rant · moment 11 of 15
Pride, Assimilation, and Being Defined by Oppression
from You Can't Have Everything · #50
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
6 minTim argues pride has become commercialized but represents real progress for gay rights, pushes back on the idea gay identity should be all-consuming, and laments people building identity around labels rather than being interesting as individuals.
- 38:04Tim argues that Pride parades themselves represent the actual victory—the freedom to have a giant exhibition without real fear of physical harm.
- 38:32He's called a psychopath for suggesting people should want to assimilate and get married rather than maintain a separate queer identity.
- 39:05Tim acknowledges gay culture has cool things but argues that mainstreaming it inevitably dilutes the edge while gaining other benefits.
- 39:41Ostracized groups pushed to society's edges bubble up in certain ways, but gay kids today don't face the same violence and shame as previous generations.
- 40:16By 2017, there's been no better time in history to be gay, and Tim rejects the idea that progress hasn't happened or that oppression should remain the defining identity.
- 40:51The worst part of oppressing people is that they become defined by that oppression, making it their only identity.
- 41:16Your sexual orientation should be incidental, like heterosexuality is—you shouldn't be "a gay guy," just a guy.
- 41:40People feel burdened to be interesting because of social media, but used to earn social capital by reading books or learning about art.
- 42:22Race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender should all be less interesting about you than your actual point of view as a person.
- 42:56Tim thinks social media is deeply unhealthy and heading toward a bad place, with extremes on both left and right taking over.
Paul Benassithe Velvet UndergroundHemingway