I recently received an email inviting me to join NMU ALLIES. ALLIES is a group on campus that shows support for a subset of the population. Specifically, the Bee Gees, the Elles, and the Tease
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I would imagine it has less to do with you and more to do with an individual's level of comfort. If they don't know you from Adam, then there may be no reason for them to suspect that you do, in fact, possess professionalism and ethical upstanding-ness.. (I'm sure there's a better term than that made-up one, but whatever. I like it.) For the more timid, it's basically a security blanket. Also, it's the added bonus of showing others that you, personally support the cause, perhaps making others realize that it is not, in fact, wrong.
But I totally think you should display a sticker assuring gamers that you won't discriminate against them or treat them in any other unprofessional manner and subsequently support their caus. 'Cause that would be awesome. We should get someone to design one...
One possibility is that the sticker is much like the ribbons people used to wear for various causes. It was less about the cause and more of the person wanting to show how much they cared. The person might not have actually done anything besides wear the ribbon but that was enough in their minds to actually mean something. The sticker can be used in the same way.
Seeing the sticker makes members of the group feel that their differences are validated and that they're not weird. Why you don't see stickers for other groups that have also been the subject of teasing and discrimination is because it's still okay to tease and discriminate against them.
Living in a college town where there are active groups to support the gay community, I've always (in my adult life) seen it as something that is accepted, and I always thought gays getting beaten was something that you only hear about in the Laramie Project. However, my personal experience is quite limited, and you are right. I occasionally read the news. People do still get beaten, people do still get kicked out of their homes, and people do still get fired.
I see what you're saying. For example, I don't like most laws, especially ones written by sheepherders in bygone millennia, but strangers don't know that about me. People who see the sticker will instantly understand something about me. They'll know what I am not.
The answer is very clear to me. Find a place that makes stickers. Make your own. "I support all combination of colors, ethnicities, beliefs, sexual preferences, genders, and gender identifications." Now THAT is a sticker I would proudly display.
Anonymous #2 the 2nd here. I am always amazed that someone raised in a small, isolated area like the U.P. has the kind of tolerance and open-mindedness you're exhibiting here... and someone like me, raised in/near a big city has had to deal with racist, bigoted, gay-hating jerks more than I care to think about. I recently told my spouse that I think I'm bisexual, but that I have no desire to act on it. That was a huge step for me... we've been married for several years. As a teen, I was given a black eye by my stepfather due to my experimental relationship with someone of the same sex.... and I've always wondered, what if? What if that hadn't happened? Would I have felt okay to keep exploring that part of me and would my life be completely different now? I'll never know. It feels good to share this with an old friend. I miss talking to you more than I can say. Thanks.
It took thirty-six years to get here. For the first half of my life, gay was a negative slang term. "Oh, that's gay!" It wasn't something I had much exposure to. There was a lesbian violin player in high school, but I don't think we ever spoke. A guy was teased for being gay after he looked unusually happy during the testicular cancer video. Hockey players would occasionally punch my arm and call me a fag. Gay seemed like a bad thing, but I've always preferred to form my own opinions
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But I totally think you should display a sticker assuring gamers that you won't discriminate against them or treat them in any other unprofessional manner and subsequently support their caus. 'Cause that would be awesome. We should get someone to design one...
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Seeing the sticker makes members of the group feel that their differences are validated and that they're not weird. Why you don't see stickers for other groups that have also been the subject of teasing and discrimination is because it's still okay to tease and discriminate against them.
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Living in a college town where there are active groups to support the gay community, I've always (in my adult life) seen it as something that is accepted, and I always thought gays getting beaten was something that you only hear about in the Laramie Project. However, my personal experience is quite limited, and you are right. I occasionally read the news. People do still get beaten, people do still get kicked out of their homes, and people do still get fired.
I see what you're saying. For example, I don't like most laws, especially ones written by sheepherders in bygone millennia, but strangers don't know that about me. People who see the sticker will instantly understand something about me. They'll know what I am not.
Reply
"I support all combination of colors, ethnicities, beliefs, sexual preferences, genders, and gender identifications." Now THAT is a sticker I would proudly display.
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