Sexual Orientation

[JuanSe_Colombia]

Sorry, So let me explain u better. So this guy and me are like in love with each other ( I think he too) but we're not boyfriends just friends, but I want he to be my boyfriend and I think he think the same. The thing is I'm leaving to USA in late june and I gonna stay there until november. And I don't know if I should like you know be with him I mean boyfriends this month and june before I go or just be friends.

 

I wouldn't pursue anything until after you came back. Maybe say something to him so that he knows how you feel, but don't make anything official because you never know what will happen in the 5 months that you are in California. The one thing I would advise, is not to jump into a long distance relationship. That's always a bad idea!

 

Ok so we hang out yesterday I mean friday. We talk you know like firts date. And Im have to leave early like at 11:30pm. So we were talking today at MSN so the kiss thing cameout and he told me that he want and I told him ye me too I told you yesterday but u dind't get it and he was you were serious! And I was like hell yeah!!. So we are like alright.

[Bucket]

If anyone has any info on good clubs to visit in Paris or Berlin, I'd appreciate it.

 

Depends on what your scene is, and what kind of music you like. In Berlin, there are TONS of gay clubs and gay bars that caters to almost every type of person. Me personally, I enjoy Techno/House clubs and bars in Berlin (they are quite similar to American circuit parties... minus the drugs.) "Connection" in Berlin is quite good, as well as "Hafen."

[terrancew_hod]

^I did a little research and the hotel puts me in taxi distance to the Connection.

 

Thanks!

 

Terrance

[Zen Coaster]

Myself, I'm a guy who likes girls.

 

^ Terrance, shouldn't you also mention your sexual attraction to statues?

[terrancew_hod]

^That's why I got us two rooms in germany! I doubt you'll want to see my antics at Connection if I decide to let loose.

 

Oh and I started practicing my statue credits early in preparation for the trip:

Buddha will never be the same...

[ginzo]

and it's legal for a 16-year-old to have sex with a 12-year-old

 

Oh boy, I'm sold. Amsterdam #1. I can't wait to see all those pregnant 12-year-olds. That's not creepy at all.

[Bucket]

^What not might work for Americans, might work for Europeans... ever think of it that way?

 

Take drinking for example, American college students binge drink like alcoholics so I could NEVER imagine the drinking age to be lowered to 18 like in Europe. It works for us because it's all around us, and we grew up with it. Drinking has never been, and will never be, as big a deal to us, as it is to Americans. Judgment on a culture you don't understand or have never seen before, is quite a dangerous thing. If I judged all Americans based off of what I've seen in films, TV, and message boards on the internet, I would assume that Americans are lazy, incestual, greedy, bigots but OBVIOUSLY, that's not true for most Americans. Same goes for Germany... not everyone wears Lederhosen, drinks like an alcoholic, and is a racist, murderous Nazi. Point being, Amsterdam is a beautiful city... people should look past those negative, and false stereotypes of the Dutch and understand that it's just a different culture.

 

/end rant.

[ginzo]

^What not might work for Americans, might work for Europeans... ever think of it that way?

 

Take drinking for example, American college students binge drink like alcoholics so I could NEVER imagine the drinking age to be lowered to 18 like in Europe. It works for us because it's all around us, and we grew up with it. Drinking has never been, and will never be, as big a deal to us, as it is to Americans. Judgment on a culture you don't understand or have never seen before, is quite a dangerous thing. If I judged all Americans based off of what I've seen in films, TV, and message boards on the internet, I would assume that Americans are lazy, incestual, greedy, bigots but OBVIOUSLY, that's not true for most Americans. Same goes for Germany... not everyone wears Lederhosen, drinks like an alcoholic, and is a racist, murderous Nazi. Point being, Amsterdam is a beautiful city... people should look past those negative, and false stereotypes of the Dutch and understand that it's just a different culture.

 

/end rant.

 

This same bad reasoning could be used to justify the violation of human rights in Saudi Arabia, female circumcision in Africa, the Japanese dolphin cull, etc.

