Wednesday 26 September 2007

No Gays In Iran?

Well, so says that country's President. And he might be right.

It is perfectly possible that there are people who engage in sexual acts with their own sex in Iran, but no "lesbians" or "gays"; and if there are "lesbians" or "gays", then, simply by definition, they have indeed been heavily influenced by Western culture, probably through the mass media.

Homosexual acts are one thing (although they certainly do not occur in every culture, and there are languages with no words for them), but the idea of them as the basis for individual and collective economic, social, cultural or political identity is something else entirely.

That idea is peculiarly Western, it is peculiarly Late Modern, and, yes, it is being imposed on other societies in an organised campaign of cultural imperialism also being endured by, for example, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian/Reformed churches in the Global South.

9 comments:

  1. How no comments on this? You're right on this one, but a careless read of it could totally misinterpret what you say. We in Britain are so influenced by the Gay Lobby they've taken the language of debate away so any alternative point of view can be thrown back as discriminatory. Same with human cloning, or should I say "stem cell research"

    Kind Regards,

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  2. Hey, it only went up this morning.

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  3. I'm a gay man and don't seem to have received my "gay international" card. So you have an address where I can order one?

    Kind regards
    Peter

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  4. Sorry. I clearly don't know what day it is. There goes my credibility.

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  5. You seem bitter you haven't received an invitation as well. I understand how you feel. I've asked a few of my gay friends and none of them seem to have received their "gay international" card either.

    Dam that powerful Gay Lobby - too bloody busy controlling the world and too little time engaging in some decent "recruitment".

    Regards
    Peter

    ps if i receive my memerbship form, i'll pass one on to you....

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  6. And I'll auction it on here for charity.

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  7. some-one is getting their intellectual arse kicked by trueleft on comment is free today.

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  8. Not a bit of it. He's wiped the floor with this semi-fascistic member of the richest and most powerful section of society, a tiny minority even of the tiny minority that engages in homosexual acts.

    Unused to dissent (they can get most people sacked these days, and they do), they have absolutely no idea how to cope with anyone who points out a few home truths to them. They just expect everyone to agree with them, and to bow down to their money and their power.

    Well I won't.

    And nor will David Lindsay, our Prime Minister to be.

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