Although his argument doesn’t go in that direction, you’re mixing apples and oranges and splitting hairs.
In other words, he is NOT saying that being racist is bad and therefore being homophobic is also bad, he is not going on the moral ground.
What he is saying is that you cannot choose your skin color because it is a deterministic genetic fact that precedes any capacity for volition: your genes determine whether you will be black or white, not any decision after your birth. And he is extrapolating this to homosexuality, something that is in fact anchored in very solid evidence. There’s a reason he talks about choice: you can’t choose to be black because that’s only “decided” or determined by your genes, and the same goes for homosexuality (although I should say that there are also nuances; homosexuality also has an environmental component).
One does not choose to be black.
One does not choose to be gay.
One does not choose to be white.
One does not choose to be straight.
One does not choose to be left handed. One does not choose to have a learning disability.
These are decided by our genetic makeup and other factors outside of our control.
People do not choose one day that they want to be attracted to women instead of men. Or everyone. Or no one. Attraction is not a chosen thing just like the melanin of their skin. It just is.
This is not a moral question.
Edit: Now, on top of that information, denying that and saying people are lesser because of things they cannot control is morally fucked and deserves to be called out on. Especially when they use a set of moral standards that they do not keep and does not say what they profess it says. It’s just hatred under the guise of morality.
If I can just interject here. My hangup with the analogy is that being black doesn’t inherently change your behavior when placed amongst white people (in a vacuum. Obviously racism makes that moot.) But being gay would absolutely change your behavior compared to the straights you’re around due to attraction.
I dont think that’s what was getting his brother confused, but maybe it was part of it. I’m honestly at the point where I’m giving up on analogies, because people either get hung up on useless details like me, or they willfully ignore the entire premise.
Being gay doesn’t mean you’re attracted to every single person of the group for which you’re attracted. … Just like straight people aren’t attracted to every person of the group for which they are attracted so plopping a gay(affectionate) in the middle of a bunch of straights(affectionate) is going to do nothing (in a vacuum as you described).
The brother in law in question believes in the manosphere christian nationalist drivel that our area has been peddling for decades. The Alex Jones, Joe Rogan, oan listening type who doesn’t think about anything beyond what he’s told. Zero understanding of anything beyond surface level if it doesn’t fit his narrow understanding of the world
Self reflection isn’t his strong suit. Nor is researching information and looking for sources.
Yeah but it also detracts from the point instead of focusing on the main issue at hand, it causes people to go down rabbit holes looking at minutia.
Like focusing on a scratch on a fender when the engine is on fire. While it’s something that is true, it’s not the important part of the conversation.
Although his argument doesn’t go in that direction, you’re mixing apples and oranges and splitting hairs.
In other words, he is NOT saying that being racist is bad and therefore being homophobic is also bad, he is not going on the moral ground.
What he is saying is that you cannot choose your skin color because it is a deterministic genetic fact that precedes any capacity for volition: your genes determine whether you will be black or white, not any decision after your birth. And he is extrapolating this to homosexuality, something that is in fact anchored in very solid evidence. There’s a reason he talks about choice: you can’t choose to be black because that’s only “decided” or determined by your genes, and the same goes for homosexuality (although I should say that there are also nuances; homosexuality also has an environmental component).
Sure, that’s not what I understood him to be saying…
I’ll be more clear:
One does not choose to be black. One does not choose to be gay. One does not choose to be white. One does not choose to be straight. One does not choose to be left handed. One does not choose to have a learning disability.
These are decided by our genetic makeup and other factors outside of our control.
People do not choose one day that they want to be attracted to women instead of men. Or everyone. Or no one. Attraction is not a chosen thing just like the melanin of their skin. It just is.
This is not a moral question.
Edit: Now, on top of that information, denying that and saying people are lesser because of things they cannot control is morally fucked and deserves to be called out on. Especially when they use a set of moral standards that they do not keep and does not say what they profess it says. It’s just hatred under the guise of morality.
If I can just interject here. My hangup with the analogy is that being black doesn’t inherently change your behavior when placed amongst white people (in a vacuum. Obviously racism makes that moot.) But being gay would absolutely change your behavior compared to the straights you’re around due to attraction.
I dont think that’s what was getting his brother confused, but maybe it was part of it. I’m honestly at the point where I’m giving up on analogies, because people either get hung up on useless details like me, or they willfully ignore the entire premise.
I can clarify a few things.
Being gay doesn’t mean you’re attracted to every single person of the group for which you’re attracted. … Just like straight people aren’t attracted to every person of the group for which they are attracted so plopping a gay(affectionate) in the middle of a bunch of straights(affectionate) is going to do nothing (in a vacuum as you described).
The brother in law in question believes in the manosphere christian nationalist drivel that our area has been peddling for decades. The Alex Jones, Joe Rogan, oan listening type who doesn’t think about anything beyond what he’s told. Zero understanding of anything beyond surface level if it doesn’t fit his narrow understanding of the world
Self reflection isn’t his strong suit. Nor is researching information and looking for sources.
True, but my point was that it was a higher likelihood than zero. Pedantic I know.
Yeah but it also detracts from the point instead of focusing on the main issue at hand, it causes people to go down rabbit holes looking at minutia. Like focusing on a scratch on a fender when the engine is on fire. While it’s something that is true, it’s not the important part of the conversation.