 

I'm actually pretty excited about getting to take a look around Amsterdam this summer. This doesn't mean that I have to approve of every aspect of the city. I found it a little odd to see a middle age man touting "it's legal for a 16-year-old to have sex with a 12-year-old" as some sort of selling point for the city. Maybe it's just me, but I don't find this very appealing.

[Swimace]

Take drinking for example, American college students binge drink like alcoholics so I could NEVER imagine the drinking age to be lowered to 18 like in Europe. It works for us because it's all around us, and we grew up with it. Drinking has never been, and will never be, as big a deal to us, as it is to Americans.

 

WOW. That's just a *little* bit pretentious, don't you think? Thank God you are so cultured Bucket.

 

I hate the "oh, it's a different culture" argument, and Ginzo pretty much summed up why.

[ginzo]

I hate the "oh, it's a different culture" argument, and Ginzo pretty much summed up why.

 

It is important to be open-minded about other cultures, but this doesn't mean that one should be OK with everything they do. In some countries you can be executed simply for being gay. While this may work for those countries, it doesn't work for me.

[Swimace]

Obviously it's important to remain open minded about different cultures, but it just bugs me when people blindly put up the "different culture" argument because it's such a slippery slope. Where do you draw the line on what's unacceptable and what is a difference in culture? Everybody draws the line in a different place, which is what makes that such a vague and weak argument IMO

[Bucket]

Take drinking for example, American college students binge drink like alcoholics so I could NEVER imagine the drinking age to be lowered to 18 like in Europe. It works for us because it's all around us, and we grew up with it. Drinking has never been, and will never be, as big a deal to us, as it is to Americans.

 

WOW. That's just a *little* bit pretentious, don't you think? Thank God you are so cultured Bucket.

 

I hate the "oh, it's a different culture" argument, and Ginzo pretty much summed up why.

 

^I did not mean to sound 'pretentious' nor have a know it all attitude. Sometimes I feel like my English is terrible, because some ideas I have make sense to me in my mother tongue, but when I type it in English, it comes out arrogantly.

 

In regards to the drinking, it is true in many cases. For example, a large part of German/French/Italian culture is drinking. In every event, you will see people drinking beer or wine. I remember, as young as 13 I was taking sips of beer from my Dad's drink but it was never considered a bad thing. Alcohol was never looked down upon so negatively because it was so common. So when I became of age at 18, I didn't buy as many shots as possible and get as wasted as I could. Sure, I had a few drinks of course, but that wasn't the main goal for me that night. In the States (at least at Dartmouth and when I was an exchange student in California), a LOT of people at parties drank just to get drunk and that to me is stupid. Rarely have I been to a party at Dartmouth that has not entailed someone vomiting from over-drinking. Of course that doesn't happen only in the States... it happens with any young person within our age group who drinks and likes to party, but I see it more often here, which is why I understand why the drinking age is 21 and not 18 in the States.

 

What not might work for Americans, might work for Europeans

 

The Dutch simply think differently that you and I, and it IS because they are of a different culture than our own. We may think that a 16 year old having consensual sex with a 12 year old is wrong (key word, CONSENSUAL) but it isn't for the Dutch. Neither is smoking marijuana or prostitution... but that doesn't make Amsterdam a bad place to be.

[vedved82491]

^I agree. I understand what you're saying. I tell the same thing to people. I was born in Bosnia and lived in Germany for about 5 years, moved to the U.S. when I was 6, so I know enough about both ends. Drinking here is huge among teenagers. In Europe it's nothing...really. Here people say. OMG Oktoberfest and all that beer! Over there, teens are more interested in rides and attractions and spending time with each other.

 

That was just an example, but it comes to prove that people live their lives differently in different places. We can't compare two countries and say something is "odd" or "weird" when in that other country, that would be considered totally normal. I know I'm going off on like ten different tangents, but whatever.

 

We can't judge what's right and wrong in different countries, because all it is, is a simple opinion of our own, or even what we've been trained to like and dislike to due the way we were brought up/taught.

