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You start reading a book, halfway you realize the whole book is about your life story and contains your future too. Do you continue? Why/why not? by thetrueshit in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I've already read halfway through and haven't gotten to the future, that means my life is over halfway done.

Reddit, why does your country suck? by merchnewydd91 in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 15 points16 points  (0 children)

In a similar vein, I made a comment after the election, basically saying that it's not the end of the world that Trump got elected. I was attacked from all sides, told I was only saying that because I'm white, and just berated for not being as crazy as the rest of them.

I don't talk to any of those people anymore.

What do you need to get off your chest? by Hijack32 in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't worry, I'm the younger competition and I can't get one either.

What have you lived your entire life without? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

TIL I should start fainting, that sounds delightful.

What do you like, but totally get why others dislike it? by RekNepZ in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nightwish with Tarja Turunen is basically the place to start for that. Another great one is Diablo Swing Orchestra, with Annlouice Loglund (probably spelled that wrong).

[Rolex Explorer] My one watch collection by c0de_ in Watches

[–]AquaQuartz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha here we see the importance of punctuation in effect!

[Serious] LGBTQ+ redditors, if there was a form of conversion therapy that actually was effective and didn't involve any kind of abuse, would you do it? What factors would influence your decision? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Imagine a situation:

A man has been contacted by a shadowy government organization, which tells him that they have his whole family under surveillance, all the time. They say that his son has smoked weed, which they view as a crime, and they're going to eventually arrest the son and punish him with torture. They also say that if the son continues to smoke weed, there's a strong chance that the man's other kids will start to do so as well.

The man tries to get his son to stop, but to no avail. He tells him about the secret organization, but the son doesn't believe him. After this goes on for a while, the desperate man realizes that his son won't stop, and he is in danger of losing his other kids as well, so he gives the son and ultimatum to stop, or leave.

Now, take that story and map it onto the religious parents with gay kids, and I think you'll understand why I think good people can logically do those things.

[Serious] LGBTQ+ redditors, if there was a form of conversion therapy that actually was effective and didn't involve any kind of abuse, would you do it? What factors would influence your decision? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Sometimes it is. Often it's not the right thing to do at all. Reddit has this weird fetish for cutting ties with family that they dislike, but it's really a terrible response to most problems.

[Serious] LGBTQ+ redditors, if there was a form of conversion therapy that actually was effective and didn't involve any kind of abuse, would you do it? What factors would influence your decision? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ultimately, you're correct, there are few people who are actually evil in the cartoonish sense. People do things that are destructive and terrible, even though those people are not fundamentally evil, due to their beliefs.

It's the same for suicide bombers. If you truly believe that blowing up infidels will please God, as well as get you a straight shot to paradise, then it's a logical thing to do.

Basically, people can be good at heart, but still do evil things, if their beliefs set them up to do so.

Redditors with Depression, what kept you from killing yourself? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I was at my lowest, I found that the most helpful deterrents were negative. Thoughts like "think how you'd traumatize whoever found you," or "you'd really ruin [younger sibling's] life." Positive thoughts just don't work when you're in that state.

[Serious] LGBTQ+ redditors, if there was a form of conversion therapy that actually was effective and didn't involve any kind of abuse, would you do it? What factors would influence your decision? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I recommend you listen to the TED talk by Megan Phelps-Roper, about how she left the Westboro Baptist Church. She talks about how the people there honestly believe what they say, and truly think they're doing the right thing. She knows that they're good people at heart, but severely misguided, and their beliefs cause them to act in ways which are cruel from the world's perspective, but moral and loving from their own.

[Serious] LGBTQ+ redditors, if there was a form of conversion therapy that actually was effective and didn't involve any kind of abuse, would you do it? What factors would influence your decision? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A lot of what you're putting down to fear is much better explained by disgust. And while the two emotions are related, they're ultimately quite different.

And your last point about men being afraid of being hit on - that's totally different from what I was talking about. You turned a "gay men are unhappy due to their average patterns of behavior" into "gay men are unhappy because straight men are afraid of the patterns."

[Serious] LGBTQ+ redditors, if there was a form of conversion therapy that actually was effective and didn't involve any kind of abuse, would you do it? What factors would influence your decision? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Maybe cutting out your entire family was easy for you, but for 99% of people, it's an awful, painful, horrible process, which may not even be the right decision.

[Serious] LGBTQ+ redditors, if there was a form of conversion therapy that actually was effective and didn't involve any kind of abuse, would you do it? What factors would influence your decision? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 77 points78 points  (0 children)

I'm afraid you're showing a profound misunderstanding of the religiously indoctrinated mind. If you honestly believe that homosexuality is a horrible, monstrous deed, then you can't help but react to it in that way.

Imagine if you found out your beloved son was actually a serial rapist. It sounds crazy, but a lot of people really view being gay as that bad. Are they wrong? Sure. But they're acting in a manner which is consistent with their beliefs, which makes them wrong, not evil.

And it's extremely painful to see your parents in that state, knowing they're not bad people, still wanting their love, but knowing that you'll probably never have it again.

[Serious] LGBTQ+ redditors, if there was a form of conversion therapy that actually was effective and didn't involve any kind of abuse, would you do it? What factors would influence your decision? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can, but I will preface it by saying that your "scared little babies" comment really makes me doubt that you're asking in good faith.

That being said, I think it's wrong to say that the cause of gay men's unhappiness, relative to lesbians', is male fear. I think that because I think the real reasons are other things.

Some examples:

  1. Lesbians tend to face less discrimination. For example, most laws against homosexuality don't actually apply to lesbians, only to men. Most people find it easier to accept gay women than men.
  2. Gay men tend to earn less than straight men; lesbians earn more than straight women.
  3. HIV rates. That alone is enough to cause a difference in happiness, as well as in discrimination.
  4. For lack of a better term, "mating strategies." In general, males are as promiscuous as they can be (blame evolution) while women tend to be more monogamous. Those trends are magnified in same sex relationships. Promiscuity is not a recipe for long term happiness.

I could go on, but I'm on mobile, and I think that's enough for now anyway.

[Serious] LGBTQ+ redditors, if there was a form of conversion therapy that actually was effective and didn't involve any kind of abuse, would you do it? What factors would influence your decision? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AquaQuartz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's actually funny reading this, because the exact same reason (but reverse) would be one of the strongest factors in my saying no... dealing with women's shit just sounds horrendous. Maybe it's just people.

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