Something that has been annoying me...

[Wander]

How almost everything in modern culture, from ads to advice to news stories and books, always assume that the reader is heterosexual. Articles about "why men go for certain women", teachers who "bet you just love all the girls chasing you", and "how to tell if your girlfriend is lying" bits on MSN. I know heterosexuals are in the majority, but I always feel like raising my hand and saying "not me" every time someone says "I bet all the guys would just love that". It's not a major concern or anything, more of an observation, but does anyone else know this feeling?

[Martin]

I know exactly what you mean. It's something that comes up in sociology so much and it really drives me mad. It makes me wonder just how hard it is to keep things neutral. i manage to have conversations with people and cope fine without needing to assume they're straight/gay/whatever, so why others aren't capable of doing it and/or feel they can't possibly have a conversation without leaving out the assumption part is beyond me.

[ausdtc]

I know exactly what you mean! I try not to get too worked up about it, seeing that the majority of people are hetero, but it doesn't stop me from pausing and thinking "hmm, yet another " every time I notice something like that.

I hope that as time passes and people become more accepting that we'll notice less of it!

[pirateninja]

When faced with that kinda thing, I do often say "Oi! Doesn't concern me!" My friends roll their eyes at times, but they understand why I say it. It does get annoying when you're in an overlooked minority.

[jazzrawr]

That annoys me quite a bit too, yeah.
I mean, my friends that i'm not out to are always saying that they need to find me a man.
My facial expression is pretty much :|
Then i look at my best friend whom i'm out to and we laugh hysterically.
But it's a bit annoying that all articles seem to assume that everyone is straight.
Which isn't good. Everyone knows what happens when you assume. XD

[pirateninja]

Originally Posted by jazzrawr

Everyone knows what happens when you assume. XD

You make an ass out of u and me

[jazzrawr]

Originally Posted by pirateninja

You make an ass out of u and me

Exactly!

Originally Posted by jazzrawr

I mean, my friends that i'm not out to are always saying that they need to find me a man.
My facial expression is pretty much :|
Then i look at my best friend whom i'm out to and we laugh hysterically.

I do the SAME thing but in my case they want to set me up with a girl

[Wander]

Every time someone asks if I have a girlfriend, I sit there with a blank face for a little while - thinking "You really can't tell?" - and then answer with a flat "no". No one seems to have figured it out yet. Or they have, but I haven't heard about it.

[Noah]

At work some ppl play "get the numbers" where they try to get numbers from the girls they like. It got really annoying cause they would always be obnoxious about me not playing, so I finally told one of them. He's cool now...
Sorry, kinda random. But, also applicable...

People should just bemore open minded. Stuff like that can put us out of the closet earlier than we anticipated

[Chamber of Life]

That annoys the hell out of me also. In the past week or so that's happened alot and I always cringe when something like that is pushed in my face. Even my mother. I didnt hold the door for her and she was like " Do you have any manners. When youg et married you're going to have to hold the door for your wife." GRRR I just wanted to tell her then and there, but that would have been out of anger.

[Wander]

Originally Posted by Chamber of Life

That annoys the hell out of me also. In the past week or so that's happened alot and I always cringe when something like that is pushed in my face. Even my mother. I didnt hold the door for her and she was like " Do you have any manners. When youg et married you're going to have to hold the door for your wife." GRRR I just wanted to tell her then and there, but that would have been out of anger.

On that line of thought, whenever I get annoyed or angry, some people will say "I hope you don't get that angry around your wife". Or, in the opposite situation, "I bet you'll make a great husband to whoever becomes your wife". Pfft, sorry, no.

[Psychedelic Bookmarks]

Yes, it can get wearing. Especially in the teenage / young adult world.

[MusicIsLife]

Its annoying but i try to not make a big deal about it. If im asked if i have a bf or whatever, i just tell them. Its funny their reactions are usually Oh--oh. Pretty amusing imo.

[joeyconnick]

Yeah, heterosexism sucks. It's so much more insidious than outright homophobia.

[joeyconnick]

Originally Posted by Martin

I know exactly what you mean. It's something that comes up in sociology so much and it really drives me mad. It makes me wonder just how hard it is to keep things neutral. i manage to have conversations with people and cope fine without needing to assume they're straight/gay/whatever, so why others aren't capable of doing it and/or feel they can't possibly have a conversation without leaving out the assumption part is beyond me.

Do you mean stuff in sociology is assuming everyone is hetero? Because it sounds like you're getting the wrong kind of sociology to me if so! Modern soci is quite homo-aware (well, the VAST majority of it).

Or are you just getting classical sociology (like Mills and Durkheim, Marx and Weber)?

[Adam]

Yeah I always feel so mad when people tell me I need to find a girlfriend. Or when guys try to hook me up with other girls. Good thing I'm just really shy or people would probably wonder..

[Wander]

Originally Posted by Adam

Yeah I always feel so mad when people tell me I need to find a girlfriend. Or when guys try to hook me up with other girls. Good thing I'm just really shy or people would probably wonder..

Me being shy is part of the reason people do suspect. Several people have commented that they think I'm hiding something by not talking often.

[Nodnarb]

Originally Posted by Adam

Yeah I always feel so mad when people tell me I need to find a girlfriend. Or when guys try to hook me up with other girls. Good thing I'm just really shy or people would probably wonder..

Same here.

Originally Posted by Wander

Me being shy is part of the reason people do suspect. Several people have commented that they think I'm hiding something by not talking often.

People sometimes say they wonder what I'm thinking, and one of my friends says he thinks I have some sort of secret, but most people don't really think much of my lack of talking.