 

I hope this made sense. I typed it while singing to "Downtown" by SWV so it might not have made sense in some places. lol

[terrancew_hod]

I hope this made sense. I typed it while singing to "Downtown" by SWV so it might not have made sense in some places. lol

 

 

Not Downtown!?! That song is so nasty! BTW that was my jam back in the day...

 

Terry "Ya gotta go... that's the way to find love..." Weaver

[shepp]

and it's legal for a 16-year-old to have sex with a 12-year-old

 

Oh boy, I'm sold. Amsterdam #1. I can't wait to see all those pregnant 12-year-olds. That's not creepy at all.

 

Um, actually, the USA has a teen pregnancy rate that's nine times higher than the Netherlands'.

 

Oh, and I wasn't touting it as a selling point for the city. (I'm thoroughly opposed to the theory and practice of teenage-oriented "sex tourism.") Simply stating it as a matter of fact...and cultural difference. The age of consent in most of the USA, though, is as high or higher than in much of the industrialized world (Spain and Japan 13, Portugal and Germany 14, France, Denmark, Sweden 15), and that hasn't seemed to slow down the rate of American teen pregnancy or teen STDs. One may certainly argue that anything below, say, California's 18 is wrong, but not merely on the basis of "creepy."

[terrancew_hod]

Um, actually, the USA has a teen pregnancy rate that's nine times higher than the Netherlands'.

 

Maybe that is due to the State's stigma on sex and we don't tell these kids what they need to know. They then have to go on all kinds of wild theories and stories that aren't true and it's no wonder they get pregnant or get an STD. From speaking to some of the staff at the AIDS center where I volunteer, they hear some pretty wild stories on how to not get pregnant... one girl thought saying a chant over and over would keep her safe because that's what her friends told her...

 

...it didn't.

 

Terry "If my mystical chants can't get me a man..." Weaver

[christianscoasters]

Terry "If my mystical chants can't get me a man..." Weaver

 

And what kind of chants are those

[twistedmickey]

^YMCA

[terrancew_hod]

^Uh Uh. Too Cliche, tired and "typical".

 

We can do better than that. Here's your hint:

 

I was at home feelin' sleazy

So i went down to the ‘speak easy'

As soon as my feet, hit the door

I had all attention from the dance floor

...

 

starin' faces start to get tired

I wanted to get out and go for a ride

Maybe this boredom created my hunger

So i said, "pull over at the local ‘fat burger'"

 

I tried to walk in shy, very unnoticed

But the men turned away

From their burgers and sodas

The focus was on me, i guess admirin' good taste

I tried to play it off but assurance

Was all over my face

 

 

Any guesses?

 

Terry "Somebody slap me" Weaver

[twistedmickey]

^The Men All Pause

 

My final answer.

[terrancew_hod]

^Correct.

 

You know had a toy beeper back in the day and when a fine man went past I said "Radar! (beep beep beep)"

 

They don't make anthems like that anymore.

 

Terry

[Bucket]

To bring back the topic of gay marriage once again... it is now officially legal in California! Here is the http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,558792,00.html Sorry the article is in German but it pretty much says that there was an overwhelming approval rating for this. Good for California!

[krazekiddd]

^It's actually the entire state of California. 2 down, 48 more to go.

[bspellx5]

^About gay marraige, I'm guessing that in 20 years or less, its going to be legal in all [or almost all] of the US. I think eventually people will see it as a "why were we against that?" type of thing. IMO its like banning a black person from marrying a white person. At the time, you can make sense of it and find ways to justify it, but eventually you'll see your wrong.

[christianscoasters]

^I think you have a good thought. However, there will ALWAYS be people opposed to it. There are still people opposed to an interracial marriage, there aren't many, but still.

 

I think people will adjust to having gay marriage legal (there's nothing to really 'adjust' to, but w/e), but people will still be against it. Why? The Bible. They will use it against same-sex marriages. But interracial couples, where in the Bible does it say anything about that?

 

Know what I mean?