rationally indefensible position. Even if you're a hard-line onanist, you're killing countless potential babies for every sperm that reaches an egg, turning the act of procreation into statistical mass murder, and thereby condemning the human race to extinction. Whether it's conception or the first trimester or the age of majority, we're all just drawing lines in the sand, and I feel like science and medicine should rule on this issue over superstition. In any case, if you publicly condemn abortion but do not promote or support access to birth control, then you are the worst kind of person.

2. lgbt community

I, of course, support them, but every establishment has its flaws. I much prefer LGBT people to any sort of LGBT community (not that I disparage them having one - they deserve it as much as anyone). I just distrust any entity that purports to speak unilaterally for a large number of individual minds (Borg much?).

3. non-binary

What's so great about the binary anyway? Why are people so resistant to this idea? Do people actually like limiting their options? Or are they just dumb apes who only feel comfortable with what's familiar? I know that sounds like incitement, but it's a serious question.

4. breastfeeding in public

Perfect example of male entitlement: a woman exposing her breasts in public is awesome, unless somebody else gets to suck on them.

5. feminism

Good in theory. But humans are fallible and capable of destroying anything.

6. meninism

As much hate as men's right activists get - and much of it is well-deserved - they are not any worse than feminists. Equality is a coin with two sides.

7. long distance relationships

Not ideal, but sometimes you gotta deal.

8. gun laws

I'm not personally a fan of guns, but I will defend your right to own them, provided you use them responsibly. But I think it makes sense to regulate the ownership of weapons specifically designed to kill. If you can't at least concede that point, you're being obstinate, and a real public danger.

9. saying the n-word

I'm a hard-line free-speecher. But there's a difference between what you say, and how or why you say it. Any word can be used as a weapon. But creating a taboo just gives it more power. We should never reach a point where merely saying a particular word constitutes a crime, regardless of any consideration as to intent. That having been said, after a cost-benefit analysis, I can't see any point in me, personally, using this particular word.

10. pedophilia

A very poorly understood sexual minority. We harm ourselves more by condemning them, than we would if we tried to help them manage their feelings.

11. trump

I'm not in the best position to judge Trump as a person, or even as a president (and I'm one of the few people, it seems, humble enough to admit that), but what I can tell you is that I don't like the effect he's having on this country, and I don't like the sorts of people who feel encouraged by him.

12. obama

I don't normally pay much attention to politics, but what I've seen and heard of Obama leaves me with nothing but a positive impression.

13. rape in marriage

Marriage is not a license to rape.

14. anime

Liked it before it was trendy. Still do. People who judge the medium based on a subset of its offerings, or its fanbase, are just as immature as the people they're criticizing.

15. hentai/porn

As a matter of principle, I can't trust anyone who's never jacked it to Legend of the Overfiend.

16. pansexuality

My own tastes are fairly particular, but as with the non-binary issue, I don't get why anyone would insist on criticizing someone for expanding their options, or seeking an appropriate label they identify with. "Oh, that's not a real thing." That kind of attitude just shows really poor character.

17. aliens

I want to believe. See: the "Fermi Paradox". I don't think we've been "visited" by intelligent life for the same reason I don't believe in God - the evidence isn't there. Doesn't mean it's impossible, just implausible. Call me agnostic. Certainly, the universe doesn't appear teeming with life, the way science-fiction often depicts it. Maybe someday we'll change that. For better or worse. I like to believe in a more transcendentalist future, though, where there's more to existence than just the four spacetime dimensions we're familiar with. Not necessarily in a "spiritual" way. But, like, networked consciousness or something. Maybe the reason outer space is so barren is because all the good stuff happens in inner space. Assuming, of course, that you're able to avoid the lava men.

18. cultural appropriation

Is there anything more fundamentally American?

19. fake freckles

I'm not gonna judge. I think freckles are cute, but whether you have them or not, I think you should embrace who you are and what you've got. That having been said, if you want to try on freckles for a change, then by all means, go for it.

20. he/him lesbians

No idea what this is or means. But I can't imagine I'd have any problem with it. Live and let live is my motto. Embrace the wonderful diversity of human nature, and don't be so quick to judge. None of us is half as smart as we think we are, but we all know ourselves better than anyone else does. So mind your own business. Or, as Miley Cyrus put it, stay in your lane, bitch.